U.S. District Court Strikes Down Wisconsin Government Photo-ID Law for Voters at the Polls

Posted on by April 29, 2014
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On April 29, U.S. District Court Judge Lynn Adelman, a Clinton appointee, found that Wisconsin’s 2011 law requiring voters at the polls to show certain types of government photo-ID violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, and also violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Here is the 90-page opinion in Frank v Walker, 2:11cv-1128.

The law had not been in effect, because the Wisconsin Supreme Court had enjoined it from being used while several lawsuits in state court are also pending. The decision depends on evidence submitted at trial, and concludes that approximately 300,000 Wisconsin potential voters do not have the type of government photo-ID the law requires. The decision also finds that black and Hispanic voters are less likely than other voters to have the correct type of ID. Although the state government Department of Motor Vehicles provides state ID are no cost, the decision finds that those offices are almost entirely not open on weekends or evenings, and also notes that it is difficult for many individuals to get a state ID because they lack the documents needed to get a state ID. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.

Survey USA Georgia Gubernatorial Poll Shows Libertarian Nominee Andrew Hunt at 9%

Posted on by April 29, 2014
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On April 29, Survey USA released a Georgia poll, including a gubernatorial general election poll. The results: Republican incumbent Nathan Deal 41%, Democrat Jason Carter 37%, Libertarian Andrew Hunt 9%, undecided 13%. See here for more detail.

If Hunt did poll 9%, that would be the highest share of the vote for a Georgia gubernatorial candidate running outside the major parties since 1898, when the Peoples Party nominee J. R. Hogan got 30.2% of the vote in a two-candidate race. If the Libertarians could get 9% for Governor, a proposed lawsuit that would argue it is unconstitutional to keep that party off the ballot for U.S. House races (unless a petition is completed that is so difficult, it has never been used by any new or minor party) would be overwhelmingly strong. Thanks to PoliticalWire for the link.

New York Republicans Face Difficult Choice over Nomination for U.S. House, Eleventh District

Posted on by April 29, 2014
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On April 28, New York city’s only Republican member of the U.S. House, Michael G. Grimm, was indicted for tax evasion. He is the only candidate on the Republican primary ballot this year for the Eleventh District, U.S. House. It is too late for him to withdraw, unless the Republican Party, in its September 2014 judicial nomination conventions, should nominate him for Justice of the New York Supreme Court. Jerry Goldfeder, an expert on New York state election law, has this analysis of the dilemma the party faces.

Mark Fisher, Massachusetts Republican Fighting in Court to Get on Republican Gubernatorial Primary, Proceeding with Petition

Posted on by April 28, 2014
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Mark Fisher, the Republican running for Governor of Massachusetts who was told by the Republican Party that he can’t even try to collect the 10,000 signatures needed, is proceeding with the petition drive anyway. See this story, which says he already has 10,000 raw signatures and expects to obtain enough by the May 6 deadline to have 10,000 valid.

As reported earlier, because the Republican Party ruled he only got 14.785% of the vote at the March state convention (instead of 15%), the Republican Party’s position is that even if he gets the 10,000 signatures, he can’t run. But, a court will decide in June whether the Republican Party is right about that. Fisher got over 15% at the convention if blank votes aren’t counted.