“Disobedient” Presidential Electors File Brief in Colorado Case

Posted on by December 24, 2017
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There are still three pending federal lawsuits over whether presidential electors have the freedom to vote for anyone they wish who meets the Constitutional qualifications. The California and Minnesota lawsuits are moving slowly, but the Colorado case is very active. On December 22, the presidential electors filed this interesting 22-page brief in their lawsuit, Baca v Colorado Department of State, 1:17cv-1937. The three plaintiff-electors are Polly Baca, Robert Nemanich, and Micheal Baca.

The brief reveals that two scholarly articles were published late last year, examining the question of whether the founding fathers intended that the electors should be permitted to vote for anyone who is qualified. They are: “The Constitutional Power of the Electoral College” by Michael Stokes Paulsen; and “Is the Uniform Faithful Presidential Electors Act Unconstitutional?” by Robert J. Delahunty.

March Fong Eu Dies: Pioneer of Postcard Voter Registration Forms

Posted on by December 23, 2017
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On December 22, March Fong Eu died. She was California Secretary of State from 1974 to 1994. She pioneered the idea of letting individuals register to vote using a postcard form that did not need to be signed by anyone but the applicant. Previously, in all states, no one could register to vote without appearing in front of an election official and having the election official fill out the form. Thanks to several people for the news. Here is an obituary.

U.S. District Court Tells Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity to Share Documents with One of its Democratic Members

Posted on by December 23, 2017
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On December 22, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ruled that the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity must share its important documents with all members of the Commission. Dunlap v Presidential Advisory Commission, 1:17cv-2361. Here is the 24-page opinion. Matthew Dunlap, the plaintiff, is Secretary of State of Maine and one of the commission’s few Democratic members. Thanks to Rick Hasen for this news.

Hi-Tech Investigation Into Supreme Court Justice Vocal Characteristics Predicts Extreme Partisan Gerrymandering Will be Struck Down

Posted on by December 22, 2017
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The Economist has this interesting article about a new method for predicting how a U.S. Supreme Court Justice will rule, based on the pitch of his or her voice when questioning attorneys at oral argument. If one scrolls down to the bottom of the article, one finds that the new method predicts that Justice Anthony Kennedy will rule against the state of Wisconsin in Gill v Whitford, the case over extreme partisan gerrymandering.

Of course, there are other more traditional reasons to expect that same result, including the fact that the Court recently took a second case on the same subject from Maryland. Thanks to How Appealing for the link.

Jill Stein Appearance on CNN Garners Publicity

Posted on by December 22, 2017
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On December 21, Jill Stein appeared on CNN’s “Outfront with Erin Burnett.” Here is a report about that interview in The Hill. This interview has been covered by many major news outlets.

Also, here is a link to a 45-minute interview with Stein by Robert Scheer of Truthdig.

This Salt Lake Tribune story points out that Rocky Anderson, Justice Party presidential nominee in 2012, was also at the famous Moscow dinner that Stein attended.