On May 3, the Alabama Senate Constitution, Campaign Finance, Ethics & Elections Committee passed HB 425. This is the bill that moves the primary for all office from June to the 2nd Tuesday in March. It has the effect of moving the petition deadline for minor parties and non-presidential independent candidates from June to March, because the existing law says those petitions are due on the date of the non-presidential primary.

As noted earlier, in 1991 the 11th circuit invalidated Alabama’s April petition deadline for new parties, and that case didn’t even involve a presidential election. Precedents against early petition deadlines for minor parties and independent candidates are stronger in presidential elections than they are in elections for other office. At the time of the 1991 decision, Alabama’s petition was 1% of the last gubernatorial vote; not it is 3% of the last gubernatorial vote.

Fairvote Canada has already analyzed the Canadian election of May 2. Here is the proportion of the national popular vote won by each of Canada’s five leading parties: Conservative 40%, New Democratic 31%, Liberal 19%, Bloc Quebecois 6%, Green 4%.

By contrast, here is the percentage of seats won in Parliament by each of those parties: Conservatives 54%, New Democratic 33%, Liberal 11%, Bloc Quebecois 1%, Greens less than 1%. Thus the Conservative Party has an absolute majority in Parliament even though fewer than 40% of the voters voted for that party.

One hopes the British voters notice these results. British voters will vote in two days on whether to switch from “first past the post” to Instant Runoff Voting. One could wish the British were given a chance to vote on Proportional Representation, but even a vote for IRV will signal dissatisfaction with the existing system. Of course, the United States also uses “first past the post” for all its federal elections. Thanks to Thomas Jones for this news.