New Approach Montana, a group that is sponsoring an initiative to alter the marijuana laws, has filed a state lawsuit, seeking to extend the petition deadline from June 19 to August 3. See this story.
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On April 21, the Michigan Secretary of State filed a notice of appeal in Esshaki v Whitmer, e.d., 2:20cv-10831. The U.S. District Court had cut the number of signatures for primary petitions to 50% of normal, and had extended the deadline from April 21 to May 8.
On April 22, a Quinnipiac Poll was released for the November 2020 election for president in Florida. See it here; see question two. Respondents were asked, “If the candidates were Joe Biden and Donald Trump, for whom would you vote?’ 46% said Biden; 42% said Trump.
Some respondents volunteered another choice. Three percent said “someone else”; two percent said “I wouldn’t vote”; seven percent said “don’t know.”
The responses are broken down by age. Among the 18-34 age group, 8% said “someone else”; 4% said “wouldn’t vote”; 8% said “don’t know.” Thanks to Political Wire for the link.
According to this news story, several independent candidates are planning to sue Arkansas if the state doesn’t extend the petition deadline and cut the number of signatures. Among them is an independent candidate for U.S. Senate, who needs 10,000 valid signatures by May 1.
On April 21, a Colorado state trial court put Michelle Ferrigno Warren on the June 30 Democratic primary ballot for U.S. Senate, even though she needed 10,500 valid signatures and she only had 5,383 valid signatures.
The decision finds that it is customary and rational, in normal times, that petitions receive the most signatures in the weeks just before the deadline. In a state like Colorado, where the deadline for primary petitions was March 17, that is partly due to weather. Early petitioning in cold weather periods is less productive, partly because fewer people are outside.
In this case, the court found that it was almost impossible to hire paid circulators early in the year, because so many of them were working for very high payment for various presidential primary candidates around the nation. Mike Bloomberg’s campaign in some instances was paying $20 per signature, because Bloomberg started so late that his petitions were rush jobs.
Here is the 28-page decision in Warren v Griswold, 20cv-31077. It says, “The Court is mindful that it is reading and interpreting the Election Code and Colorado Supreme Court precedent in a nearly empty courthouse while a global pandemic is unfolding outside its windows…strict adherence to the signature requirement for primary petitions must yield to this unprecedented public health emergency.
Also, “signature collection is a ‘very personal activity’ …In the best of times, engaging strangers in public, holding their attention, and acquiring their signatures on a petition is challenging.”