On Friday, May 17, at 9:30 a.m., an Illinois state trial court will hear Collazo v Illinois State Board of Elections, Sangamon Co. Circuit Court, 2024CH000032. This is the lawsuit filed by the Illinois Republican Party to block a new election law that abolishes the ability of a qualified party to nominate someone for the legislature after the primary is over (assuming no one won the primary). The old procedure requires the nominee to collect petition signatures and also persuade a party committee to nominate him or her.

The Republican Party had been planning to use this procedure in several legislative districts, but then last month the legislature, which has a Democratic majority in each house, repealed the procedure, effective immediately.

The Missouri legislature adjourns Friday night, May 17. It is still difficult to know if the bills to make it more difficult for initiatives to take effect will pass. Democratic legislators have engaged in a 41-hour filibuster to stop the bill. See this story.

On May 14, Nebraska held primaries for four parties. See the results here.

The Libertarian presidential primary unofficial results are: Chase Oliver 294, Charles Ballay 237, Jacob Hornberger 192, Lars Mapstead 172, Michael Rectenwald 119, Mike ter Maat 64. The candidates were listed in alphabetical order. Here is the sample ballot.

The Secretary of State didn’t permit the Legal Marijuana Now Party to have a presidential primary, because the Secretary of State said there were no newspaper stories about any individual that might be seeking that party’s presidential nomination. The Nebraska law tells the Secretary of State to put presidential primary candidates on the ballot if they are discussed in the news media. That does not mean the Legal Marijuana Now Party can’t choose a presidential nominee for the November ballot.

For the 6-year U.S. Senate term, no one entered the Democratic primary. No Libertarian did either, but the Legal Marijuana Now Party had a cotested primary, which was won b Kerry Eddy. There will be an independent candidate on the November ballot for that Senate race. Both of Nebraska’s Senate seats are up this year.