On March 19, U.S. District Court Judge Andre Birotte asked attorneys for the state of California to file an Answer to the Complaint in Soltysik v Padilla, c.d., 2:15cv-7916. This is the case over whether members of unqualified parties may have their party listed on the ballot. Current law says they can only have “party preference: none” printed on the ballot, if they are running for Congress or partisan state office. The plaintiff is a registered Socialist.

The U.S. District Court had dismissed this case some years ago, but then the Ninth Circuit reinstated it, so there will be a trial unless the state decides to settle the case.

On March 14, the Kentucky Senate passed HB 325, which makes it more difficult for voters to switch parties prior to a primary. Current law lets them switch parties a month before the primary, but the bill says they can’t switch parties after December 31 of the year before the primary. The Governor hasn’t acted on the bill yet.

The Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives has published Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 2018. It has 60 pages and has the election returns for each congressional general election. The Clerk has been publishing a book like this every two years, starting in 1920. It is free and can be requested by phoning 202-226-5200.

Later the Federal Election Commission will also publish election returns for 2018, for congress, and the FEC book will have primary election results. That book will be titled “Federal Elections 2018.” It will also be free.