The Missouri legislature adjourns on Friday evening, May 16. Still pending are two ballot access bills, one helpful, one harmful. Also still pending is a bill to require voters at the polls to show a government photo-ID.

The helpful bill, SB 797, is listed as a consent bill in the House, which means that it will pass the House as soon as the House takes up consent bills, which could be Monday, May 12. However, since the House Committee attached an unrelated provision, the bill would then need to return to the Senate. SB 797 fixes the typographical error in the 1993 ballot access reform bill, which forces groups that circulate the petition for a new party to list a presidential candidate (but not candidates for other office) on the petition.

HB 1310, the harmful bill, moves the deadline for all independent candidates (even president) from July to March. It has passed the House, but not the Senate, and the Senate Committee has not voted to send it to the Senate floor. Therefore, it is probably dead.

Alabama HB 738, which would have lowered the number of signatures for independent candidates (for office other than president) was never brought up on the House floor, and there isn’t enough time left in the session for it to pass. The legislature is about to adjourn for the year.

Anthony Pollina, state chair of the Vermont Progressive Party, has been running for Governor for some months. But he began the active campaign on May 6, when his radio ads began airing. Also he started a two-week campaign tour around Vermont on May 6.

His chances of winning will be enhanced if the Democrats don’t run anyone for Governor. The Democratic Speaker of the House, Gaye Symington, says she will decide whether to run in the next week. Symington is not as well-known within Vermont as Pollina.