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The Free & Equal Elections Foundation has targeted several states for our first Lobbying campaign to reform restrictive ballot access laws.
In Free & Equal’s home state of Illinois, a bill to lower the signature requirements for third party and independent candidates has been introduced in the House.
HB1012 would lower the signature requirements to double those of established party candidates. While this is a step in the right direction, the proposed legislation does not go far enough.
In Alabama, HB 72 passed the House Constitution and Elections Committee. The Committee amended the bill, so now the only change it makes is to lower the independent petition for statewide office from 3% of the last gubernatorial vote, to 1.5% of the last gubernatorial vote. If the bill passes, the non-presidential statewide independent petition requirement in 2010 will be 18,757 signatures.
In Connecticut, HB 6436 lowers the number of signatures for statewide minor party and independent candidates from 7,500 signatures, to 1,000 signatures. Its worth noting here that all of the nationally-organized minor parties that petitioned for president in Connecticut in 2008 (Green, Constitution, Libertarian) failed to get on the ballot. The only statewide petition that succeeded was Ralph Nader’s petition.
In Maryland, State Senators Andrew Harris (R-Cockeysville) and Jamie Raskin (D-Takoma Park) have introduced SB 947, to lower the number of signatures for a new or previously unqualified party from 10,000 to 5,000.
Other states that have bills already introduced are Utah and Maine.
Free & Equal has also targeted North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Indiana (2010 session) to introduce bills to the state legislator.
Free & Equal has also identified the Top-Two primary in Washington as a top priority.
BREAKING NEWS: CALIFORNIA TO VOTE ON TOP TWO PRIMARY
Free & Equal will be coordinating a major effort to ensure that this unjust measure does not pass. More to come soon.
ballotpedia Ballot Access News
Hello
I have been working — or attempting to — on ballot access law reform in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota via Friends of Democracy USA.
One of the major roadblocks is getting the various independents and minor parties together on a bill. I find this to be much harder then getting some major party support.
Minnesota only allows for 2 weeks in the summer to circulate a petition. Since the 1960s.
North Dakota has a primary rule that keeps most organized minor parties off the ballot and it also does not allow Independents to have a party label.
South Dakota recently did some horrible revisions on its petitioning rules.
I thank you for your efforts. The North Carolinians for Free and Proper Elections is working to have a bill introduced in the NC General Assembly to reduce NC’s restrictive ballot access laws. Our bill proposal is the Electoral Freedom Act which can be found on our web site at http://www.NCFPE.com. We currently are working to St. Senator Jim Jacumin, with the hopes that he will introduce our bill or one like it by the March 13 deadline. Calls to Senator Jacumin in support of this bill proposal may help the Senator to see that the people of NC believe in a free elections and the right to vote. You can reach Senator Jacumin at his Raleigh Office at 1-919-715-7823. Be sure to express your support for the Electoral Freedom Act which the NCFPE is proposing. Thanks you.
For Liberty’s Sake,
Jordon M. Greene
President/Founder
North Carolinians for Free and Proper Elections
jmgreene@ncfpe.com
http://www.NCFPE.com
1-828-729-4509
“Got the Right to Vote? THINK AGAIN!”