On April 24, Iowa Representative Andy McKean said he will change his registration from Republican to Democratic as soon as he gets home. See this story. He has served 29 years in the legislature. Thanks to Political Wire for this news.
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On April 22, the Bridgeport, Connecticut School Board filled a vacancy by appointing LaMar Kennedy. He is a registered Libertarian. See this story. The School Board elections in Connecticut are partisan elections.
On April 22, the California Assembly Appropriations Committee passed the two bills that restrict ballot access for presidential primaries. SB 27 prevents presidential candidates from appearing on the ballot if they don’t reveal the last five years of their income tax returns. SB 505 makes it more difficult for presidential candidates to appear on presidential primary ballots. Both bills now move to the Senate floor.
On April 16, the Nevada Assembly passed AB 186, the National Popular Vote Plan bill. The vote was 23-17. All Republicans voted against it. In addition, five Democrats voted against it: Teresa Benitez-Thompson, Maggie Carlton, Daniele Monroe-Moreno, Dina Neal, and Greg Smith. The bill has a Senate committee hearing on April 24.
On April 22, the staff of the New York city Charter Revision Commission recommended that the charter be amended to provide for Ranked Choice Voting. See the report here. The part about election changes begins on page eight.
The staff didn’t recommend that ranked choice voting be used specifically for primaries, or for general elections, or both. But it stresses the value of using ranked choice voting for primaries because it would eliminate the need for runoff primaries. Thanks to Michael Drucker for the link.