Purpose

• This bill would change how elections are run so that state legislators could be elected without political party designation. It makes changes to how partisan and nonpartisan ballots are designed and how offices are ordered on ballots.

Main Provisions

• Section 1: Changes to the State Partisan Primary Ballot
  • The ballot is titled “State Partisan Primary Ballot” and printed on white paper.
  • There are at least three vertical columns, one for each major political party, with the party name at the top.
  • If there are two major parties, one occupies the left column, the other the right column, and the center column has a message: “Do not vote for candidates of more than one party.”
  • Within each party column, candidates are listed in a set order (senator in Congress first, representative in Congress second, state senator third, state representative fourth, followed by other partisan offices as set by the secretary of state).
  • If a party has only one candidate for a nomination, that candidate’s name is placed in the appropriate position in that party’s column.
  • The party columns must look similar in width, type, and appearance and are separated by a 12-point solid line.
  • Vacant offices that will be filled by special election are listed after, but following the same general ordering rules.
• Section 2: Changes to the State and County Nonpartisan Primary Ballot
  • The ballot header becomes “State and County Nonpartisan Primary Ballot.”
  • It must be printed according to secretary of state rules.
  • The list includes candidates for nomination to the judiciary (supreme court, court of appeals, district court), as well as state senator, state representative, and all county, city, and school district offices.
  • No candidate on this nonpartisan ballot may be labeled as a candidate of any political party or described in any other way that implies party affiliation (unless the law provides otherwise).
• Section 3: Order of Offices on the General (Partisan) Ballot
  • For partisan offices on the general election ballot, the order is: senator in Congress first, representative in Congress second, state senator third, state representative fourth.
  • Partisan state offices follow in an order set by the secretary of state.
  • Governors and lieutenant governors appear so that voters can cast a single vote for both offices.
  • Vacant offices to be filled by special election are listed after other offices of that type, but after any full-term office of that type.
• Section 4: (No content yet)

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Introduces a nonpartisan primary framework for certain offices (including state legislative offices) by prohibiting party designations on the nonpartisan ballot.
• Alters the layout and labeling of the partisan primary ballot, including a center column that instructs voters not to vote for more than one party.
• Reorders the general election ballot for partisan offices to a fixed sequence and clarifies how vacancies and special elections are listed.
• Establishes explicit rules for how governor and lieutenant governor are voted together.

Relevant implications - The bill shifts emphasis away from party labels for state legislative elections, at least in the nonpartisan primary context, and formalizes a nonpartisan process for several offices. - It standardizes ballot structure and order, which could affect voter experience and ballot design across elections.

Relevant Terms state partisan primary ballot State Partisan Primary Ballot major political party Do not vote for candidates of more than one party center column state and county nonpartisan primary ballot Nonpartisan Primary Ballot nomination affidavit of candidacy secretary of state vacant offices special election general election ballot partisan offices governor and lieutenant governor order of offices candidates for partisan state offices candidates for governor candidates for lieutenant governor nonpartisan designation political party designation partisan column width and appearance affidavit of candidacy (as a filing concept)