As previously reported, last year the Alaska Libertarian Party came in second for Governor of Alaska among the party nominees for that office. That is because the Democrats didn’t have a gubernatorial nominee. Therefore, under Alaska law, the Libertarian Party had the right to choose a nominee for the Commission that regulates campaign finance.

According to this story, the legislators who must approve the appointment aren’t sure they want to appoint Bill McCord, the Libertarian Party’s choice. The story is fairly comprehensive, and says one objection to McCord is that he hasn’t lived in Alaska very long. The story does not say if the position actually has a duration of residency requirement, but probably there is no such requirement. The story also does not say that McCord has been very interested in election law for over twenty-five years. Back in 1991, McCord was a constituent of Congressman Al Swift, who was chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives committee that handled election law bills. McCord helped persuade Swift to hold a hearing on a bill that would have helped minor parties and independent candidates.

Last month, the Denver Elections office announced that candidates can complete ballot access petitions using a tablet with a stylus, instead of paper petitions. The tablet is connected to the city’s voter registration records, so a circulator using the device can know instantly if the petition is valid. Candidates can rent tablets from the city for $375, and the money is returned when the device is returned.

So far, state law forbids the device from being used for local initiative petitions. Here is a link to the Denver Elections office press release about the program. Thanks to Election Administration Reports for this news.

On March 4, the New Hampshire House defeated HB 185 by 28-335. The bill would have restored the straight-ticket device, which New Hampshire repealed in 2007. All of the votes in favor of straight-ticket voting were Republicans.