New Zealand has a national election on Saturday, September 23; and Germany has one Sunday, September 24. Both countries have multi-party systems and both use proportional representation. New Zealand’s election is tough to predict, but in Germany, Angela Merkel is expected to win a fourth term.
Matthew Olsen and Benjamin Haas have this article at Politico, arguing that if the U.S. used a national popular vote to choose its president, it would be more difficult for hostile forces beyond our borders to manipulate the outcome of our presidential elections. Olsen is a former general counsel to the National Security Agency and a former director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Haas is a former Army intelligence officer.
On September 19, the state of Wisconsin filed its reply brief in Gill v Whitford, 16-1161, the case over whether extreme partisan gerrymandering violates the U.S. Constitution. The hearing will be October 3, 2017. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.
On September 19, the Libertarian Party filed this brief in Husted v Ohio A. Philip Randolph Institute, the U.S. Supreme Court case over whether Ohio’s voter purge practices violate federal law. Thanks to Mark Brown for the information. The Court hasn’t set an argument date for this case yet.
Laws Professor Derek Muller here criticizes the Democratic majority in the California legislature, and Governor Jerry Brown, for changing the rules to make recall petitions more difficult to complete, right in the middle of a current recall. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.
