On May 15, the California Assembly passed AB 837 by 58-20. It provides for large signs in all primary polling places, telling independent voters which party primary ballots they are free to choose.
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Ever since 1920, the Clerk of the U.S. House has published a booklet of election returns for federal office. The 2016 booklet is now published. The title is “Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 8, 2016.” It is 85 pages.
It isn’t very useful for the presidential election. It does not name any presidential candidates; instead it reports the vote for president strictly by ballot label. Therefore, when two candidates both with the label “independent” are on the ballot in a state, it lumps their vote together. Also it has errors. It lumps most of the Louisiana presidential candidates together under the label “other.”
But, the booklet is very useful for the congressional election returns.
The Federal Election Commission always published a book of election returns that is more complete, accurate, and useful. However the FEC will not have its election returns book out until August 2017. It will be called “Federal Elections 2016.”
Congressional Quarterly publishes the most complete election returns. Its book will be called “America Votes 2016” or “America Votes Volume 32”. However it will not be in print until December 2017. It will contain maps of the congressional districts, and primary returns as well as general election returns, and will include gubernatorial election returns as well as federal office. It will have the statewide office vote by county, instead of just the state totals.
On May 16, the Washington, D.C. city council passed B22-0284. It moves the non-presidential primary from September to the third Tuesday in June. This doesn’t really represent a change, because the 2016 primary for president and all other office was held in June. But the existing law (before this bill passed) had said that, starting in 2018, that primary would move to September. The Mayor hasn’t signed the bill yet, but is expected to sign it.
Unlike the pending New York bill to move the primary, the District of Columbia bill does not alter or disturb the petition deadline for independent candidates, which will continue to be in August. Thanks to Electionline for the news about the D.C. bill.
On May 18, U.S. House members Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) and Ro Khanna (D-California) introduced a proposed constitutional amendment for congressional term limits. There is no number yet, but it should be assigned soon.
On the evening of May 17, the Alaska’s regular legislative session adjourned for the year. Governor Bill Walker immediately called the legislature into special session, but the special session can only act on matters that the Governor listed, and election law matters are not on his list. The main purpose of the special session is to pass a budget.
Bills that failed to pass include HB 5434, the National Popular Vote Plan bill; and HB 200, for a top-two primary. The sponsor of the top-two bill, Representative Gabrielle Ledoux (R-Anchorage) says she may try to get her idea on the ballot as an initiative in 2018. Ledoux is one of several Alaska Republican representatives who voted to organize the House under Democratic Party leadership.