On February 13, the Arizona House passed HB 2196. It repeals the omnibus election law of 2013, which included severe restrictions on how minor party members get on their own party’s primary ballot.
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On February 13, the Alabama Constitution, Green, and Libertarian Parties filed their opening brief in Stein v Bennett in the Eleventh Circuit. This is the case over Alabama’s March petition deadline for newly-qualifying parties in presidential years. The U.S. District Court had upheld that deadline, on the grounds that the three parties’ presidential candidates in 2012 used the independent petition procedure. That procedure requires only 5,000 signatures, and is not due until September, but does not permit the party label. The U.S. District Court said that minor parties are not severely burdened when their candidates are not allowed to have their party label on the ballot.
Paul Zukerberg, the only candidate who filed in any District of Columbia primary to run for Attorney General, has asked the D.C. Court of Appeals to reverse a lower court ruling and put the Office of Attorney General, and his name, on the Democratic Party primary ballot. The primary is being held April 1.
Meanwhile, the current Attorney General of Washington, D.C., who was appointed, suggested that the bill pending in the city council to elect that office only in November, without party nominees, violates the City Charter. The City Charter amendment passed by the voters in 2010 said elections for Attorney General would be partisan. See this story.
Weather in North Carolina has closed the State Board of Elections office, and some county election offices, just as candidates are supposed to be filing their declarations of candidacy for primary ballot access. See this story. Thanks to Kevin Hayes for the link.
Scott McLarty, the national Green Party spokesperson, has this interesting essay at Firedoglake on the 2016 presidential election. Thanks to Sanda Everette for the link.
On February 12, 2014, the Oklahoma Senate passed SB 906 by a vote of 28-18. This is the National Popular Vote Plan bill. It had passed the Senate Rules Committee an entire year ago, on February 20, 2013. The Oklahoma Senate is only the second legislative chamber with a Republican majority to have passed the National Popular Vote Plan bill; the first was the New York State Senate in 2013. Thanks to Rick Hasen for this news.