On May 26, the Alabama Senate passed HB 425. It moves the primary for all office, in presidential years, to the second Tuesday in March. It also moves the petition deadlines for minor parties and non-presidential independent candidates to the second Tuesday in March. The bill is now through the legislature and before the Governor. It passed the Senate 21-11.
This year has seen an epidemic of legislatures passing bills that are clearly unconstitutional. In 1991 the 11th circuit struck down Alabama’s April petition deadline for minor parties in New Alliance Party of Alabama v Hand. At the time the petition was 1% of the last vote cast. Although this precedent was pointed out to several legislators, they seemed not to pay any attention. Now Alabama’s petition is 3% of the last vote cast (it was increased in 1995, effective in 1997).
I guess SB 12 by Senator Cam Ward (I believe that is the number) is dead for this session. Know anything about it Richard?
You mean SB 17. I don’t think it is technically dead. The Alabama legislature gets started later than almost all other state legislatures.
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(Status – Read Second Time in House of Origin) It appears from looking at the legislative web site that SB 17 passed out of committee and is being heard on the Senate floor, if I read the status above correctly. I know in some legislatures the bill has to be read first, then approved to be placed in committee, so I could be wrong.
Will the SCOTUS folks ever allow party hack State legislature gerrymander MONSTERS to get personally sued for violating CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS after they enact UN-constitutional State laws ???