Pennsylvania holds partisan local elections this year, and holds primaries for those elections on May 15. Lackawanna County Commissioner Robert Cordaro, a Republican, was recently removed from the primary ballot for failing to file a complete financial interest statement. He is running as a write-in. Since Republican voters are permitted to nominate two candidates for that post, and since only one Republican is on the ballot, Cordaro is likely to re-nominated by write-in votes. There is another write-in candidate in the race as well. One of Cordaro’s political opponents has filed a new lawsuit, arguing that even if the voters to re-nominate him, he cannot be the Republican nominee, although few neutral observers expect that lawsuit to accomplish anything.

Lackawanna County Elections officials have ordered 1,200 rolls of sales receipt-like paper. When a voter casts a write-in, the machine prints 4 copies. Each roll is 86 feet long, so the combined total of paper is almost 20 miles.

Pennsylvania is one of the very few states in which all write-ins are valid. Pennsylvania has no requirement that a write-in candidate file a declaration of candidacy. Pennsylvania elections officials in some counties routinely break the law and don’t tally write-ins.

On May 2, the Connecticut Senate passed SB 1184. It moves the presidential primary from March to February 5. Thanks to Tony Roza for this news.

On May 2, the Colorado legislature gave final approval to SB 83. It expands the ability of qualified minor parties to nominate whom they wish. The old law barred them from running nominees who had been a member of another party for the preceding year. The bill gives qualified minor parties the right to have a Bylaw that countermands this restriction. If this bill had been in effect last year, the Libertarian Party would have been able to run a strong contender for Sheriff of Arapahoe County.

SB 83 also deletes the requirement that initiative petitioners wear a badge giving their names and telling whether they are paid or not. It also lets circulators for a candidate for district office work, even if that circulator doesn’t live in that candidate’s district.

This is the first ballot access improvement bill that has passed in 2007 in any state, except for two bills in Arkansas.