On February 9, the South Dakota Senate Local Government Committee killed SB 157. It would have let independent voters vote in any party’s primary.
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Texas Representative Sid Miller (R-Stephenville) has introduced HB 835, to require candidates to submit a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship. The bill would apply to candidates filing for primaries (including presidential primaries), and also to candidates nominated for the general election by petition or convention.
The Washington Secretary of State, Sam Reed, has written a bill redefining “major party” and “minor party”. That bill, SB 5681, has been introduced by nine State Senators. It changes the definition of “major party” from a group that polled 5% for any statewide race, to a group that polled 1% for president in the last presidential election.
That change is necessary because parties in Washington state no longer have nominees, other than presidential nominees. Without this change, there would be no qualified major parties in the state after the U.S. Senate election in 2010.
The bill also changes the definition of “minor party” from any group, to any group that submits a petition of 100 signatures. Washington state law says that candidates should appear on ballots with a statement of which party they “prefer”. Under existing law, they can prefer any group, even an imaginary one. Under the bill, candidates will only be able to “prefer” a major party, or a group that has submitted a petition of 100 names.
The Washington Secretary of State, Sam Reed, has written a bill redefining “major party” and “minor party”. That bill, SB 5681, has been introduced by nine State Senators. It changes the definition of “major party” from a group that polled 5% for any statewide race, to a group that polled 1% for president in the last presidential election.
That change is necessary because parties in Washington state no longer have nominees, other than presidential nominees. Without this change, there would be no qualified major parties in the state after the U.S. Senate election in 2010.
The bill also changes the definition of “minor party” from any group, to any group that submits a petition of 100 signatures. Washington state law says that candidates should appear on ballots with a statement of which party they “prefer”. Under existing law, they can prefer any group, even an imaginary one. Under the bill, candidates will only be able to “prefer” a major party, or a group that has submitted a petition of 100 names.
Washington State Senator Eric Oemig has introduced SB 5536, which provides that the primary stage should use Ranked Choice Voting to determine which two candidates qualify for the November ballot. The bill has a hearing on Tuesday, February 10, at 1:30 pm in the Senate Committee on Government Operations and Elections. Here is a link to the bill.