New Mexico State Senator Michael Sanchez (D-Belen) has introduced SB 218, which says that general election ballots should include straight-ticket devices. New Mexico policy for many decades has been to include straight-ticket devices on general election ballots, yet oddly there is nothing in the election code authorizing them.

In the last two general elections, the Secretary of State put straight-ticket devices on the ballot only for the Democratic and Republican Parties, even though other parties were on the ballot. Minor parties were on the ballot in all parts of the state in 2008, but only in various parts of the state in 2010. Thanks to Rick Lass for this news.

On February 2, Americans Elect submitted its Wyoming petition. It needed 3,740 signatures and submitted more than 8,000, according to this news story. The reason Americans Elect submitted so many is that Wyoming takes the position that registered voters who didn’t vote in November 2010 are not eligible to sign, because Wyoming thinks of these people as “inactive”.

Most states would not be permitted to take that position, because of federal legislation passed in 1993 that forbides states to purge voters unless they have missed two congressional elections in a row. However, the federal law exempts states that have election-day registration, and Wyoming has election-day registration. The Country Party petition in Wyoming was rejected last year, because of Wyoming’s policy on voters who didn’t vote in 2010. However, the Country Party is being allowed to submit more signatures. Thanks to Mike Fellows for the link.

The Associated Press has this story about Roseanne Barr’s announcement that she is seeking the Green Party presidential nomination. UPDATE: here is a Los Angeles Times story about Barr’s candidacy.