The Arizona Secretary of State has posted registration data for January 2, 2021. See it here. The website does not show the Green Party, but it has 4,226 registrants.
The percentages are: Republican 35.36%; Democratic 32.10%; Libertarian .89%; Green .10%; other and independent 31.55%.
Percentages in August 2020 were: Republican 34.84%; Democratic 32.41%; Libertarian .83%; Green .11%; other and independent 31.80%.
Law professor Lawrence Lessig has this op-ed, strongly advising states not to pass laws that require presidential electors to vote for presidential candidates who may have died before the electoral college votes. Six states have a flawed law in effect that replaces presidential elector candidates who don’t vote for the person who carried that state, even if the candidate is dead.
On February 16, U.S. District Court Judge John A. Woodcock, a Bush Jr. appointee, issued a 76-page order in We the People PAC v Bellows, 1:20cv-489. The order enjoins the Maine ban on out-of-state circulators for initiatives. It also enjoins the Maine law requiring initiative circulators to be registered voters.
The order is somewhat surprising, because the Maine State Supreme Court had twice upheld the same laws, in 1998 and again just last September. Also in 1999 a U.S. District Court in Maine had upheld the law. Furthermore, even Judge Woodcock himself had declined last month to issue a temporary restraining order against the restrictions.
The order explains that between last month and this month, the plaintiffs produced so much convincing evidence that it is clear the laws are a severe burden on free speech. The evidence included the point that there are only six Maine residents who make a living circulating petitions, while there are hundreds of them in the remainder of the U.S. The order also says that professional circulators are likely to make themselves available to Maine election authorities of there is any question about their work, because if they don’t, their professional reputation will suffer.
The order quotes former Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, speaking publicly and saying “It’s not normal, socially it’s not normal to walk up to perfect strangers and say, ‘excuse me are you a registered voter, would you like to sign this petition’ and so it takes a particular type of personality to be able to do this.’ It is this difficulty that drives groups to hire out-of-state professional circulators to gather signatures.” Thanks to Trent Pool for this news.
Morning Consult-Politico Polls has released a poll of Republican primary voters, showing that if the 2024 Republican presidential primaries were being held now, Donald Trump would receive 53% of the vote and Donald Trump, Jr., would receive 6%. Mike Pence is in second place, but he only has 12%.
See it here. Scroll down to page two. Thanks to Political Wire for the link.
On February 16, the Oklahoma House Elections & Ethics Committee defeated HB 1016. It would have repealed the straight-ticket device. The vote was party-line, with all Republicans voting against the bill and all Democrats voting for it. Thanks to E. Zachary Knight for this news.
