According to this article, New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan says New Hampshire might hold its presidential primary at the end of 2023, instead of in 2024, if necessary to make the state’s primary the first one. New Hampshire Secretaries of State can set the date themselves. Scanlan will treat Iowa as a primary state if the Democrats in Iowa do let non-attendees cast a mail ballot. So that means Scanlan would be determined to hold New Hampshire’s presidential primary before the Iowa caucuses.

No state government has ever held a presidential primary in the year before the presidential election. The earliest government-administered presidential primary ever held was New Hampshire 2008 primary, held on January 8.

On May 15, the National Election Committee of Cambodia dusqualified the leading opposition party from the ballot in the upcoming national election. It said the Candlelight Party had not submitted original copies of its paperwork. The Candlelight Party says it doesn’t have the paperwork because earlier the police had seized it. See this story.

The Minnesota omnibus bill, SF 3230, has been amended to include a provision making the definition of a ballot-qualified party more severe. It raises the vote test from 5% to 8%. Assuming that becomes law, it will give Minnesota the nation’s fourth highest vote test. Only Alabama, New Jersey and Virginia will have a higher percentage for the votes needed for party status.

The bill also now says in addition, a qualified party must have an organization in about two-thirds of the state legislative districts (45 of 67), or alternatively about two-thirds of the counties.

The bill does not take effect until November 2024, so at least if the bill passes, the Legal Marijuana Now Party will be on the ballot during 2024. Minnesota law permits parties to change their names.

Minnesota’s petition for party status, 5%, is very likely unconstitutionally difficult. The bill does not change the party petition. Given its history of not having been used since it was created in 1913, it probably violates McLain v Meier, a 1980 decision of the Eighth Circuit that struck down North Dakota’s party petition, which had existed since 1939 and had only been used once, in 1976. Minnesota and North Dakota are both in the Eighth Circuit. No one has ever before sued Minnesota over its party petition.