This story says the both Democratic and Republican leaders in the state legislature say they are interested in passing a bill that would change New Jersey’s ballot format. There is no mention in the story of whether they are interested in primary ballots only, or whether their reform would extend to general election ballots.
Two Rhode Island Representatives have introduced HB 7766, to ease the definition of a qualified party. Current law says it is a group that polled 5% for either Governor or President in the last election. The bill changes that to a group that polled 2% for any statewide race, or U.S. House. Alternatively it is a group that has at least one member in the legislature; or a group that has 5,000 registered members.
The Rhode Island Libertarian Party worked to get this bill introduced. Rhode Island is one of the few states in which the Libertarian Party has never been a qualified party. The others are Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia. Also in Connecticut, Georgia, and Illinois, the party has been qualified for some offices but not all offices.
The bill’s authors are David J. Place (R-Gloucester) and Evan P. Shanley (D-Warwick).
On March 20, U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, an Obama appointee, issued an opinion in Hall v D.C. Board of Elections, 1:23cv-1261. This case had been filed in 2023 by some Washington, D.C., voters, to block a 2022 ordinance that says non-citizen adults residing permanently in Washington, D.C., may vote in elections for city offices and for local initiatives. The decision says that the voters who filed the lawsuit lack standing. See the 12-page opinion here.
On March 5, Massachusetts held a presidential primary for the Libertarian Party. The results: Chase Oliver 1,453; Jacob Hornberger 1,089; Michael Rectenwald 546; Lars Mapstead 399; Michael Ter Maat 314; no preference 3,982; miscellaneous write-ins 2,161; blank 980. Thanks to George Phillies and Third Party Watch for these figures, which are not official.
On March 13, the Connecticut House Government Administration & Elections Committee introduced an omnibus election bill that includes a provision making it illegal for any qualified party to have “Independent” as part of its name. The bill, HB 5498, can be seen here. The provision about party names is on page 20. It also bans “unaffiliated”, or “unenrolled” in party names.
The Independent Party of Connecticut has been ballot-qualified for most federal and state offices starting in 2008. If the bill becomes law, it would be forced to change its name by January 1, 2025.
Here is a news story about the bill, which had a hearing on March 18. The party testified against that part of the bill. The committee hasn’t acted on the bill yet.
In 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar bill. Here is his veto message. He said the idea violates the First Amendment.
