Washington state Representative Christopher Hurst (D-Enumclaw) has introduced HB 1860. It says that political party committeemembers should run for office on the presidential primary ballot. Last month, a U.S. District Court had ruled that forcing political parties to elect their committeemembers at the top-two primary violates freedom of association, because states cannot force political parties to let outsiders choose their party officers.

At the Washington state presidential primary, held in February, each major party has its own separate presidential primary ballot, and voters must sign in as members of one of those particular parties in order to participate. Thus, the constitutional infirmity is cured if party officers are elected at the presidential primary.

The bill also cancels the presidential primary unless both major parties agree, no later than September 1 of the year before the presidential election, to choose all of their national convention delegates at the presidential primary. Thanks to Josh Putnam for news about this bill.

On February 3, California State Senator Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro) introduced SB 168, which makes it a crime for anyone to pay anyone else to circulate an initiative, referendum or recall petition, if the circulator is being paid per signature, “directly or indirectly.” The penalty for the person who pays is a fine of up to $25,000 and one year in prison. The penalty for the circulator is a fine up to $1,000 and up to six months in prison.