The bill to use ranked choice voting in all partisan elections in Washington, D.C., now has a bill number. B24-372.
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Chicopee, Massachusetts, holds an election for School Board members on September 21. Incumbent member James Tanhauser failed to get on the ballot for re-election. As a result, the voters will see only one name on their ballots for his seat. Tanhauser needed 50 signatures to be submitted by noon, and he was five minutes late to submit the petition. Massachusetts permits write-in voting.
As of mid-July 2021, the number of active registered voters in Florida in each party is: Democratic 5,230,169; Republican 5,167,567; Independent Party 193,387; Libertarian 41,529; Green 7,722; Constitution 3,178; Reform 1,461; Socialism & Liberation 1,329; Ecology 1,071; Unity 11; independent and miscellaneous 3,835,214.
Percentages are: Democratic 36.11%; Republican 35.68%; Independent Party 1.34%; Libertarian .29%; Green .05%; Constitution .02%; Reform .01%; Socialism & Liberation .01%; Ecology .01%; independent and miscellaneous 26.48%.
Percentages in October 2020 were: Democratic 36.72%; Republican 35.79%; Independent Party 1.13%; Libertarian .27%; Green .05%; Constitution .02%; Reform .01%; Socialism & Liberation .01%; Ecology .01%; independent and miscellaneous 25.99%. The Unity Party was not ballot-qualified in October 2020.
Percentages for minor parties in Florida tend to be low, because the choices are not listed on the question that asks about the applicant’s choice of party. The choices must be written in.
On August 3, the Ohio Supreme Court issued an opinion in State ex rel Schmitt v Village of Bridgeport, 2021-Ohio-2664. The vote was 6-1. The majority held that a local initiative should not be on the November 2021 ballot, because the petition had been submitted to the wrong village official. The law says that a local initiative in a village should be submitted to the village clerk. The initiative proponents submitted the petition to an individual who said she was the clerk, but she wasn’t. The dissent, which is longer than the opinion, describes how the initiative proponents were tricked. See page eight of the opinion (which has the essence of the dissent).
On August 2, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich filed a federal lawsuit to overturn the judgment of the Illinois Senate from 2009 that he be convicted, removed from office, and barred from ever running for state or local office. Blagojevich v State, n.d., 1:21cv-4103. Here is the Complaint. Thanks to ElectionLawBlog for this news. Blagojevich served time in prison, but former President Trump commuted his sentence so he is no longer in prison.