On May 10, the Texas House passed HB 2504. It requires candidates nominated in convention to pay filing fees. Currently only primary candidates pay filing fees, because Texas filing fees were always intended to help pay for the election administration costs of primaries. The Libertarian Party is the only party on the ballot now that nominates by convention. In the recent past, the Green Party did also. The bill passed 77-57, with all Republicans who voted voting “yes”, and all Democrats except one who voted, voting “no.”

The bill also says that if a party polled at least 2% for any statewide race in any of the last five elections, it is ballot-qualified. If this provision becomes law, the Green Party will be on the ballot in 2020, because in 2016 it polled over 2% for Railroad Commissioner and two statewide judicial races. Thanks to Jim Riley for this news.