South Dakota State Senator Frank Kloucek will introduce a bill on January 29 to make it easier for parties to remain qualified in his state. And West Virginia Delegate Barbara Fleischauer has just introduced a bill (number not yet assigned) to move the minor party and independent candidate petition deadline from May to August (the presidential deadline is already in August).
Ballot Access News
Edited By Richard Winger
Back in 2003/2004, WV State Senator John Hunter(D) had introduced two Senate bills to the legislature to improve ballot access. These were S.B. 70 and S.B. 458 to, respectively, allow for any statewide political candidate to qualify a third party, and to reduce the petition signature requirement from 2% to 1%. I had thought he had reintroduced them, but haven’t heard anything lately. Did he give up? He is still in office.
Currently in the Mountain State, only a party’s gubernatorial candidate has a chance to qualify the party, and once the 2% (previous election’s figures) petition signatures are verified, that candidate needs to garner 1% of the governor’s race vote.
For WV 2008, this 2% petition signatures requirement is just under 15,000 names.