The U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether to hear Tully v Okeson, 20-1244, on April 30. This is the Indiana case over the law that lets any voter age 65 vote early, but denies the same ability to other voters. The plaintiffs argue this policy violates the 26th amendment, which says states may not “deny or abridge” the right to vote on account of age.
The Kansas Green Party will begin collecting signatures on its party petition on April 22. The petition needs 21,102 signatures and must be finished by October 19, 2021. The Green Party has never been a qualified party in Kansas, although it has tried many times in the past.
South Carolina HB 3262, which would require candidates from parties that nominate by convention to pay filing fees, seems unlikely to pass. It has not moved in a month, and the legislature adjourns in less than four weeks. It had passed the House, and passed one committee in the Senate, but that committee amended it, so if it were to pass the Senate, it would still need to return to the House.
On April 15, the state of Ohio filed this brief in State of Ohio v Raimondo, 21-3294, in the Sixth Circuit. Ohio filed this case to force the Census Bureau to finish its report on the 2020 population earlier than September 2021. Ohio says it must have the data sooner in order to draw new U.S. House and legislative districts.
On April 9, the Hawaii House passed SB 560. It provides for ranked choice voting in special elections. The bill had already passed the Senate. However, it is still not through the legislature, because the version of the bill in the House differs from the Senate version. A conference committee for the bill has been appointed.
