On May 18, California AB 421 was amended to make it less restrictive. The original bill outlawed paying initiative circulators on a per-signature basis. It also required that 10% of the needed signatures be collected by volunteers. The amended bill says that initiative circulators may be paid on a per-signature basis, if the group sponsoring the initiative agrees to collect at least 5% of the needed signatures by volunteers.

So far the bill has passed the Assembly Elections Committee, but otherwise has not advanced.

On May 23, the Maine Senate defeated LD 1320, which would have let independent voters sign petitions to place candidates on primary ballots. The vote was 13-20.

Earlier the legislature had changed the law to permit independents to choose a primary ballot, so this result seems illogical.

On May 26, a Mississippi state trial court ruled that Bob Hickingbottom should be restored to the August 2023 Democratic primary ballot. He is running for the party’s nomination for Governor. The general election is November 7, 2023. Hickingbottom v The Mississippi State Democratic Party, Hinds Co. Circuit Court 23-249. The decision is not yet in writing, but was delivered orally by the judge.

The Democratic Party had removed him from its primary ballot on the grounds that he had not filed a Statement of Economic Interest. Hickingbottom asserts that no law authorizes removing a candidate from the ballot for that reason. Candidates who fail to file a Statement of Economic Interest are subject to a fine. Here is the Brief filed by Hickingbottom. It had been filed on May 3.