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Committee backs changes to primary-protest process and shortens candidate filing window
Summary
The committee approved proposals to send partisan-primary protests directly to state party executive committees with expedited timelines and to shorten the candidate filing period (and permit modest certification fees) with a delayed effective date for the next cycle.
The Senate committee reported favorably two related election-administration measures: one that changes how partisan-primary protests are handled and another that adjusts candidate filing dates and certification fees.
S.3556 would remove an intermediate county-level step for partisan-primary protest filings and send protests directly to state executive committees, which would have up to two weeks to act. The subcommittee amendment would allow a party to require a $750 surety bond (refundable if the protest succeeds) and would authorize the Supreme Court to set a filing fee for appeals that go directly to the court.
Separately, a bill to shorten the candidate filing period would move the end date from March 30 to March 25 and add language to shift the start date to the next business day when March 16 falls on a weekend or holiday; it would permit parties to charge a certification fee capped at $100 to cover verification work. The subcommittee amendment sets a Jan. 1 effective date so the change does not apply to the current election cycle. Committee members discussed county-level certification logistics and the State Election Commission’s role in transmitting county paperwork.
Both measures were reported favorably by the committee as amended.
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