On January 22, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed HB 17, the bill that provides for party nominees in congressional elections, but which also makes ballot access for qualified minor parties impossible if they want to run congressional candidates. Also it makes it difficult for independent candidates to run. Thanks to Jim Riley for this news.
On January 22, Arizona State Senator Anthony Kern (R-Glendale) introduced SCR 1014, a proposed constitutional amendment. It would provide that voters no longer choose presidential electors in Arizona. Instead, the outgoing legislature would choose the presidential electors.
If the legislature passed this bill, then it would go on the ballot for voters to decide whether to put it in the State Constitution.
Senator Kern was in attendance at the January 6, 2021 event at the U.S. Capitol Building. He is running for Congress this year, so he won’t be running for re-election.
On January 22, independent Louisiana voter Jeffry Sanford filed a state court lawsuit against the new Louisiana election system for congressional elections. See this story. The bill that set up the new system, HB 17, is on the Governor’s desk, but the Governor hasn’t signed it yet. But because the Governor suggested the bill, it seems certain that he will sign it.
The lawsuit is Sanford v Landry, 19th judicial district court.
Indiana Representative Ryan Dvorak (D-South Bend) has again introduced his bill to greatly ease petition requirements for independent candidates and the nominees of unqualified parties. His HB 1324 lowers the statewide petition from 2% of the last vote cast for Secretary of State, to exactly 250 signatures.
He introduced the same bill in 2022, but it did not make any headway.
Evan McMahon, Chair of the Libertarian Party of Indiana, told Bill Redpath that the bill won’t even get a hearing in the Republican Party-dominated legislature.
On January 22, the Massachusetts Ballot Law Commission rejected a challenge to Former President Donald Trump’s spot on the Republican presidential primary ballot. The Commission said the law does not allow challenges to presidential primary candidates. Here is a link to the ruling. Thanks to Thomas Jones for this news.
