Congressmember Don Beyer Again Introduces Bill for Proportional Representation in U.S. House

On March 20, Congressmember Don Beyer (D-Virginia) again introduced the Fair Representation Act, HR 7740. Here is the bill information on the website for Congress. For states that have at least seven members of the U.S. House, it would, if enacted, institute proportional representation in elections for the House.

Voters in Texas Republican Primary Endorse Non-Binding Question on Closing Republican Primary

Texas has always had open primaries, ever since there have been primaries in Texas. On March 5, voters who chose the Republican ballot saw 13 non-binding questions about policy. Proposition Nine was, “The Republican Party of Texas should restrict voting in the Republican primary to only registered Republicans.” It passed with 72%. The unofficial vote totals are: yes 1,614,331; no 604,801.

Louisiana Bill to Ease Ballot Access for Independent Congressional Candidates

Louisiana Representative Kyle M. Green (D-Marrero) has introduced HB 133, which would let independent congressional candidates get on the general election ballot with a fee instead of a mandatory petition. All independent candidates for president and legislature already have the ability to get on the general election ballot simply by paying a fee. Congressional independents also had that avenue, until January 2024, when a special session of the legislature took that away for independent candidates for Congress, effective 2026. Thanks to Mike Wolf for this news.

Justin Kounelias Article on Power of Major Party Presidential Conventions to Choose Whom They Wish

Justin Kounelias, a producer and writer, has this article about the authority of Democratic and Republican national presidential conventions to choose the party’s nominees for president and vice-president, even when that contradicts the results of presidential primaries. Thanks to Michael Drucker for the link.