On February 16, the Montana State House Administration Committee tabled HB 205. This bill would have required presidential candidates’ birth certificates to be submitted.

Also, on February 14, the Arizona Judiciary Committee defeated SB 1526, another bill to require that presidential candidates’ birth certificates be submitted, in order for them to be on the ballot. The vote was 3-5. This bill had been introduced by Senator Ron Gould (R-Lake Havasu City). An identical bill in the Arizona House, HB 2335, is pending in the House Judiciary Committee.

On February 15, the Hawaii House Judiciary Committee passed HB 638, unanimously. It would provide that Hawaii use Instant Runoff Voting in special elections. Currently, Hawaii holds special elections without any procedure for parties to nominate candidates. Candidates merely qualify. This led to a 2010 special election for U.S. House in which two prominent Democrats split the normal Democratic vote, so that a Republican was elected with less than 40% of the total vote cast.

On February 16, the Idaho legislature passed HB 60, which moves the presidential primary (as well as the primary for other office) from the fourth week in May, to the third week in May. The bill has no effect on the existing August petition deadline for new parties, or the existing August petition deadline for independent presidential candidates. However, the effect of the bill will be to make the non-presidential independent candidate petition deadline one week earlier than it had been. Thanks to Josh Putnam’s Frontloading HQ for this news.