Arizona Bill, Improving Ballot Access and Making Other Changes, Passes House Judiciary Committee

Posted on by February 10, 2011
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On February 10, Arizona HB 2304 passed the House Judiciary Committee unanimously. Now it goes to the House Rules Committee. This bill contains all the Secretary of State’s recommendations for election law changes, including some ballot access improvements. It says when a party qualifies for the ballot, it then retains its status as a qualified party for the next two elections. Also it legalizes out-of-state circulators for all types of petitions, although out-of-state circulators must register with the Secretary of State before working.

Also, the bill makes it easier for candidates of a newly-qualifying party to get on their own party’s primary ballot. As far as is known, this is the first ballot access improvement bill this year to have made progress in any state’s legislature.

The Judiciary Committee amended the bill’s provisions about electioneering at the polls. The bill, as amended, clarifies that buttons and clothing worn by voters at the polling place is permitted, unless the buttons or clothing relate to something that is on the ballot. This change is undoubtedly because some polling place officials last year tried to eject voters who were wearing clothing that mentioned the Tea Party, which was not on the ballot in Arizona as a separate political party. Under the amendment, Tea Party buttons and clothing would be permitted (until such time as the Tea Party in Arizona gets itself on the ballot as a separate political party, of course).

Florida Legislative Leaders Seem Inclined to Keep January Presidential Primary

Posted on by February 10, 2011
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According to this story in the Orlando, Florida Sentinel, Republican leaders in the state legislature seem inclined to retain Florida’s January presidential primary. Although bills are pending in both houses of the legislature to move the presidential primaries to March, the bills are sponsored by Democrats, and Republicans have a majority in both houses of the legislature. The bills are SB 860 and HB 695.

Hawaii Bills for Instant Runoff Voting in Special Elections

Posted on by February 10, 2011
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Bills have been introduced in both houses of the Hawaii legislature to provide that special elections should be conducted using Instant Runoff Voting. The House bill, HB 638, was to have had a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on February 1, but that hearing has been postponed to February 15. The identical Senate bill, SB 667, doesn’t have a hearing date yet.

Hawaii special elections include party labels on the ballot, but parties don’t have nominees. There is only one round in special elections. On May 22, 2010, Hawaii had held a special U.S. House election, in which the three leading candidates were Republican Charles Djou, and Democrats Colleen Hanabusa and Ed Case. Djou won with 39.4% of the total vote cast. The two leading Democrats, together, polled 58.4%, but they were both defeated since Djou polled the most votes. In November 2010, under a normal system in which parties have nominees, Djou was defeated.

Many Oregon Bills Would Affect Minor Parties

Posted on by February 10, 2011
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The Oregon House Interim Committee on Rules has introduced many bills that affect minor parties and independent candidates. HB 2428 would eliminate fusion. Several parties could still nominate a candidate, but the candidate could only have one party label on the ballot. The candidate would choose which party label to use.

HB 2442, and also SB 263, would go into effect immediately and would say that no political party can have “independent” as its name. The bill would let the ballot-qualified Independent Party choose a new name. The bill would also provide that independent candidates, who are now on the ballot as “Nonaffiliated” would in the future be on the ballot as “Nonaffiliated/Independent.” The bill says that letting any party call itself the Independent Party is confusing.

HB 2432 says that party labels must be printed on the ballot without being abbreviated. In 2010, the Oregon Secretary of State permitted some counties to show only party abbreviations on the ballot. Virtually every voter knows what “Dem” and “Rep” means, but the abbreviations for minor parties are much less understood. For example, the Green Party was abbreviated “PGP” (which is an acronym for “Pacific Green Party”).

HB 2421 would require qualified minor parties to forward a list of voters who participate in their nomination process. Most ballot-qualified minor parties in Oregon nominate by convention, but the Independent Party nominated with a mail-ballot, paid for by the party itself.

An Oregon bill that only affects the major parties is HB 2492, which eliminates party officer elections from the primary ballot, and says parties should choose their officials any way they wish, but at their own expense.

Montana Senate Passes Bill to Stop "Faithless" Presidential Electors

Posted on by February 10, 2011
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On February 7, the Montana Senate passed SB 194. It provides that parties, and the campaigns of independent candidates, must submit the names of two candidates for presidential elector for each available seat. One is the elector and one is the alternate. If that party or campaign carries the state, and one of the presidential electors votes for someone for either president or vice-president other than the person expected, then that elector is deemed to have resigned and the alternate assumes the role and cast a vote.