Yesterday, Kentucky HB141 passed the House unanimously and went to the Senate. It makes two minor improvements in the ballot access laws. It deletes the requirement that minor party and independent presidential candidates must file a declaration of candidacy on April 1 of an election year.

Also, it lets minor party and independent presidential candidate petitions circulate as early as the candidate or group wishes. Since Kentucky permits stand-ins on presidential petitions, this change lets minor parties circulate their presidential petitions in the year before a presidential election, if they wish to. Under the existing law, they may not begin until November of the year before the election.

Today, Tennessee Representative Donna Rowland introduced HB1776. It is identical to SB1327 in the Tennessee State Senate, which was introduced two weeks ago. It permits candidates who use the independent candidate procedure to choose a partisan label (other than just “independent”) to be printed on the November ballot next to the candidate’s name.

Today, State Senator Randy Brogdon (R-Tulsa) signed on as a co-sponsor of HB 1429, the ballot access reform bill. This helps its chances, and a hearing is likely in the House Rules Committee next week.