In a Surprise Move, North Carolina Legislature Substantially Relaxes Photo ID Requirement for Voters at the Polls

Posted on by June 18, 2015
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On June 18, a North Carolina conference committee amended HB 836 to add a new provision, substantially relaxing the state’s rules that voters at the polls must show a government photo ID. Voters without such ID can still vote if they reveal the last four digits of their Social Security number, their birthdate, and certify that they have a reason why they haven’t been able to obtain government ID.

HB 836 started out as a bill relating to street closings, going out of business sales, and audits of local government payrolls. As it made headway through the legislature, the bill was substantially revised on four occasions. Thanks to Rick Hasen for this news. A trial had been about to start over the ID law.

New York Legislature Extends Session Into Next Week

Posted on by June 18, 2015
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This story says the New York Senate is likely to adjourn for the session on the evening of June 18, Thursday. But the story also says the legislature is likely to be called back into session shortly afterwards. Scroll down to the paragraph that is headed “3:45 pm.” That is good news for the bills for Instant Runoff Voting for New York city primaries, and the bills to move the presidential primary from February 2 to a later date. UPDATE: the legislative session will extend into next week; see this story.

U.S. District Court Hears Three Hours of Argument in New Hampshire Ballot Access Case

Posted on by June 19, 2015
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A U.S. District Court in New Hampshire heard oral argument for three hours on Thursday, June 18, in the New Hampshire Libertarian Party ballot access case. There will be another hearing soon to present witnesses, and until that second hearing is held, there will be no opinion. The issue is the 2014 law that makes it illegal to circulate the party petition in an odd year.

The next hearing will probably be in early or mid-July. The Judge hopes to release an opinion no later than the end of August 2015.

UPDATE: here is a story about the hearing.

New York Senate Passes Bill for Instant Run-off Voting in New York City Primaries for Mayor, Public Advocate and Comptroller

Posted on by June 18, 2015
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On June 17, the New York State Senate passed SB 4586, which would use instant run-off voting for party primaries in New York city for the offices of Mayor, Public Advocate, and Comptroller. Here is the text of the bill. Voters could rank up to five candidates. The bill appears to have passed the State Senate with a voice vote, so there is no tally on how Senators voted.

There is very little time for the Assembly to vote on this bill, because the session will end June 18 or June 19. The sponsor of the bill is Senator Andrew J. Lanza (R-Staten Island). The bill is also introduced in the Assembly as AB 5571. Thanks to Rob Richie for this news.