Hawaii Bill for a Presidential Primary Advances

Posted on by February 17, 2023
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On February 16, the Hawaii Senate Judiciary Committee passed SB 1005 by 4-1. It establishes a presidential primary. Hawaii is one of the few states that has never held a government-administered presidential primary.

All qualified parties would be eligible for a presidential primary. Presidential candidates would need 100 signatures plus a filing fee of $3,000, although if they sign a pledge to voluntarily limit their campaign spending, the fee would be $2,675. Indigent presidential candidates could avoid the fee if they submit a petition of one-half of 1% of the registered voters, which would be approximately 4,000 signatures. Thanks to Josh Putnam for this news.

The presidential primary would be in March.

Vermont Proposal to Ban Fusion

Posted on by February 17, 2023
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Vermont permits aggregated fusion. It is possible for two parties to nominate the same person, but in order to get the nomination of a second party, the candidate must win that party’s nod by write-ins at the primary. When someone is the nominee of two parties, both party labels are printed on the November ballot next to the candidate’s name, but there is only one square on the ballot to vote for that person, so the voter can’t demonstrate which party is preferred.

Vermont Representative Michael McCarthy (D-St. Albans) has introduced Draft Bill 23-0705. Because it is just a draft bill, not an introduced bill, the text is not available on the Vermont legislature’s website. But according to this article, it would ban fusion. The article says that Representative McCarthy wants to ban fusion because of the 2022 election for Sheriff in Franklin County. That is puzzling, because in that race, only one candidate’s name was printed on the ballot. He was John Grismore, and he had the nomination of both the Democratic and Republican Parties. But he was found to have kicked a prisoner in August 2022, and two individuals then declared write-in candidacies against him. However, Grismore was elected, although he is still facing charges.

It’s not clear why Representative McCarthy wants to ban fusion. His bill also alters the filing deadline for independent candidates, but the article doesn’t say whether he wants to make that deadline earlier, or later. Perhaps he wants to make it later, so that in the Franklin County sheriff’s race, it would have been possible for an independent to have qualified. The current deadline is in early August, which was a little bit too early to allow a new candidate into the race. The article says the draft also would require write-in candidates to file a declaration of candidacy in order for the write-ins to be counted.

New Mexico Bill to Ease Petition Requirements for Minor Party and Independent Candidates

Posted on by February 16, 2023
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New Mexico Representatives Kathleen Cates (D-Rio Rancho) and Jason Harper (R-Rio Rancho) have introduced HB 347. It eases petition requirements for the nominees of qualified parties, and independent candidates, and candidates running in a major party primary.

Current independent petition requirements in New Mexico are among the most severe in the nation, 2% of the last gubernatorial vote (except independent presidential candidates need one-half of 1%). No state has a more severe independent requirement for statewide candidates, except Alabama’s 3% for non-presidential independent candidates. The bill lowers the independent requirements to 1,000 for statewide office, 500 for U.S. House, 100 for State Senate, and 50 for State House and county office.

The bill also eliminates the need for candidates in primaries who have their party’s endorsement to submit any petitions. And for primary candidates who don’t have their party’s endorsement, the bill lowers the petition from 3% of that party’s last vote, to the same 1,000 signatures for statewide office, 500 for U.S. House, 100 for State Senate, and 50 for State House, as apply to independent candidates.

Finally, the bill eases the petition requirements for nominees of qualified minor parties. New Mexico qualified minor parties nominate by convention, and New Mexico is the only state that requires convention nominees of qualified parties to submit any petitions at all. The bill lowers them from 1% of the last gubernatorial vote, to the same 1,000/500/100/50 described above.