Percentage of Voters Registered in Minor Parties Rises to Highest Level in 100 Years

The December 1, 2021 print edition of Ballot Access News will have a chart showing the number of registered voters in each party, in each state (in the states that have registration by party). It will show that the percentage of voters registered into parties other than the Democratic and Republican Parties is higher now than at any time since BAN has been tracking registration data, which started in 1992.

And data available to BAN for the period before 1992, although never published, shows that the current percentage is higher than at any time since before 1922.

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Election Law Professor Ned Foley Strongly Recommends that Congress Pass an Anti-Gerrymandering Bill

Ohio election law professor Edward “Ned” Foley here argues that Congress ought to pass a stand-alone election reform bill, specifically a bill to restrict partisan gerrymandering in congressional elections. Conceivably such a bill could pass, because both major parties suffer from partisan gerrymandering. Republicans suffer from it in Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, and New York. Democrats suffer from it in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

U.S. District Court Enjoins Kansas Law Making it Illegal for Out-of-State Groups to Send Out Applications to Voters for an Absentee Ballot

On November 19, U.S. District Court Judge Kathryn Vratil, a Bush Sr. appointee, enjoined a new Kansas law that makes it illegal for groups outside to Kansas to send absentee ballot applications to Kansas voters. Kansas allows anyone to vote early, but the voter must apply for a postal ballot. The plaintiffs include two groups that try to encourage voter turnout. VoteAmerica v Schwab, 2:21cv-2253.

The constitutionality of the new law is not yet settled, but the order means that while the case is underway, the law will not be in effect. Here is the 46-page order.