Washington State Senator Sharon Nelson (D-West Seattle) has introduced SB 5297. It requires circulators for a ballot measure or a recall to register with the Secretary of State, if they are paid by a “signature gathering business.” Circulators must register within 72 hours after collecting their first signature. They must register separately for each petition that they circulate. They must submit a photo of themselves that shows face, neck and shoulders. They must keep this photo and a copy of their registration papers with them while they are working, and show them to anyone who asks.

Any paid circulator who “knowingly submits one invalid signature” is barred from registering again for five years. Paid circulators who don’t follow the law may be fined up to $500.

The bill only covers paid circulators who work for a “signature gathering business”, but not circulators who work directly for a candidate or a political party. “Signature gathering business” is defined as a business whose primary activity or primary source of revenue is gathering signatures for ballot measures, initiatives, or recall petitions.” Thanks to Ballot Box News for news of this bill.

On January 19, the Delaware House Administration passed HB 11, which is intended to ban fusion. However, the bill is more restrictive than that. It makes it illegal for any political party to nominate someone who is not a member of that party. The bill does exempt presidential and vice-presidential candidates, however.

The U.S. Supreme Court said in Tashjian v Republican Party of Connecticut, 479 U.S. 208, on page 215, “Were the State to provide that only Party members might be selected as the Party’s chosen nominees for public office, such a prohibition of potential association with nonmembers would clearly infringe upon the rights of the Party’s members under the First Amendment to organize with like-minded citizens in support of common political goals.” The sponsor of the bill, Representative Earl Jaques, says his goal is to stop any candidate’s name from being listed more than once on the ballot. It doesn’t follow logically that, therefore, he should tell parties that they can’t nominate a non-member.

Intelligence Squared is a forum that gathers together experts to debate public policy, every month. The moderator is usually John Donvan, an ABC News correspondent who was once ABC’s White House Correspondent. The debates are held in New York city and can be heard on National Public Radio and seen on Bloomberg TV. Also they can be seen at www.iq2oz.com, and are archived there.

The February 15 debate is titled “The Two-Party System is Making America Ungovernable.” Speaking in the affirmative are David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times, and Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post. Speaking in the negative are author Zev Chafets and satirist P. J. O’Rourke. Attendance costs $40, and the debate runs from 6:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The location is NYU Skirball Center, 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square South, Manhattan. Thanks to Michael Edelstein for this news.