Free and Equal Elections, which has sponsored general election presidential debates for candidates excluded from the “big” debates, is set for an arbitration process against UCLA. Free and Equal had a contract with UCLA to use the Pauley Pavilion for its May 2014 rally. The rally’s purpose was to expand interest in political participation among young people. The event included many big-name musical and other entertainers, including “Public Enemy”, and thousands of tickets were sold. A few days before the event, UCLA revoked the contract.

The arbitration process starts on June 24, 2019, and will last up to five days, with witnesses.

On November 30, a 3-judge U.S. District Court issued a 54-page opinion in League of Women Voters v Johnson, e.d., 2:17cv-14148. This is the lawsuit filed in 2017 against the state’s U.S. House and state legislative district boundaries. The new opinion allows a trial. If the districts are struck down as gerrymanders, the only effect would be for the 2020 election. Thanks to Thomas Jones for this news. Here is the opinion.

On November 21, the Arizona Supreme Court unanimously upheld a state law that disqualifies petition signatures collected by certain kinds of petitioners. If the petition is challenged, and circulators are asked to appear at the hearing to testify, and they don’t show up, their signatures are invalid. Stanwitz v Reagan, cv-18-0222. Here is the 12-page opinion.

The case was filed by proponents of an statewide initiative concerning campaign finance. The proponents would have succeeded in getting their initiative on the ballot if the signatures of the no-show circulators had been counted. The proponents argued that election officials were capable of determining whether the initiative had enough valid signatures, without the testimony from the no-show circulators. But the Court rejected that argument. Circulators who have had felony convictions are not permitted to circulate in Arizona, and the Court said that it was necessary to have the circulators to appear, partly in order for the challengers to determine if the circulators had a prior felony conviction.