On March 1, the Arizona House passed HCR 2033, which guarantees that qualified political parties may place nominees on the general election ballot. Here is the text. If it passes the legislature, the voters would vote on it in November 2024. If it becomes part of the Arizona Constitution, it would block any proposed laws that eliminate the ability of parties to have nominees, such as a top-two, top-four or top-five system.

The vote was party-line, with all Republicans voting “yes” and all Democrats voting “no” (except one Democrat didn’t vote). It passed 31-28.

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.