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.
California is having a special election for Governor this year, combined with a vote on whether to recall Governor Gavin Newsom. The American Solidarity Party in the election will be James Hanink. The date of the election is still not set, but it will be in September, October, or November.
On March 25, the U.S. Justice Department filed a federal lawsuit against parts of the Georgia bill that made it more difficult for certain kinds of voters to vote. USA v State of Georgia, n.d., 1:21cv-2575. Here is the 46-page Complaint. Thanks to the ElectionLawBlog for the link.
The lawsuit alleges that parts of the new law violate the federal Voting Rights Act. Here is a press release from the Justice Department explaining the main points of the lawsuit (in the top paragraph).
On June 24, a Fulton County, Georgia Superior Court issued this four-page order in Favorito v Fulton County, 2020cv-343938. The case concerns plaintiffs desire to examine the Fulton County absentee ballots from November 2020. Here is a news story about the decision.
