The Delaware Senate Elections & Government Affairs Committee will hear HB 30 on Wednesday, June 30, at noon. This is the bill that moves the non-presidential primary from September to late April. Unfortunately it also moves the deadline for new parties to qualify from August to early April, and even requires already-qualified minor parties (which nominate by convention) to submit their nominees by April 1.
Former U.S. Senator Mike Gravel died on June 26, 2021, at the age of 91. See this story. He had sought the Libertarian presidential nomination in 2008, placing fourth in four separate rollcall votes. Thanks to Austin Cassidy for the link.
Fairvote has posted this short video about Congressman Don Beyer’s proportional representation bill for congressional elections, introduced earlier this month. In states with more than two representatives, the bill would create U.S. House districts with five representatives (or, in some cases, four or three representatives). They would be elected using the single transferable vote system that is used in Ireland, Australia, Malta, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was also used in New York city 1937-1946. It is a system of proportional representation.
Congressman Beyer is a Democrat from Virginia’s 8th district. The bill has 7 co-sponsors so far.
On June 25, the Ohio legislature passed SB 80. It provides that party labels will appear on general election ballots for candidates for Supreme Court Justice, and judge on a state appeals court. Ohio already allows parties to nominate for these positions, but the old law does not permit party labels on the November ballot for those races. Here is the text of the bill.
On June 24, the Michigan State Court of Appeals issued a 4-page opinion in Moore v Genesee County, 355291. The case concerned an election for Goodrich Village Council. In 2020, a candidate forgot to check the box on her candidacy paperwork that says she is qualified for the position and that she is a U.S. citizen. The trial court said it was not a serious error and put her on the ballot. But the State Appeals Court ruled that was an error, and that she should have been left off the ballot.
The candidate also forgot to put her zip code, but the Appeals Court said a zip code is not mandatory on the form.
The candidate, Sherry Ann Moore, won her election in November 2020, and no one on either side of the lawsuit argued that she should be unseated. So the state appeals court decision has no impact, except to settle the issue for future Michigan elections. Thanks to Thomas Jones for the link.
