On April 3, the Oregon House Elections & Ethics Committee passed HB 2084. It provides for a February 5 presidential primary in 2008. Since Oregon votes entirely by mail, this would mean that Oregonians would be casting presidential primary ballots starting in early January, although no results would be known until after February 5. Therefore, Oregonians would be voting in large numbers earlier than the primary voters of any other state.
On April 5, the 3rd circuit denied a rehearing in Rogers v Corbett, the ballot access case filed by the Green, Constitution and Libertarian Parties last year. The issue was whether the state could force a party to submit 67,070 signatures to place its statewide nominees on the ballot, if it had polled enough votes in the prior election to meet the state’s definition of “political party”. A rehearing request had been pending since August 2006.
Now, the case will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
On March 28, the Illinois House passed HB 426, which moves the entire primary from March to February. The vote was 110-4. The bill also eases the deadline for a qualified party to certify the names of its presidential and vice-presidential candidates. This is necessary to accomodate the Republican Party’s unusually late 2008 national convention (which won’t formally choose the national ticket until September 3 or September 4, 2008).
On April 5, Colorado SB 83 passed the State Senate. It lets qualified minor parties nominate someone who has been a member of another party during the preceding year (major parties in Colorado already have this right). It also eases restrictions on who can circulate a petition, and also makes it easier for ex-felons to register to vote.
On March 28, Maine House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree introduced LD 1799. It legalizes fusion. Also, it eases the petition to create a new party, from 5% of the last gubernatorial vote cast, to 2.5%; and it lowers the vote test for a party to remain on the ballot, from 5% to 2.5%. Parties that got under 5% of the vote and over 2.5% would be qualified minor parties, and would nominate by convention instead of primary.
