On September 22, the Arizona Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of the city of Phoenix, in Jones v Paniagua. The issue is how many signatures are needed for a city referendum. The law says the number of signatures … Continue reading
Richard Winger
For many years, Detroit has been the only city among the 20 most populous cities in the U.S. that elects all its city council members at-large, instead of by district. An initiative petition to switch to districts was submitted this … Continue reading
On September 22, the Massachusetts Senate passed the bill to empower Governors to fill vacant U.S. Senate seats, in the brief interval before the state holds a special election. The bill was originally HB 656, but is now HB 4246. … Continue reading
On September 21, the New York State Court of Appeals, the highest state court in that state, ruled that Governors may appoint new Lieutenant Governors when that office becomes vacant. Therefore, Governor David Paterson’s appointment of Richard Ravitch is valid. … Continue reading
In 2008, the U.S. government had sued Euclid, Ohio, under the Voting Rights Act, concerning School Board elections. Euclid is 45% black, but almost no black had ever been elected to the School Board under the city’s at-large elections. The … Continue reading