On May 10, the Colorado Senate passed HB 1271 on second reading, by a vote of 19-16. The Senate also amended it so that it takes effect immediately. The House had already passed the bill. But because the Senate amended it, it must go back to the House, and the legislature is almost ready to adjourn for the year. See this story in the Durango Herald.

HB 1271 is the bill that relaxes the prior disaffiliation law for independent candidates. Current law says an independent candidate cannot get on the ballot if the person had been registered into a qualified party at any time during the previous year before filing. The bill changes the disaffiliation rule, so that it only applies if the independent candidate had been a member of a qualified party during the election year.

The interesting saga of Washington state’s legislative race in the 18(1) district continues. See this earlier coverage, which revealed that the Republican incumbent is not running for re-election this year. Six Republicans jumped into the race. Then the Republican Party realized that even though this is a district that usually votes 60% Republican, that large field of Republicans in the primary would be bad for the party’s chances of holding the seat this year.

This is because Washington state uses a top-two system. With only two Democrats running in the primary in this district, and six strong Republicans in the primary, the odds were high that two Democrats would place first and second. Now, two of the Republicans have dropped out, even though the primary is not until August 17. Clearly, Republican Party officials have been working to narrow the field. Of course, this development means fewer choices in the primary for Republicans. See this story about the latest developments. Thanks to Dan Meek for the link.

Professor Michael P. McDonald of George Mason University, one of the nation’s leading experts on voter registration data, has calculated that since November 2008, the number of registered voters in the states that have registration by party has declined 2.6%. This is not surprising, because elections officials customarily work between elections to purge the lists of deadwood. See his summary here.

McDonald has also calculated that since November 2008, the number of registered Republicans has declined 3.5%, the number of registered Democrats has declined 2.7%, the number of registered independents has declined 1.6%, and the number of voters registered in minor parties has increased 2.4%. McDonald also notes that research has shown that voters who are registered in minor parties are more sophisticated and more politically active than average voters. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.