The North Carolina Examiner has this article by Brian Irving, about the North Carolina ballot access bill introduced earlier this week.
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Hawaii State Senators Les Ihara (D-Honolulu) and Maile Shimabukuro (D-Waianae) have introduced SB 205, to add write-in space on all Hawaii ballots. Currently, Hawaii is one of five states with a complete ban on write-ins. The bill has a preamble which says “The legislature finds that Hawaii has one of the lowest voter participation records in the United States…Eligible voters are often not interested in voting for the available candidates and refrain from voting at all. Write-in voting would allow voters greater freedom to support candidates of their choice and signify their displeasure with the available candidates. The legislature believes that the authorization of write-in voting would increase the number of registered voters that actually vote in each election.”
Senator Ihara has been in the legislature since 1994 and has introduced write-in bills in the past.
Connecticut Representative Linda Schofield (D-Simsbury) has introduced H5730, to provide that independent voters may vote in a party primary. Currently, Connecticut law lets each party decide for itself whether to let independent voters vote in its primary or not.
Connecticut Representative Sean J. Williams (R-Watertown) has introduced H5226, to eliminate the ability of state and local parties to choose nominees by convention, and provide that parties would nominate for all partisan office by primary. Currently, Connecticut major parties choose nominees in conventions, but anyone not chosen is free to circulate a petition and thereby force a primary for that office. But, most of the time, there are no primaries in Connecticut for most partisan offices.
Representative Williams has also introduced a bill to move the primary (for office other than President) from August to June.
Colorado Representative Edward Casso (D-Thornton) has introduced HB 1012, to let independent voters vote in a partisan primary. Current Colorado law lets any independent voter vote in a partisan primary if that voter re-registers into that party at the polls on primary day, but the bill would let independent voters choose a primary ballot without having to join the party.
On January 31, the U.S. Supreme Court requested that Hawaii file a response in Nader v Cronin, 10-728. This is the case that challenges the number of signatures needed for an independent presidential candidate. That number is approximately six times as many signatures as are required for an entire new political party with its own primary ballot.
When the U.S. Supreme Court asks for a response from the side that had won the case in the lower court, that is a sign that the Court is thinking that it might possibly take the case. The response from Hawaii is due March 2.
In other U.S. Supreme Court news, the Court has put Burris v Judge on its February 18 conference. This means that the Court will probably reveal on the following Monday (February 21) whether it will hear that case. Burris v Judge, 10-367, is the lawsuit filed by former U.S. Senator Roland Burris, over ballot access in the Illinois special U.S. Senate election of November 2, 2010. Roland Burris wanted to run for the two-month term, but the 7th circuit had ruled that no one could run in that special election except the candidates who were already on the ballot for the regular U.S. Senate election.
Also, in the Connecticut case over discriminatory public funding, Green Party of Connecticut v Lenge, 10-795, the state of Connecticut has asked again asked for time to respond. The state’s original response was due January 14, but then the Court gave the state until February 14, and now the Court has granted a second extension, to February 22.