Friday, February 3, 2023

NH And NY Ballot Access Bills


Thanks to Richard Winger of Ballot Access News for this post.

These Bills will improve access to the Ballot:

New Hampshire

Reps. Alvin See (R-26th District) and Michael Moffett (R-4th District), have introduced HB 363. It improves the Deadline for Independent Candidates, and the Nominess of Unqualified Parties, to file Declaration of Candidacy.

Currently the Deadline is in June, but the Bill extends that to the 3rd Monday in July. This would be especially helpful to any potential Independent or Minor Party Presidential Candidate who Declears in the late Spring or early Summer.

Ever since 1985, New Hampshire has required the Declaration for Presidential Candidates running outside the Major Parties, a Bad Policy that would have Blocked Robert LaFollette in 1924 and Theodore Roosevelt in 1912.

The Bill does Not change the August Petition Deadline for Independent and Minor Party Candidates, but it De-Couples that Deadline from the Date of the Primary. It says the Deadline is usually 13 Weeks before the General Election, which means early August.

Existing Law unfortunately ties the Deadline to the Date of the Non-Presidential Primary, so if New hampshire moves the Non-Presidential Primary from September to an earlier month, which is likely, the Petition Deadline won't be affeted if this bill passes.

New York

State Senators Robert Jackson (D-31st District) and James Sanders (D)-10th District, have introduced SB 1031. Ir restores the Pre-2020 Definintion of a Political Party, a group that polled 50,000 Votes for Governor or President.

In 2020, the Legislature had Increased the difficulty of Qualifying a Party, by changing it to 2% of the Vote for the Top of the Ballot, President or Governor, every Two years.

That 2020 change eliminated the: Green, Independence, Libertarian, and SAM, Parties, from the Ballot, effective November 2020.

If the Bill passes, these Parties would be able to get on the 2024 Ballot.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker


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