California Republican state chair Ron Nehring has written a proposed party bylaw, that would provide for party meetings to endorse candidates for partisan office before the June primary. See this story, which has a link to the proposed rules. The party will decide whether to adopt this change at its statewide meeting in Sacramento, June 18-20.
On February 15, the Virginia House passed SB 1246, which moves the presidential primary from February to March. Thanks to Josh Putnam of Frontloading HQ for this news. The bill now goes to the Governor.
Vermont Representative John Moran (D-Wardsboro) and eight others have introduced HB 241. Vermont already allows two parties to jointly nominate the same person, but that candidate’s name is only listed once on the November ballot, followed by the names of all the parties that have nominated that person. The bill would change fusion in Vermont, to the type used in New York, Connecticut, Delaware, and South Carolina. Those states print the name of a candidate on the ballot twice (if the candidate is nominated by two parties), so voters can choose which party label they wish to support.
The bill was the idea of the Working Families Party, which is already ballot-qualified in Vermont.
Montana Representative Michael More (R-Gallatin Gateway) has introduced HB 521, to require all state judges (except Justices of the Peace) to be elected and re-elected in partisan elections. Currently, Montana holds non-partisan judicial elections when an incumbent judge is leaving the bench. Judges whose term has expired, and who wish to remain in office, currently appear on the ballot with a retention question (voters check “yes” or “no” to determine whether to keep the judge in office). See this story. The bill was heard in the House Administration Committee on February 15, and the Committee will decide in a few days whether to pass the bill.
A House sponsor has been found for the Pennsylvania Voter’s Act. He is Representative Eugene DePasquale (D-York). The bill has already been introduced in the Senate as SB 21. In the Senate, the bill’s sponsor is a Republican, Senator Mike Folmer. Having sponsors in both houses, and having one sponsor be a Republican and the other a Democrat, is advantageous for the bill.
The bill would decrease the number of signatures for independent candidates. For minor parties, it would let them nominate by convention, with no petitions needed, if they had approximately 4,500 registered members.
