As earlier reported, on May 3 the Florida legislature moved that state’s presidential primary to one week after the New Hampshire primaries. Since the New Hampshire primary is set for January 22, that would mean a January 29 primary for Florida.

Later that day, the South Carolina Republican Party state chair, Katon Dawson, said, “South Carolina is going to move. We’ll do it at Halloween and have our version of trick-or-treat, if that’s the case.” New Hampshire state representative Jim Ryan, an official of that state’s Democratic Party, predicted that New Hampshire will move its primary to an earlier day (no legislative action is needed; the New Hampshire Secretary of State chooses the date). Former Iowa Democratic Party state chair Rob Tully predicted that Iowa would move its caucus to the first week in January.

On April 30, the Governor of Tennessee signed HB 2211. It moves the presidential primary from March to February 5.

On May 2, the Illinois House unanimously passed HB 632. Although it does improve ballot access, it is far less favorable than the ballot access bill that had passed the Senate on March 30. HB 632 lowers the number of signatures for an independent candidate for the legislature from 10% of the last vote cast, to 5%. It also moves the petition deadline for all independent candidates from December of the year before the election, to June of the election year. Finally, it removes the primary screen-out (which was never enforceable anyway).

While these are significant improvements, the Senate Bill, SB 733, lowered all district and county office petitions from 5% to approximately one-fourth of 1% of the last vote cast. Since two different bills have passed in each house, no one can be certain which bill will pass, but odds are that the weaker House version will be the new law.