Counterpunch has this article by Robert David Steele of Virginia.
Counterpunch Publishes Robert David Steele’s “Fantasy” Blueprint for Electoral Reform Implementation
2
TIME Magazine has this story about the lawsuit against the Federal Election Commission that will be filed on Monday, June 22. The plaintiffs will include the Libertarian and Green Parties, and also some of the leading figures from Americans Elect. The lawsuit charges that the FEC has broken its own rules by refusing to consider the petition for a rule concerning general election presidential debates.
The attorney for the lawsuit is Alexandria Shapiro. This is not the lawsuit that has been planned for some time by former Governor Gary Johnson’s Our America Initiative. That lawsuit would have sued the Commission on Presidential Debates directly.
The Nevada legislature adjourned earlier this month. Among the election law bills that failed to pass was SB 434, which would have made it more difficult to qualify a statewide initiative. Here is the text of the bill. Section 4 of the bill said that before a statewide initiative could begin to circulate, the sponsors had to submit the signatures of 1,000 registered voters who support the initiative. Only after the 1,000 signatures had been submitted and verified could the initiative itself begin to circulate. The names of the 1,000 voters who had signed the “pre-initiative” petition would not be counted as having signed the initiative petition itself. The bill passed the Senate but did not advance in the Assembly. It garnered most of its support from Republican legislators. Thanks to Janine Hansen for this news.
On June 18, the New York State Senate passed SB 5958, which moves the presidential primary from February 2 to April 19. Parties are free to decide for themselves how presidential candidates get on their primary ballot. They can choose petitions, or to place candidates on the ballot who are eligible for primary season matching funds, or candidates who are discussed in the news media. If they choose petitions, the number is 5,000 or 5% of the party’s membership.
UPDATE: this article says New York Democratic legislators don’t like April 19 (the Senate has a Republican majority). The outcome is difficult to predict. The legislature will adjourn Tuesday, June 23. Thanks to John Putnam for the link.
Pennsylvania will hold a special election on August 4, to fill the vacant seat in the State House, 161st district, in Delaware County. According to this story, a strong write-in candidate, Lisa Esler, has emerged. She had sought the Republican nomination but failed to obtain it.