The National Popular Vote Plan has been introduced this year in at least four states. The National Popular Vote Plan would not take effect until states comprising a majority of the electoral vote had passed the plan.
Bills pending in 2009 sessions of the legislature include: Kentucky HB 170, New Hampshire HB 417, Virginia SB 824, and Washington HB 1350 and SB 5204.
On January 21, Free and Equal held a press conference in the Capital Press Room in the Illinois legislature in Springfield. Here is the news coverage from the Springfield daily newspaper. Free and Equal will have several arms. One will be a lobbying group. Already, Free & Equal has identified an Illinois State Senator who is likely to introduce a bill soon to improve ballot access in that state.
Another arm of Free and Equal will be to provide paid petitioning teams for independent and minor party candidates.
Christina Tobin conceived of Free and Equal. She is well-positioned for that work. She is the daughter of James Tobin, the Libertarian Party nominee for Governor of Illinois in 1998. Tobin was kept off the ballot by a challenge to the Libertarian statewide petition, even though the petition-checking process showed that he had enough valid signatures and was otherwise qualified. One could say that the experience radicalized Tobin. Tobin gained valuable experience in managing petition drives, by doing that work nationwide for Ralph Nader in 2008.
On January 21, Free and Equal held a press conference in the Capital Press Room in the Illinois legislature in Springfield. Here is the news coverage from the Springfield daily newspaper. Free and Equal will have several arms. One will be a lobbying group. Already, Free & Equal has identified an Illinois State Senator who is likely to introduce a bill soon to improve ballot access in that state.
Another arm of Free and Equal will be to provide paid petitioning teams for independent and minor party candidates.
Christina Tobin conceived of Free and Equal. She is well-positioned for that work. She is the daughter of James Tobin, the Libertarian Party nominee for Governor of Illinois in 1998. Tobin was kept off the ballot by a challenge to the Libertarian statewide petition, even though the petition-checking process showed that he had enough valid signatures and was otherwise qualified. One could say that the experience radicalized Tobin. Tobin gained valuable experience in managing petition drives, by doing that work nationwide for Ralph Nader in 2008.
On January 21, the Arkansas House Stage Agencies & Governmental Affairs Committee passed HB 1021 unanimously. The bill moves the presidential primary from February to May.
Arkansas law provides that newly qualifying parties may have a presidential primary, although not a primary for other office. Moving the presidential primary to May increases the likelihood that most newly-qualifying parties will qualify in time to have their own presidential primary. However, there aren’t usually many newly-qualifying parties in Arkansas. The only ones that have qualified for full party status in the last 35 years have been the Reform Party and the Green Party.
On January 21, the 10th circuit refused to rehear Yes on Term Limits v Savage, no. 07-6233. This is the case in which the 10th circuit had struck down Oklahoma’s ban on out-of-state initiative circulators, back on December 18. The state had asked for an en banc rehearing, but no judge wanted to rehear the case.
