Two Republican Arkansas legislators, Senator Mark Johnson and Representative David Ray, have introduced HB 1025, which would prohibit collecting signatures on election day within 100 feet from the primary entrance to any building which is hosting a polling place. Here is the text. The bill only applies to initiative and referendum petitions.
On February 3, the New Mexico Senate Rules Committee passed SB 73 by 8-1. It lets independent voters choose a partisan primary ballot, without having to join the party whose ballot the voter chose.
A bill with bipartisan sponsorship has been introduced in Pennsylvania to move the primary for all office, in presidential years, from April to the third Tuesday in March. It is SB 224. Thanks to Josh Putnam for this news. If passed, the bill would not affect petitioning deadlines for independent candidates and the nominees of unqualified parties.
Fourteen Arizona legislators are sponsoring SCR1036 or HCR2033, identical bills in each house that would add a provision to the state constitution, guaranteeing the ability of qualified political parties to place their nominees on the general election ballot. If the bills pass, the voters would vote on the proposed amendment.
The bills appear to counter proposed initiatives that would deprive parties of their ability to nominate candidates.
On January 31, the Wyoming legislature killed HB 155. It would have moved petition deadlines for independent candidates from August to June, and would have forced qualified minor parties to choose all their nominees in May. Currently they have until the day before primary day (in August) to choose them.
