On October 22, the Pennsylvania Senate State Government Committee amended SB 421 and passed it. The bill repeals the straight-ticket device; eases the deadline for voters to register to vote from 30 days to 15 days before an election; eases the deadline for absentee ballots to be received; lets anyone cast an absentee ballot; legalizes using rubber stamps to cast write-in votes; and repeals the requirement that petition circulators live in the jurisdiction for which the petition applies. It also appropriates money for new vote-counting machines that have an audit trail.

The residency requirement for circulators had already been declared unconstitutional, so that part of the bill merely brings the code up-to-date on actual policy. Thanks to David Sturrock for this news.

Here is a link to the Alabama Republican Party’s web page, showing 2020 primary filings so far. It shows that Rocky De La Fuente is the first (and, so far, only) candidate to qualify for the presidential primary ballot. Candidates need 500 signatures to qualify.

Ohio law provides for a seven-member Elections Commission that always has three Democrats, three Republicans, and one independent. On October 22, U.S. District Court Judge Algenon Marbley issued an opinion in Libertarian Party of Ohio v Wilhem, s.d., 2:19cv-2501.

The opinion says that the composition of the Ohio Election Commission, which always excludes minor party members, cannot stand unless the state can show it is needed for a compelling reason. The order says, “The Commission is authorized to find violations of Ohio’s campaign finance laws, assess fines, and refer violations to the local prosecutor. These decisions, in theory, should not bear on political affiliation; rather, they should be objective determinations based on the law. It is difficult to ascertain why an individual who is affiliated with a minor political party cannot effectively perform this function, or even be considered for a position on the Commission.”