Eight Rhode Island representatives have introduced HB 5721, which would move the non-presidential primary from eight weeks before the general election to the last Tuesday in August. That would move the primary two weeks earlier.

If the bill were enacted, it would also move the petition deadline for non-presidential independent candidates, and the nominees of unqualified parties, two weeks earlier, because the date of those petitions is tied to the date of the primary. However, there would be no impact on the deadline for independent presidential candidates, because the presidential deadline is not keyed to the primary date.

The Bemidji Pioneer, a newspaper in the northernmost part of Minnesota, has published this letter to the editor from Rebecca Whiting. The letter criticizes Democrats in the Minnesota legislature for making ballot access worse.

On March 17, the California Secretary of State released new registration data. This is the last tally California will produce until January 2024. Here is the data. Relative to the last tally in October 2022, all the qualified parties gained slightly in registration, except for the Republican Party. The Common Sense Party, which is not ballot-qualified, declined. The percentage of voters who are independents declined.

The percentages are: Democratic 46.89%; Republican 23.83%; American Independent 3.61%; Libertarian 1.07%; Peace & Freedom .57%; Green .442; independent, miscellaneous and unknown 23.60%.

The percentages in October 2022 were: Democratic 46.87%; Republican 23.85%; American Independent 3.54%; Libertarian 1.05%; Peace & Freedom .56%; Green .439%; independent, miscellaneous and unknown 23.69%.

The Common Sense Party has 24,454 registrants; in October 2022 it had 25,715.