Virginia Delegate Sam Rasoul (D-Roanoke) has introduced HB 1463. It eases the vote test for a group to obtain and retain political party status. The bill lowers the vote test from 10% to 4% at either of the last two statewide elections.
If the bill were to pass, the Libertarian Party would be ballot-qualified for 2016, because it got 6.52% for Governor in November 2013. In November 2014, for U.S. Senate, it did not get 4%; it got 2.43%.
Rasoul is in his first term.
The reason the existing Virginia vote test applies to the next two statewide elections, instead of just the next election, is that in 1990, the Democratic Party didn’t run anyone for U.S. Senate, which was the only statewide office up that year. After the election, the legislature quickly changed the vote test so that the Democratic Party would remain on the ballot. The 1990 precedent shows that when the legislature eases the vote test, it applies retrospectively. “Retrospective” means that when a bill takes effect, election administrators can look to past election returns to apply the new law.
The Virginia vote test is tied for being second-highest in the nation. The other 10% vote test states are Oklahoma and New Jersey. Alabama, at 20%, has the highest vote test. Thanks to Bill Redpath for this news.
What minor parties drain the most votes from the Donkey / Elephant gerrymander monarchs / oligarchs respectively ???
LP from Elephants vs. GP from Donkeys ???
i.e. NONSTOP Electoral College machinations to Nov 2016 ??? Duh.
i.e. will the 2017 Prez be elected with even 45 percent of the popular vote ??? Stay tuned.
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P.R. and nonpartisan App.V.
Kentucky also has a 20% vote test, and it only applies to President. I would argue that it is the most restrictive.
Kentucky has a 2% presidential vote test for a group to be a qualified party that nominates by convention, not primary. The 20% is only for parties that use primaries.
Parties that have met the 2% Kentucky vote test, and then enjoyed 4 years of qualified status, include the American Party 1968-1972, John Anderson’s Anderson Coalition Party 1980-1984, and the Reform Party 1996-2000. Anderson was actually on the Kentucky ballot in 1984, because he didn’t need to petition so people in Kentucky went ahead and selected electors pledged to him. He wasn’t actually running in 1984.