Michigan State Senator Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield) has introduced SB 13, which would move the presidential primary from March to the last Tuesday in February. Thanks to Josh Putnam for this news.
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New Hampshire Representatives Mike Moffett and Joseph Guthrie have introduced HB 101, which would close New Hampshire primaries. Currently New Hampshire has semi-closed primaries. Independents are free to choose any primary ballot at the primary polls, but must declare themselves members (even if very temporarily) of the party whose primary ballot they chose.
Connecticut is the only state that has registration by party which won’t release any state totals, except once in a two-year election cycle. Connecticut only releases registration totals by party in October of even-numbered years.
When the Connecticut Secretary of State released data for October 2022, for minor parties, an error was made and the totals for the minor parties were far below the true figures. But, because they were official, Ballot Access News used them in the chart in the December 1, 2022 issue. The erroneous figures were: Libertarian 97; Green 241; Constitution (Concerned Citizens) 44; Working Families 26; Independent Party 3,649; Socialist 151; Forward 8; Socialist Action 8; Socialism & Liberation 7; Socialist Workers 2.
The correct figures are: Griebel Frank for Ct. 8; Independent Party 30,947; Working Families 304; Libertarian 3,351; Green 1,251; other minor parties (not broken down) 156.
The Secretary of State released the new corrected figures on November 7, 2022, but BAN only recently learned about them, thanks to Jim Palmer.
The national totals for the two largest minor parties should have been published as: Libertarian 736,119; Green 235,130.
On November 8, 2022, New Mexico elected a State Auditor. The only two candidates were a Democrat and a Libertarian. The Libertarian, Travis Sanchez, polled 38.07% of the vote. That is the highest percentage ever received by a minor party or independent candidate in a New Mexico statewide office. The previous record had been set in 1912 by Theodore Roosevelt, Progressive Party presidential nominee, who got 35.91% in New Mexico.
The 2022 showing for Sanchez was the second highest Libertarian percentage showing in a statewide race, in Libertarian Party history. The record for Libertarians running for statewide office was set in 2012 by Mike Fellows, Libertarian nominee for Montana Clerk of the State Supreme Court. He got 43.13%.
On January 12, South Carolina State Senator Mia McLeod said she is leaving the Democratic Party and is an independent.
She is next up for re-election in 2024. All South Carolina State Senators have four-year terms and are up in presidential years. Thanks to Scott West for this news.