New Hampshire Senate Committee Will Hear Bill that Moves the Non-Presidential Primary on Tuesday, March 11

Posted on by March 10, 2025
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The New Hampshire Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs Committee will hear SB 222 on Tuesday, March 11, at 9:45 a.m. The bill moves the non-presidential primary from September to June. That automatically moves the petition deadline for independent candidates and the nominees of unqualified parties from August to May, and moves the declaration of candidacy for such candidates from June to March.

The new deadlines would even apply to independent presidential candidates, and would clearly be unconstitutional under the U.S. Supreme Court decision Anderson v Celebrezze.

The hearing is in Room 103 of the Legislative Office Building.

Michigan State Affiliate of the Constitution Party Resolves to Change its Name from “U.S. Taxpayers” to “Constitution”

Posted on by March 10, 2025
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On February 22, 2025, the U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan resolved to take legal action to force the Secretary of State to let it change its name to “Constitution Party.” The national party was formerly known as the U.S. Taxpayers Party, but in 1999 the national party changed its name to the Constitution Party. Every other state unit of the party was permitted to change its name, although a few state affiliates did not seek to change their name.

Generally, states let parties change their names upon request, especially if it a state that doesn’t have partisan registration. Michigan has previously told the party that it will not permit the name change. Among states without partisan registration, Michigan is the only state that has ever denied a qualified party the right to change its name.

Very few states have any law on whether a party may change its name or not. Minnesota and Wisconsin do have such laws, however.

Arkansas Senate Passes Bill Requiring Initiative Circulators to Read the Ballot Title to Everyone Approached

Posted on by March 9, 2025
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On February 12, the Arkansas Senate passed SB 210 by a vote of 22-10. It requires initiative petitioners to read the Ballot Title to everyone the circulator approaches. If anyone signs the petition and the circulator had not read the ballot title, the circulator is guilty of a misdemeanor.

On March 5, the House Committee on Stage Agencies and Government Affairs also passed the bill.

Arizona House Passes Proposed Constitutional Amendment to Require Initiative to Get Signatures in All Counties

Posted on by March 9, 2025
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On March 5, the Arizona House passed HCR 2057. It requires initiatives to get signatures of 10% of the registered voters in each of the state’s fifteen counties. Currently the law has no distribution requirement. Here is the text.

The Ninth Circuit already ruled that statewide initiative cannot have county distribution requirements, in an Idaho case. Arizona is also in the Ninth Circuit. The Idaho case was Idaho Coalition United for Bears v Cenarrusa, 342 F.3d 1073.