Two Maine bills to alter primaries failed to make any headway by legislative deadlines, and are therefore unable to pass. LD 744 would have let independents voter in major party primaries without joining those parties at the polls on primary election day. LD 720 would have created a top-two system.
Max Linn has organized a new PAC to promote congressional term limits. His amendment would also ban members of Congress from working as a lobbyist during the five years after the member left Congress, and it would abolish congressional pensions. More information about the PAC can be seen at marchfortermlimits.org. UPDATE: according to this article, Justice Antonin Scalia recently gave a talk in New Jersey in which he said he supports term limits for Congress.
Linn is a wealthy retired financial consultant, and in 2006 was the Reform Party nominee for Governor of Florida. Thanks to Jack Gargan for this news.
According to this commentary published in Troy Media (a Canadian press outlet that provides editorial content to over 1,000 news outlets), the Premier of Prince Edward Island favors setting up a commisison to study proportional representation for the province. Also, the head of the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island also supports the idea.
Texas held local non-partisan elections on May 9, a Saturday. In Aubrey, Libertarian Party member Calvin Tillman was elected to the city council, place 4. The incumbent wasn’t running for re-election. Tillman defeated his only opponent by 147-87. Aubrey is north of Dallas and has a population of 2,595. Thanks to Independent Political Report for this news.
The Portland Press Herald of Maine has this op-ed, pointing out that, last year, former U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine became a member of the Board of Directors of the Commission on Presidential Debates. The Commission Board only has 17 members. The op-ed pleads with Snowe to advocate that the Commission on Presidential Debates expand entry into the general election presidential debates, which it controls. If even one of the Directors of CPD takes this action, the policy might change.
The op-ed points out that other respected Maine political figures, including William S. Cohen, Eliot R. Cutler, and Angus King, have recommended that the CPD reform the rule that requires a 15% poll showing before non-major party candidates can participate. The op-ed is authored by Cara Brown McCormick, who is associated with the group “Change the Rule”.
Also on May 10, the Boston Herald has an editorial calling on the CPD to expand the debates. Even though it is featured as an editorial, it is signed by one particular individual, political scientist David King. The King editorial suggests that three particular members of the CPD Board might be amendable to expanding the debate. He lists Snowe, Newton Minow, and Mitch Daniels.
