New Mexico Senator Al Park (D-Albuquerque) has introduced HB 299, to provide that candidates seeking a place on a primary ballot may use a filing fee instead of a petition. The bill requires a fee of 4% of the annual salary. However, for state legislative candidates, the filing fee would be $100. The fee for offices that have no salary would be $50.
A bill has been introduced in the Virginia legislature to make it illegal for petition circulators to be paid on a per-signature basis. It is HB 2642, sponsored by Delegate Robert Orrick (R-Thornburg). The bill also requires people who register to vote to submit proof that they are U.S. citizens, effective in 2010.
Two bills to improve ballot access in New York have been introduced. A2651 reduces independent candidate signature requirements in special U.S. House elections. The bill decreases the number of signatures from 3,500 to 1,200. Also it expands the petitioning period in special elections from 12 days to 16 days. The sponsor is Assemblymember Barbara Clark (D-Queens Village).
S355 provides that small errors in all types of petitions should not mean that the petition is invalid, as long as it is obvious that no fraud was intended. The sponsor is Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn).
A bill has been introduced in the Oregon Senate to repeal the restriction that says primary voters can’t sign independent candidate petitions. It is SB 326. The sponsor is Senator Rick Metsger (D-Mount Hood).
The Chicago Tribune published this op-ed on February 3, advocating that the legislature move the primary (for all office) from February to June.
