Arkansas has always had open primaries. But starting in 2026, registered Democrats won’t be able to vote in Republican primaries. Several years ago the state added a question about party membership to the voter registration form. The vast majority of Arkansas voters haven’t had to use the new form, so they continue to be unaffiliated with any party. But the Arkansas Republican Party recently passed a rule that says people who have registered with a party can’t vote in future Republican primaries, unless of course they had joined the Republican Party.

There are 86,497 registered Democrats, 742 registered Libertarians, and 120 registered Greens, and they won’t be able to vote in future Republican primaries. However, they can change their registration at any time, even as late as primary day.

Missouri House Bill 1, the bill to redraw the U.S. House districts, still hasn’t been signed by Governor Mike Kehoe. Meanwhile, opponents of the bill have submitted the paperwork to begin circulating a referendum petition against the bill. If opponents get enough signatures, the bill can’t take effect until after voters vote on it in 2026. See this story.

On September 9, the Eleventh Circuit voted 2-1 to stay the order of the U.S. District Court that enjoined a new Florida residency requirement for initiative petitioners. The vote was 2-1. The majority consists of Judges Elizabeth L. Branch and Barbara Lagoa, Trump appointees. The dissent is by Judge Nancy Abudu, a Biden appointee. Florida Decides Healthcare v Byrd, 25-12370.

This result is shocking, because residency requirements for petitioners have been struck down in so many states. Both the majority and the dissent list the decisions of U.S. Courts of Appeals, but they don’t mention the many cases decided in U.S. District Courts.

The majority say the new Florida residency requirement is likely constitutional, although that has not yet been formally decided. Here is the order.

Here is a newspaper story about the case.

Here is a copy of the law. House Bill 1205 (2025).