Ballot Access News has just learned that in 2021, the Colorado law for presidential ballot access in the general election was made much more severe. The easy method for getting on for president in the general election, a filing fee of $1,000, was repealed. Now the only method for an independent presidential candidate to get on the ballot is a petition of 12,000 signatures, with a severe distribution requirement. There must be 1,500 signatures from each of the eight U.S. House districts.

The 2021 law change did not affect the ability of groups to become qualified political parties. That still takes 10,000 signatures, and once a party is qualified, it may place a presidential candidate on the November ballot with no petition. Thanks to Gary Swing for this news.

The 2021 bill was a complete recodification of the election law, SB 21-250.

Illinois Congressman Sean Casten, a Democrat who represents some of the Chicago suburbs and who has been in Congress since 2018, has introduced a constitutional amendment to alter the U.S. Senate, and also to somewhat alter the electoral college. Here is the text.

It would add twelve U.S. Senators to be elected at-large. Voters of the District of Columbia and U.S. territories would be allowed to vote for these Senators. Four of them would be elected in each election. Ranked choice voting would be used to elect them.

The proposed amendment says nothing about how candidates for Senate-at-large would get on the ballot. Obviously there would need to be a federal ballot access law, because it would make no sense if the various candidates were on the ballot in some states but not other states.

The amendment also says there would be twelve new presidential electors, also elected at-large. These candidates would also need a federal ballot access law. Thanks to Fairvote for this news.

The Asheville, North Carolina daily newspaper, the Citizen Times, has this op-ed criticizing the North Carolina law that does not permit anyone to serve on a county election board, or the state election board, unless they are a member of one of the two largest parties. The author is Moe Davis, a former Democratic Party congressional nominee and a former administrative law judge.

The op-ed does not mention that the law is currently being challenged in U.S. District Court.