misconceived Republican bill that would make it harder for third parties, such as the Libertarian Party or Green Party, to get on Ohio’s ballot has stalled at the Statehouse.

That’s the good news.

The bad news: A Senate-House conference committee could retool Senate Bill 193 to ease its passage later this year, when Ohioans are distracted preparing for holidays or bracing for winter.

Federal courts ruled last decade that Ohio made it too hard for third parties to get on the ballot. Legislators never passed a replacement law, so court orders form today’s legal framework for third parties. Supposedly, Senate Bill 193 would fill a void. But if the status quo is a problem, someone needs to tell third parties.

“We have been operating just fine under the federal guidelines,” a spokesman for the Libertarian Party of Ohio said last week.

About our editorials

Plain Dealer editorials express the view of the

the publisher, editor and editorial-writing staff. As is traditional, editorials are unsigned and intended to be seen as the voice of the newspaper.

• Talk about the topic of this editorial in the comments below.

• Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

• Email general questions or comments about the editorial board to Elizabeth Sullivan, opinion director for the Northeast Ohio Media Group.

That suggests that, at best, Senate Bill 193 is a solution searching for a problem, except that it’s hardly that innocent, according to Rep. Kathleen Clyde, a Kent Democrat knowledgeable about election law. The bill, Clyde said, could “trample on the ballot-access rights of Ohioans.” Some House Republicans evidently agree. Seven -- including several conservatives -- joined all 39 House Democrats to vote against the bill.

Timing is also a problem. Ohio’s 2014 campaigns are under way. Republican Gov. John Kasich is in good shape politically. But not all Republicans are happy he expanded Medicaid. In 2010, Kasich won the governorship by just 77,127 votes. That, and GOP restlessness, might incline some Republicans toward a third-party candidate in 2014. Making it harder for third parties to reach Ohio’s ballot could benefit Kasich.

In 2012, a Libertarian presidential ticket racked up almost 50,000 Ohio votes, a Green ticket almost 20,000. Despite that, Senate Bill 193 would in effect force third parties to requalify for Ohio’s ballot barely 12 months before the next election. Third parties might well succeed at that. But it would cost them time better spent campaigning or raising campaign funds.

As Senate Bill 193 now stands, it’s a partisan Republican subterfuge costumed, amateurishly, as a reform. But the bill itself is what requires reform