Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski will sign SB 326, according to the Governor’s spokesperson. See this story.

This development means that 2009 has been the best year for getting ballot access improvement bills through state legislatures since 2004. This year has brought significant ballot access improvements from the state legislatures of Arkansas, Maine, Oregon and West Virginia. It has also brought lesser improvements in the ballot access laws in Louisiana, Texas and Utah. Furthermore, there is a fair chance that Rhode Island’s legislature will decrease the number of signatures for a new party, when the House reconvenes in a few weeks. Thanks to Larry Moskowitz for the link.

On July 8, the 5th circuit heard arguments in Palmer v Waxahachie Independent School District, 08-10903. The issue is whether a public high school can prohibit a student from wearing a T-shirt to school that says “John Edwards ’08”. See this article.

On July 6, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed HB 420. It gives independent presidential candidates three more days to file their presidential electors and the $500 filing fee. It also makes the deadline for qualified parties to file their electors less ambiguous.

Louisiana is the third state this year to revise some election law, in response (whether direct or indirect) to a ballot access lawsuit filed by Bob Barr and the Libertarian Party in 2008. The other two states are Texas and West Virginia.