Congressional Bill to Require All States that Have More than One U.S. House Seat to Have Independent Redistricting Commissions

Posted on by May 18, 2015
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Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-California) has introduced HR 2173, which would require all states that have more than one member of the U.S. House to have independent redistricting commissions to draw U.S. House district boundaries. Here is the text of the bill. It has 27 co-sponsors so far, all of them Democrats.

The Commission in each state would have 12 members. Four would be members of the largest party, four would be members of the second-largest party, and four would be all other voters. The chair would be a member of the latter group. The commissions could not consider the voting history of any region of the state, nor the party registration data, when they draw the lines. Also they could not take into account the residence of any incumbent member of Congress.

If the U.S. Supreme Court rules this month or next month that states cannot have independent redistricting commissions established under state law, and that only the state legislatures can draw the boundaries, this bill would still be constitutional because the same part of the U.S. Constitution (Article One, section four) gives Congress the power to override state election laws concerning congressional elections. Thanks to the Brennan Center for this news.

Arkansas Independent Candidate Files Motion for Summary Judgment in Lawsuit Over Petition Deadline

Posted on by May 17, 2015
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On May 13, Mark Moore, who had tried to be an independent candidate for state office last year in Arkansas, filed a brief that argues that the new petition deadline for non-presidential independent candidates is so early, it is unconstitutional as a matter of law. In 2013 the legislature had moved that deadline from May to March. The Arkansas primary in 2014 was in May.

Moore’s brief points out that the non-presidential independent deadline has already been declared unconstitutional three times in the past, and once the U.S. Supreme Court even summarily affirmed the decision. If Judge James M. Moody agrees that the case can be settled without a trial, then the trial set for July won’t be needed.

The three decisions in the past that struck down early petition deadlines for Arkansas non-presidential independents were in 1975, 1977, and 1988. The 1977 decision, Lendall v Jernigan, was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Annette Bosworth Trial Starts May 18

Posted on by May 17, 2015
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Annette Bosworth, a South Dakota Republican who ran in the primary for U.S. Senate last year, is charged with 12 felonies because she signed a petition sheet as the witness, and she did not actually see the signers sign the petition. However, all the people who signed her petition were registered Republican voters. Her trial begins May 18. She has pleaded “not guilty” and faces 24 years in prison (two years for each count).

Paul Jacob, who was himself once arrested and charged with conspiracy to bring out-of-state circulators into Oklahoma, has been speaking out against the severe charges filed against Bosworth. Here is an article about the case, which came about because Jacob has gone to South Dakota to assist Bosworth.

Kshama Sawant Runs for Re-Election to Seattle City Council: Seattle Democrats Split on Whether to Invite her to Democratic-Sponsored Debates

Posted on by May 16, 2015
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In 2013, Kshama Sawant was elected in a non-partisan Seattle city election for City Council. She is running for re-election this year. This story says some Seattle Democrats favor inviting her to party-sponsored debates, but other Democrats object. Washington state voter registration forms do not ask about party affiliation, so whether someone is a member of one particular party is often ambiguous.