On March 13, Brian Doherty died at the age of 57. He was the author of six books, including Radicals for Capitalism, a history of the Libertarian Party and the libertarian movement. He was also a reporter for Reason Magazine. His death seems to have been an accident while he was hiking in rugged terrain in Marin County, California.
On March 10, the Hawaii Senate decided not to vote on SB 2480, the bill to create a top-two system. Instead the bill was sent back to the Judiciary Committee.
On March 10, Hawaii HB 1716 passed the House. It says a party that has been on the ballot for the last eight years can remain on the ballot if it continues to run candidates, files campaign finance reports, and keeps the state informed of its officers.
On March 12, the Ohio Secretary of State’s office held a hearing on whether to remove one of the two Libertarians running against each other in the Libertarian primary for U.S. Senate. See this story.
On March 11, the Delaware House Elections Committee passed HB 188. It changes Delaware from a closed primary system to a semi-closed system, by allowing independent voters to choose a partisan primary. Independent voters who chose a partisan primary would not thereafter be regarded as having given up independent status.
Most of the committee members were not persuaded that the bill is a good idea, but said they passed it anyway so the full House can decide.
