The Maryland House is expected to pass SB634/HB148 on Monday, April 2. These are identical bills to implement the “National Popular Vote Plan”. On March 30, the House defeated all the amendments that had been introduced to sidetrack the plan, such as bills to simply study the plan.
On March 30, the Illinois State Senate passed SB733, which lowers petition requirements for independent candidates, and for the nominees of unqualified parties. Existing law requires statewide candidates to get 25,000, but the bill drops this to 5,000. Existing law requires district and county candidates to submit petitions of 5% of the last vote cast, but the bill drops this to approximately one-half of 1% (the formula is complicated and not easy to describe precisely). The bill passed unanimously. Now it goes to the State House. Thanks to Dan Johnson-Weinberger for this news.
If the bill becomes law, then every state except Alabama and Georgia will have some procedure for a new party to get its US House nominees on the November ballot for US House, that is equal to, or easier than, a petition of 2% of the last vote cast (although in some cases, as in Oklahoma, they couldn’t have the party label printed on the ballot).
On March 28, the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee heard testimony on HB 5466. It would ease the definition of “Political Party”. Currently, a party is a group that either submitted a petition to qualify itself, or a group that polled 5% for President or Governor at either of the last two elections. The bill would expand the list of offices for which the vote test counts, to all the state statewide offices (Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Attorney General).
If the bill were to pass and were to be applied retrospectively, the Cool Moose Party would become a fully qualified party, since it polled over 5% for Lieutenant Governor in 2006.
On March 28, the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee heard testimony on HB 5466. It would ease the definition of “Political Party”. Currently, a party is a group that either submitted a petition to qualify itself, or a group that polled 5% for President or Governor at either of the last two elections. The bill would expand the list of offices for which the vote test counts, to all the state statewide offices (Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Attorney General).
If the bill were to pass and were to be applied retrospectively, the Cool Moose Party would become a fully qualified party, since it polled over 5% for Lieutenant Governor in 2006.
On March 28, the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on a bill to abolish the straight-ticket device. It is HB5508; an identical bill in the Senate is SB744. Many witnesses criticized the device and no one defended it. The committee will study the issue and vote next month.
