On Monday, January 21, 2011, Taylor County Delegate Mike Manypenny introduced HB 3248 to expand ballot access to any political party which garners at least 1% of the vote for any of their statewide candidates for Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Auditor, Agriculture Commissioner, Attorney General, Supreme Court Justice, President, or U.S. Senator. This would give us NINE (9) CHANCES to qualify the Constitution Party and end all of time and money spent (wasted) on petitioning.

LINK TO BILL: http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb3248%20intr.htm&yr=2011&sesstype=RS&i=3248

Unlike the Senate version, SB417, this bill does not have any provision to allow party voter registration to qualify the party. Neither bill would extend qualification opportunities to off-year special elections for state-wide candidates.

Both of these bills are in their respective Judiciary Committees. Phone calls are needed to the state legislators listed below to move these bills out of committee. In particular, this house bill would go directly to the floor for a full vote where the Senate version would be sent to the Finance Committee. Please call the following State Legislators and urge them to move HB3248 and SB417 out of the Judiciary Committees:

HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE (RE HB3248):
Delegate Tim Miley [HARRISON county, 41st Dist.] – Chair, (304) 340-3252
Delegate Mark Hunt [KANAWHA county, 30th Dist.] – Vice-Chair, (304) 340-3392
Delegate John Ellem [WOOD county, 10th Dist.] – Minority Chair, (304) 340-3394
Delegate Patrick Lane [KANAWHA county, 32nd Dist.] – Minority Vice-Chair, (304) 340-3275
Delegate Troy Andes [PUTNAM county, 14th Dist.], (304) 340-3121
Delegate Larry Barker [BOONE county, 18th Dist.], (304) 340-3149
Delegate Bonnie Brown [KANAWHA county, 30th Dist.], (304) 340-3106
Delegate Mike Caputo [MARION county, 43rd Dist.], (304) 340-3249
Delegate Michael Ferro [MARSHALL county, 4th Dist.], (304) 340-3111
Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer [MONONGALIA county, 44th Dist.], (304) 340-3169
Delegate John Frazier [MERCER county, 25th Dist.], (304) 340-3396
Delegate Bill Hamilton [UPSHUR county, 39th Dist.], (304) 340-3167
Delegate Woody Ireland [RITCHIE county, 7th Dist.], (304) 340-3195
Delegate Linda Longstreth [MARION county, 43rd Dist.], (304) 340-3124
Delegate Mike Manypenny [TAYLOR county, 42nd Dist.], (304) 340-3139
Delegate Harold Michael [HARDY county, 47th Dist.], (304) 340-3340
Delegate Carol Miller [CABELL county, 15th Dist.], (304) 340-3176
Delegate Jonathan Miller [BERKELEY county, 53rd Dist.], (304) 340-3147
Delegate Clif Moore [McDOWELL county, 23rd Dist.], (304) 340-3189
Delegate John Overington [BERKELEY county, 55th Dist.], (304) 340-3148
Delegate John Pino [FAYETTE county, 29th Dist.], (304) 340-3170
Delegate Meshea Poore [KANAWHA county, 30th Dist.], (304) 340-3248
Delegate Doug Skaff [KANAWHA county, 8th Dist.], (304) 340-3362
Delegate Kelli Sobonya [CABELL county, 16th Dist.], (304) 340-3175
Delegate Danny Wells [KANAWHA county, 30th Dist.], (304) 340-3287

SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE (RE SB417):
Senator Corey Palumbo [KANAWHA county, 8th Dist.] – Chairman, (304) 357-7880
Senator Mark Wills [MERCER county, 10th Dist.] – Vice-Chair, (304) 357-7843
Senator Robert Beach [MONONGALIA county, 13th Dist.], (304) 357-7919
Senator Richard Browning [WYOMING county, 9th Dist.], (304) 357-7807
Senator Karen Facemyer [JACKSON county, 4th Dist.], (304) 357-7855
Senator John Pat Fanning [McDOWELL county, 6th Dist.], (304) 357-7867
Senator Dan Foster [KANAWHA county, 17th Dist.], (304) 357-7866
Senator Evan Jenkins [CABELL county, 5th Dist.], (304) 357-7956
Senator Orphy Klempa [OHIO county, 1st Dist.], (304) 357-7918
Senator Brooks McCabe [KANAWHA county, 17th Dist.], (304) 357-7990
Senator Joseph Minard [HARRISON county, 12th Dist.], (304) 357-7904
Senator David Nohe [WOOD county, 3rd Dist.], (304) 357-7970
Senator Herb Snyder [JEFFERSON county, 16th Dist.], (304) 357-7957
Senator Gregory Tucker [NICHOLAS county, 11th Dist.], (304) 357-7906
Senator John Unger [BERKELEY county, 16th Dist.], (304) 357-7933
Senator Bob Williams [TAYLOR county, 14th Dist.], (304) 357-7995