Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Omnibus Election Law Bill

Posted on by June 28, 2019
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On June 28, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 7066, the omnibus election law bill. It provides that ex-felons may not register to vote if they still have unpaid court costs, fines, or restitution. It also expands the zone outside polling places in which First Amendment activity is banned from 100 feet to 150 feet. This includes petitioning. Also, it moves the non-presidential primary, which is in August, one week earlier than it had been. Thanks to Rick Hasen for this news.

The bill had passed the legislature on May 3, 2019.

U.S. District Court Upholds Arizona Policy of Not Holding an Election to Fill Senator McCain’s Seat Until November 2020

Posted on by June 28, 2019
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On June 27, a U.S. District Court upheld Arizona’s policy of not holding an election to fill John McCain’s Senate seat until November 2020. McCain died in August 2018. The voters who filed the lawsuit Tedards v Ducey, 2:18cv-4241, had argued that the constitutional protections for voters required that the election should be sooner than that. Here is the 25-page decision.

The voters also challenged the Arizona law that requires the Governor to appoint a new U.S. Senator who is a member of the same party as the Senator who is being replaced. The opinion says the plaintiffs don’t have standing to challenge that law.

New Oklahoma Registration Tally

Posted on by June 27, 2019
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The number of registered voters in Oklahoma, as of June 27, is: Republican 987,570; Democratic 736,793; Libertarian 10,075; independent and other 318,730.

The percentages are: Republican 48.10%; Democratic 35.89%; Libertarian .49%; independent and other 15.52%.

The percentages just before the November 2018 election were: Republican 47.33%; Democratic 36.83%; Libertarian .40%; independent and other 15.44%.

Pennsylvania Legislature Advances Bills to Eliminate Straight-Ticket Device

Posted on by June 27, 2019
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On June 25, the Pennsylvania Senate passed SB 421 by 30-20. It eliminates the straight-ticket device. The sponsor is a Democrat, Senator Lisa Boscola.

Also, on June 26, the House Appropriations Committee amended SB 48, the bill to replace the state’s vote-counting machines with machines that leave an audit trail. The amendment eliminates the straight-ticket device. SB 48 then passed the House Appropriations Committee on June 27.