Besides the federal case filed in the preceding post, Mayor Byron Brown also has a case in state court alleging that the May petition deadline is unconstitutional. Brown v Erie County Board of Elections, Erie Co. Supreme Court, 811973/2021. It was filed August 28.
On August 30, some voters who want to vote for him Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown as an independent candidate filed a federal lawsuit against the New York petition deadline for independent candidates. In 2019 the legislature moved it from August to May, which was a sharp break with tradition. The deadline had always been in August, September, or October of election years until the 2019 change.
The case is Meadors v Erie County Board of Elections, w.d., 1:21cv-982. It is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge John L. Sinatra, a Trump appointee, who has set the hearing for an injunction on Friday, September 3, at 10:30 a.m. in Buffalo. Here is the complaint.
On August 27, the Eleventh Circuit issued a 15-page opinion in Black Voters Matter Fund v Secretary of State of Georgia, 20-13414. The issue is whether the 24th amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires election officials to pay postage for postal ballots being returned. The judges ruled against the voters.
Late on Friday, August 27, Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe filed a brief in Republican Party of Virginia v Piper, in state trial court in Richmond. It argues there is no legal requirement for the declaration of candidacy to be signed. See this story.
The Coalition for Free & Open Elections held its annual board meeting on Sunday, August 22, via zoom. The minutes of the meeting will be posted by the end of the day, Sunday, August 29, at COFOE.org. The Coalition for Free & Open Elections is a loose coalition of most of the nation’s nationally-organized minor parties, plus some organizations that are allies in the fight for better election laws for voters who want to vote for minor parties. COFOE was founded in 1985.
