[Lnc-business] Threat to New Hampshire Ballot Access

[Justin O'Donnell]

Tomorrow at 1:30 PM the New Hampshire House Elections law Committee will 
be hearing HB 643.

On the surface, this bill just changes the date of the Primary from the 
Tuesday before the first Wednesday in September, to the Tuesday before 
the first Wednesday in June.

Not only does this shift the primary up 3 months, but it would also 
shift the filing period, and petition gathering period up 3 months as 
well. And since Petitions for Independent and minor party candidates are 
due to the Supervisors of the Checklist for validation by 5pm on the 
Wednesday 5 weeks prior to the state Primary (RSA 655:41), and since NH 
has no mechanism for substitution of candidates, It would in effect 
require organizations like The Libertarian Party and The Green Party and 
The Constitution Party, who are not recognized as major parties by the 
State of New Hampshire, to hold their nominating Conventions prior to 
the new filing period which would begin in early March, rather than 
early June as it does currently.

Currently, as the Libertarian Party holds their nominating Convention in 
May of Presidential Years, we are able to petition our candidate onto 
the ballot in New Hampshire following said convention for 3,000 
signatures. However, should this bill pass, the only option for access 
to the ballot that would be available to third party candidates, would 
be through an organizational petition starting January 1st, and 
collecting 17,407 valid signatures prior to the end of March, and 
submitting a list of nominated candidates afterwards.

I will be testifying against this Bill in Committee Tomorrow Afternoon, 
but should it pass, it would drastically alter the landscape of 
Presidential Ballot Access in New Hampshire, and make it significantly 
harder, and more costly to achieve ballot access in this state for the 
Libertarian Candidate.

-- 
Yours in Liberty,

Justin O'Donnell
LNC Region 8 Representative
Chair- LPNH Platform Committee
www.justinodonnell.me

Renew your membership today at https://www.lp.org/wethepeople/?f=jod !