The Oklahoma Policy Institute has released this message, urging support for five particular election law bills that have already made some headway in this year’s legislative session.  The Institute urges people to ask their legislators to support the bills.

The bills are HB 2181 (ballot access), SB 313 (on-line voter registration), SB 315 (provision for a roster of permanent absentee voters), SB 173 (to let notary publics to notarize up to 100 absentee ballots instead of just 20), and SB 312 (consolidating election dates to only four per year).

Here is the text of the message.  Thanks to John Koza for the link.  The Senate Rules Committee will probably take up the ballot access bill in two weeks.  It has already passed the House.

Florida proponents of a top-two system have filed a proposed initiative constitutional amendment with the Secretary of State.  This link contains the form of the petition and the wording of the proposal.  The proponents include attorney Glenn Burhans, Jr., of Tallahassee, and Andrew Jones.  Thanks to Richard Moroney for the link.

On Monday, March 23, U.S. District Court Judge Elizabeth Dillon heard oral argument in Adams v Alcorn, w.d., 5:15cv-12.  The lawsuit had been filed on February 25, 21015, by the Republican Party Committee for the 24th State Senate district.  The Committee hopes to invalidate the Virginia law that lets incumbents who are running for re-election decide whether the party nominates by primary or convention in that incumbent’s race.

Here is a newspaper story describing the hearing.  Apparently four attorneys, each representing distinct interests, argued.  The Republican Party has an attorney who argued; the state has an attorney who argued in defense of the state law; the incumbent State Senator had an attorney representing his interests; and a Republican candidate who wants to run against the incumbent had his attorney.

The newspaper story does not say anything about how Judge Elizabeth Dillon reacted to the arguments.