The New Hampshire House Election Law Committee took testimony on January 24 on HB 48, a bill to change the definition of “party” from one that got 4% for Governor or US Senator, to one that got 2% for either of those offices.

Approximately twelve people testified in favor, and no one formally opposed the bill. An assistant to the Secretary of State had some concerns about details, but did not hold himself out as opposed to the bill. The Committee won’t vote on the bill until early February.

New Hampshire is the only New England state in which no party, other than the Democratic and Republican Parties, has been qualified during the past six years. If the bill passed, there would still be no new qualified parties in New Hampshire until after the 2008 election at the earliest. New Hampshire elects its Governor every two years, and also has a U.S. Senate election in 2008.

As of January 24, bills are pending to establish the National Popular Vote plan in 17 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Virginia and Wyoming. Sponsors have been found in an additional 28 states.

On January 23, the Louisiana Attorney General revealed that he had received a letter from the Voting Rights Section of the U.S. Justice Department, saying that Louisiana’s new semi-closed primary for Congressional Elections does not violate the Voting Rights Act. Therefore, in 2008, Louisiana will hold the same kind of congressional elections that other states do; parties will nominate candidates for Congress. During the years 1978-2006, parties in Louisiana did not nominate candidates for Congress. All individuals seeking to run for congress appeared on the same ballot, and all voters (regardless of registration) voted on that ballot. If someone got 50%, that person was elected; otherwise a run-off was held.

Under the new system, each party decides for itself if independents can vote in its congressional primaries. Louisiana has 5 qualified parties (Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, Green and Reform), and they all nominate by primary (for congress).

Louisiana elections for state office will continue to be “top-two”, in which parties don’t nominate candidates, and all voters get the same ballot.