California Governor Gavin Newsom has still not acted on SB 212, which lets non-charter cities and counties use ranked choice voting for their own elections. He must decide whether to veto the bill, sign it, or let it become law without his signature, by the end of the day, Sunday, October 13. He did not act on the bill on Friday, October 11.
On October 11, the Commission on Presidential Debates released the dates and locations for the three general election presidential debates, and the vice-presidential debate. The three presidential debates are on September 29, October 15, and October 22. The vice-presidential debate is October 7. For the locations, see here from the Commission’s web page. Thanks to Political Wire for this news.
According to this story, St. Pete Polls conducted a poll for the initiative that would impose a top-two system in Florida for state and local partisan office. The polls shows that the measure would be defeated.
The measure is not yet on the ballot but the petition drive is almost finished.
On October 11, the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, ruled 2-1 that the subpoena issued by the U.S. House Committee on Oversight for President Trump’s tax returns is valid. Trump v Mazars USA, 19-5142. The decision is 66 pages and the dissent is 68 pages. The opinion is by Judge David Tatel, a Clinton appointee; it is also signed by Judge Patricia Millett, an Obama appointee. The dissent is by Judge Neomi Rao, a Trump appointee. Thanks to Political Wire for this news.
On October 10, the Georgia Libertarian Party filed a notice of appeal in Cowen v Raffensperger, n.d., 1:17cv-4660. This is the case over the Georgia ballot access laws for U.S. House, which require approximately 20,000 signatures for any independent, or the nominee of any party that didn’t poll as much as 20% for president in the entire U.S., or 20% for Governor of Georgia. No third party has ever completed this petition in the 76 years in which it has existed. No independent has complied with it since 1964. Yet the U.S. District Court last month still upheld it.
UPDATE: here is the party’s press release about the appeal.
