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.

The California Secretary of State’s office says it won’t announce the deadline for petitions in lieu of filing fee, until Friday, July 10, for the special U.S. House race, district 10. Cathy Mitchell, chief of the Elections Division, promises that whatever the deadline is, it will be in the future. But since the primary is September 1, chances are candidates who wish to be on the ballot in that election will only have one week. Independent, Democratic and Republican candidates need 3,000 signatures in lieu of the filing fee. Members of qualified minor parties need 150, but whereas anyone can sign the petition that needs 3,000 signatures, only minor party members can sign the petition that needs 150 signatures.

UPDATE: the Secretary of State’s office posted the Calendar for this election on July 8. It shows that the deadline for submitting Petitions in Lieu of the filing fee was July 5. The Governor had not even proclaimed the special election until July 3.

Delaware will hold a special election soon to fill the vacant State Senate seat, 19th district. The seat is vacant because Senator Thurman Adams, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, died on June 23.

The Republican nominee will be Joe Booth, and the Libertarian nominee will be Wendy Jones. The Democratic Party had nominated Eddy Parker a week ago, but he withdrew on July 7, so the party will soon choose a new nominee. In Delaware special legislative elections, all parties, major and minor alike, nominate by committee meeting. See this story for more details.