Noah Millman has this op-ed in the New York Times, advocating that California, Texas, Florida and New York be broken up into several states. The rationale is partly for better government in those states, and partly because the idea would ameliorate the inequality caused by the Constitution’s provision that each state have two U.S. Senate seats.
On July 9, the Michigan Supreme Court unanimously issued an order, telling the Board of State Canvassers to place a statewide initiative on the ballot. Unlock Michigan v Board of State Canvassers, SC162949. Here is the order. The initiative has enough valid signatures but the Democratic members of the Board had refused to certify it, because they said they want to investigate the process by which the petition was circulated.
The initiative asks voters if they wish to repeal the Emergency Powers of the Governor Act of 1945. Under a unique Michigan law, the legislature may now itself pass the initiative and can do so without input from the Governor. Probably the legislature will now repeal the law and there won’t actually be a vote of the people. Thanks to Thomas Jones for this news.
Virginia elects its state officers in odd year elections. In years following a presidential election, such as 2021, only the statewide offices and the House of Delegates members are elected. In this year’s election for lower house of the legislature, the districts based on the 2010 census are being used, because the 2020 census data isn’t available yet.
On June 28, a Virginia voter filed a federal lawsuit, demanding that the terms of the lower house of the legislature be limited to one year, and that the state hold another election for the same office in November 2022, using the 2020 census data. Goldman v Northam, e.d., 3:21cv-420. Here is the Complaint.
This is not far-fetched, because in 1981, a U.S. District Court ordered that remedy, and Virginia Delegates elected in 1981 only got a one-year terhm. The state held another election for that office in 1982, using districts based on the 1980 census. Thanks to Ballotpedia for this yews.
On Friday, July 9, a Superior Court held arguments in Newsom v Weber, 34-2021-8003666. The issue is whether California Governor Gavin Newsom should have his party label on the September 14 recall ballot. He missed a deadline to request that his party label be next to his name. The Secretary of State did not oppose him in court, but attorneys for the recall proponents, and for candidate Caitlyn Jenner, intervened and argued that the deadline should not be set aside.
The judge is James Arguelles, the same attorney who granted more time during the covid crisis of 2020 for the initiative proponents to complete their recall petition.
The Arkansas Secretary of State has verified the 2024 presidential petition of the American Solidarity Party. The party gained this status by submitting 1,000 valid signatures. The legislature raised the petition for presidential status this year from 1,000 to 5,000 signatures, but the new law is not in effect yet, so the old requirement was sufficient.
