Bill H.66, introduced by Representative Scheu of Middlebury, aims to establish new requirements for write-in candidates in primary elections and address the nomination process for major political parties. Under the proposed legislation, a write-in candidate must receive at least the same number of votes as the signatures required for their office to qualify as a primary winner, unless they receive more votes than any candidate listed on the ballot. Additionally, the bill stipulates that a major political party cannot nominate a candidate for the general election if it failed to nominate one during the primary election.

The bill amends existing statutes, specifically 17 V.S.A. § 2370 and § 2381, to reflect these changes. Notably, it replaces gender-specific language with neutral terms, such as changing "he or she" to "the candidate" and "he or she" to "the write-in candidate." It also repeals the requirement for a statement to be filed in the event of a major political party's failure to nominate a candidate by primary. The act is set to take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 17-2370, 17-2381, 17-2386