On September 14, a Missouri state trial court in Jefferson City removed a statewide initiative from the ballot, on the grounds that it improperly violates the single subject rule. The initiative deals with campaign finance law, gifts from lobbyists to state legislators, legislative redistricting, and access to legislative records. Everyone agrees that it had enough valid signatures. See this story. Proponents will appeal.
When California voted on whether to use a top-two primary in November 2004, and again in June 2010, political consultants were largely very much in favor. Now, however, a California Target Book poll of political consultants shows that more consultants dislike the system than like it. “Has the top-two system had a mostly positive or negative impact on the state?” was the question. “Negative” received 35.6%. “Positive” received 24.4%. “Both” received 37.8%. “Unsure” received 2.2%. See this Calmatters story about the poll. Thanks to Around the Capitol for the link.
On Monday, September 17, U.S. District Court Judge Edmund Sargus, a Clinton appointee, will hear Schmitt v Husted, s.d., 2:18cv-966. This is the case over whether Ohio election officials have the power to decide on their own that they will not put an initiative on the ballot because they feel the subject matter is inappropriate for an initiative. The case arose when Portage County officials rejected an initiative relating to marijuana. Portage County can’t print its ballots until this case is settled.
Here is the final brief in the case, filed by the plaintiffs in response to the government’s brief.
According to this story, West Virginia can’t begin printing ballots until two pending lawsuits are settled in the State Supreme Court. They involve challenges to candidates for the State Supreme Court.
In the November 2018 election, there will be Democrats on the ballot in all but three U.S. House districts. The Republican Party has never had that many candidates. The Democrats have not had candidates in so many districts since 1974, when they only missed one district, Ohio’s 3rd. The other years in which the Democratic Party had that many candidates were 1964 (they missed one), 1962 (they missed one), and 1958 (they missed two).
The only three districts in 2018 that the Democrats missed are California’s 8th district, Georgia’s 8th district, and North Carolina’s 3rd district. In California’s 8th district, the top-two system blocked any Democrat from qualifying for the general election ballot. There were two Republicans and three Democrats. The two Republicans received 44,482 and 24,933 votes. The three Democrats received 23,675, 10,990, and 5,049 votes.
In 2018, Republicans have candidates for U.S. House on the ballot in 398 districts. For purposes of this blog post, the 435 regular seats, plus the District of Columbia’s Delegate seat, are counted, for a total of 436 districts. If purists object to including the D.C. Delegate post, then the Republicans have candidates in 397 districts.
