Jessica Huseman, an expert on election administration, has this article about HR One, the Democratic Party omnibus election law bill in Congress. She says that the election administration parts of the bill are faulty to an alarming degree. Thanks to Election Law Journal for the link.
On March 19, the voter-plaintiffs filed this supplemental brief in U.S. District Court in Hawaii, in Reeves v Nago, 1:20cv-433. This case, filed last year, challenges the law that forbids former residents of Hawaii to vote absentee, if they have moved to Guam or the U.S. Virgin Islands. If a Hawaii resident had moved to a foreign country, he or she could continue to vote absentee in Hawaii.
The supplemental brief explains that the court could offer relief, if the law were to be judged unconstitutional. It was filed in response to a request from the judge.
The West Virginia Independent Party will hold a state convention on April 10. See the party’s website here. The Independent Party of West Virginia is the only state party in the nation in which there is still no resolution as to whether it is ballot-qualified or not. The Secretary of State still hasn’t said whether the party is recognized. It did poll over 1% of the gubernatorial vote in November 2020, so it should be qualified. However the votes were write-in votes. Thanks to Jeff Becker for this news.
On March 22, the Georgia House Special Committee on Election Integrity passed SB 202. It provides that in primary and general elections for partisan office, overseas absentee ballots would use ranked choice voting. This makes it possible to hold earlier run-offs. If no one gets 50% and a runoff is needed, the bill provides that a runoff would be held four weeks after the general election, instead of nine weeks.
If this bill had been in effect in 2020, the two U.S. Senate runoffs would have been held on December 1, 2020, not January 5, 2021.
Other states in which overseas voters use ranked choice voting are Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
The bill also transforms Georgia special elections, so that parties would have nominees. Currently, Georgia special general elections lack party nominees. This is why the 2020 special election for U.S. Senate in Georgia had 20 candidates on the November ballot.
The House Committee amended other provisions of the bill, so that now it expands early voting hours. The Senate version shrink early voting hours.
On March 17, the Hawaii House Judiciary Committee passed SB 560. It provides that in special elections, ranked choice voting will be used. The bill had already passed the State Senate. However, the bill was amended in the House Committee, so assuming the house passes it, it will need to return to the State Senate.
Hawaii only has special elections for U.S. House and county council. Vacancies in the state legislature are filled by gubernatorial appointment.
