Wisconsin Resident, Barred by Alaska Law from Contributing to His Brother-in-Law, Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Overturn Campaign Finance Law

Posted on by July 26, 2019
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On July 25, three individuals filed a cert petition in the U.S. Supreme Court against two Alaska campaign finance laws. One individual lives in Wisconsin. He wants to contribute to the legislative campaign of his brother-in-law, who is an Alaska legislator running for re-election. But Alaska law says that no Alaska candidate may receive more than $3,000 in total donations from outside the state, and the legislator had already received $3,000 from other out-of-state contributors.

In another issue in the same case, two Alaska residents want to contribute more than $500 to candidates for city office, but Alaska law does not allow anyone to contribute more than $500 to a candidate in any particular calendar year. Nor may they contribute more than $500 to any political group except for a political party. Thompson v Hebdon, 19-122. Here is the cert petition. The Ninth Circuit had upheld the Alaska laws. The state’s response is due August 26, 2019. Thanks to Rick Hasen for this news.

Working Families Party Will Try to Elect Two of its Own Members to Philadelphia City Council in November 2019

Posted on by July 25, 2019
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Philadelphia elects seven city council-at-large members in November 2019. The law does not permit any party to run more than five candidates for that office, and voters can only vote for five candidates. Therefore, every election, two non-Democrats are able to win two seats. The last time this office was up, in November 2015, the two non-Democratic winners were two Republican nominees.

The Working Families Part has two candidates for city council-at-large in the November 2019 election, and will try to outpoll all the Republicans, and win the two seats reserved for non-Democrats. The two candidates are Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O’Rourke.

A few cities in Connecticut use the same election system, and in a few instances, Working Families Party nominees (who were not also Democratic nominees) were able to win seats in these Connecticut cities.

Democrats Challenge Independent Candidate’s Petition Even Though he Collected the Number of Signatures as Determined by the Elections Office

Posted on by July 25, 2019
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Indiana holds partisan city elections on November, 2019. An independent candidate for Mayor of Logansport, Terry Doran, complied with the petition requirement, according to local elections officials. But the local Democratic Party challenged his petition because the number of signatures calculated by the election officials was incorrect. See this story.

California Governor’s Web Page Makes it Easy to Comment on Presidential Tax Returns Bill

Posted on by July 25, 2019
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California Governor Gavin Newsom’s web page makes it easy for anyone to comment on SB 27, the bill to keep presidential candidates off a presidential primary ballot if they don’t release income tax returns. The web page has a place for comments, and one can choose a list of 27 particular State Senate bills, of which SB 27 is one.

See here. Then in the “Please choose your subject” box, scroll down below the list of generic topics, and find the numerical list of Assembly bills, and then Senate bills. Choose SB 27. I have just sent a comment that California Constitution, Article II, sec. 5(e), tells the Secretary of State to put all “recognized” presidential candidates on the presidential primary ballots. None of the analyses of SB 27 in any legislative committee even mentioned this part of the California Constitution, and newspaper editorials and stories likewise almost never mention it.

Governor Newsom must act by July 30. On July 24, while visiting Sanger in Fresno County to sign a bill for a fund to help communities fund improved water quality, he was asked about SB 27. He said he is still consulting legal experts. Thanks to Politico for that news.