On March 12, the Oregon House passed HB 2588 by a vote of 39-19. This is the National Popular Vote bill. Significantly, eight Republicans voted for the bill. Often the idea is treated as a partisan issue, in which Democrats favor and Republicans oppose, although there is no logic to that partisan division, unless one assumes emotions from the 2000 election are in play. Thanks to John Koza for the news.
On March 11, the Socialist Workers Party announced that it had nominated Angela Lariscy for Governor of New Jersey, and will obtain the needed 800 valid signatures to get her on the ballot. The Socialist Workers Party has nominated someone for Governor of New Jersey twelve times. The party’s best showing for that office was its first attempt, in 1946, when Alan Kohlman received .70% of the total vote cast for Governor.
On March 11, the Alabama House Constitution & Elections Committee passed HB 265. It would provide that the number of electoral votes received by any presidential candidate would be in proportion to that candidate’s share of the popular vote inside Alabama. Thus, since Alabama has 9 electoral votes, a presidential candidate who got 33% of the popular vote in Alabama would get 3 electoral votes from Alabama.
The bill passed on a party line vote, 5-4, with all Democrats supporting the bill and all Republicans opposed. Alabama has a Democratic majority in each house of the legislature, but the Governor, Bob Riley, is a Republican.
On March 11, the Oklahoma House passed HB 1072 by a vote of 86-5. It does not improve ballot access in presidential election years. But in midterm years, it makes a very large improvement in the number of signatures needed for a political party to get on the ballot. The bill keeps the 5% petition for political party ballot access in place. But by changing the base on which the 5% is calculated from the last vote cast, to the last gubernatorial vote cast, it lowers the number of signatures for a party in 2010 from 73,134 signatures to 46,324 signatures.
The bill now goes to the Senate. Thanks to Richard Prawdzienski for this news.
On March 11, the Arkansas House State Agencies & Government Affairs committee defeated two election law bills by Representative Richard Carroll. HB 1247 would have changed the definition of “political party”, and HB 1863 would have required inclusive debates when taxpayer resources are being used to host or sponsor those debates. It is possible the debates bill can be revived, after some amendments.
