From Richard Winger at Ballot Access News:
On April 8, the Oklahoma Senate Rules Committee amended HB 2181, the bill easing ballot access for newly-qualifying parties. The bill as passed by the House sets the petition at 1% of the last gubernatorial vote. As amended by the Senate Rules Committee, the bill is 3% of the last gubernatorial vote. The amended bill then passed the Committee 11-1.
3% of the last gubernatorial vote would be 24,745 valid signatures. Even if the bill is signed into law in this form, Oklahoma would still be the only state in the nation with no method to get on the November ballot for President (outside of the two major parties) that is at or below 2% of the last gubernatorial vote.
The existing law requires 41,242 signatures for 2016, and required 66,744 signatures for 2014. Thanks to E. Zachary Knight for the news.
I don’t think it’s a poison pill. It may well pass.
“3% of the last gubernatorial vote would be 24,745 valid signatures.”
This is still a bit high for a state with the population of Oklahoma but it is still an improvement over the present requirement.
The LP ought to start a petition drive in Oklahoma as soon as possible. If there is no money available at this time to pay petitioners then at least start collecting volunteer signatures. They could also try to organize volunteer trips for Libertarians in neighboring states to go to Oklahoma for a few days to collect signatures.
The Libertarian Party is in the best position that it has ever been in to obtain ballot access in all 50 states plus DC, so this ought to be a priority for 2016. The LP failed to get on the ballot in Oklahoma in 2012 not because it is so hard, and not because of a lack of money or manpower, but rather due to mismanagement. Don’t let it happen again for 2016.
At times one house will often poison a bill rather then just tabling the bill. Did the Senate poison this bill by increasing the % to 3, probably. They add amendments that nobody likes so the bill gets killed.
Is it worthwhile to lobby the House to insist on the 1%, or would the Senate balk at passage in the original form?
if the senate passes the 3% bill, then it goes back to the house to see if the house accepts the change. If the house passes the new version of the bill, then it goes to the governor.
Well, its better than nothing. Does anyone know how the process to reconcile the bills works?