On August 4, Pennsylvania held a special election to fill the vacant State House seat, 161st district. The only two candidates on the ballot were Republican Paul A. Mullen and Democrat Leanne Krueger-Braneky. However, there was another Republican running a strong write-in campaign. Her name is Lisa Esler.

The unofficial results are: Krueger-Braneky 4,791; Mullen 4,268; Esler and other write-ins 988. When this district voted in November 2014, the vote had been: Republican 12,916; Democratic 10,176.

In Pennsylvania special elections, there are no primaries; party meetings chose the nominees. For this special election, the Republican Party had picked a candidate who is friendly to labor unions, but many Republican activists were unhappy with that choice and organized a write-in campaign for another Republican.

In June, the New Jersey legislature passed AB 4613, which lets any voter cast a vote during the weeks before election day, provides for automatic registration for people who apply for drivers licenses unless they opt out, and makes it possible for 17-year-olds to pre-register.

New Jersey gives Governors a long period in which to decide whether to sign, veto, or amend bills. Governor Chris Christie must decide whether to approve this bill by August 13, if the legislature is in session that day. But if the legislature is not in session that day, he can wait until it is in session. No one knows yet whether the legislature will be in session that day.

The Lancaster, Pennsylvania daily newspaper has this op-ed by local attorney Mitchell Sommers. Sommers praises the July 26, 2015 court ruling that struck down Pennsylvania rules for checking signatures. He urges the state not to appeal. The Lancaster daily newspaper was formerly called the Intelligencer Journal, but now it is just LNP.