Indiana lets persons age 65 and over vote absentee for any reason, but younger voters can’t vote absentee with being away from home on election day. On June 21, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case that challenged this practice on grounds that the 26th amendment says “the right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote, shall not be denied or abridged on account of age.” Okeson v Tully, 20-1244. The lower courts had upheld Indiana’s law.
The Courthouse News Service has this article about the June 16 argument in the Eighth Circuit about Minnesota ballot access.
Law Professor Steve Vladeck has this commentary at MSNBC, criticizing the Tenth Circuit opinion Fitisemanu v USA, 20-4017. The decision came down on June 15 and said that despite the Fourteenth Amendment, which says “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside”, persons born in American Samoa are not U.S. citizens, even if they are living in a state. The case had been filed by individuals living in Utah but who were born in American Samoa. Thanks to Howard Bashman for the link.
On June 11, Congressman Don Beyer (D-Virginia) introduced HR 3863. It requires all states with more than one member of the U.S. House to establish multi-member districts. It also requires ranked choice voting for congressional elections, and requires states to have nonpartisan redistricting commissions to draw any U.S. House boundaries. Thanks to Rob Richie for this news. The website for Congress still doesn’t have the bill’s text.
On June 17, Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzger signed SB 825, which moves the 2022 primary from March to June. It also moves the deadline for independent candidate petitions, and petitions for the nominees of unqualified parties, from June to July 13. Thanks to Sam Cahnman for this news.
