Independent Indiana, a new group, will lobby to eliminate the straight-ticket device that Indiana has had since 1889. It will also work for easier ballot access. See this story.
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On December 15, President Trump sued the BBC for slander and libel. The case is filed in U.S. District Court in Florida. Trump v BBC, s.d., 1:25cv-25894. No judge has been assigned to the case yet. Here is the Complaint.
UPDATE: the case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Roy Altman, a Trump appointee.
This Politico story explores the possibility that the California top-two system might create a November 2026 ballot with only two Republicans on the ballot for Governor. The story does not mention the idea that the legislature could amend the election law to legalize write-in voting in general elections for top-two offices. California already has write-in space for other types of elections.
On December 11, the Utah Forward Party announced that its private on-line election had chosen Emily Buss to be the new State Senator for the Eleventh District. See this story. The party’s previous State Senator had resigned. Under Utah law, the party had the power to replace him. The Forward Party set up a voting system for all voters in the district to choose the party’s new Senator. Five members of the Forward Party sought the job, and 1,301 voters in the district participated. Any registered voter was free to participate. Approval voting was used.
On December 12, Missouri’s Attorney General asked a U.S. District Court to impose sanctions on the attorneys for the plaintiffs in the redistricting case. The state says that the attorneys for the plaintiffs told the court at oral argument that the plaintiffs agree that laws subject to referenda are not suspended until the referendum petition is checked to see if it has enough valid signatures. But the Attorney General says the following day, the plaintiffs’ attorney told the press that laws subject to referenda are suspended as soon as the signatures have been submitted.
Here is the Attorney General’s filing. The case is Missouri General Assembly v Glahn, e.d., 4:25cv-1535.
The referendum process in Missouri is over 100 years old. One would think that the question of when the law is suspended would have been answered decades ago.