On February 27, a Superior Court in North Carolina ruled that a trial is needed to determine if the new law, requiring voters at the polls to show government photo-ID, violates the State Constitution. See this story. The case is Currie v North Carolina, 13cv-1419, Orange County. The state government had tried to get the case dismissed without a trial.
Here is the latest version of the New York state voter registration form. It has been revised to list the two parties that became ballot-qualified in November 2014, the Women’s Equality Party and the Reform Party (which changed its name recently and had been the Stop Common Core Party). Thanks to Michael Drucker for the link.
Virginia law allows qualified parties to nominate by primary or convention. However, the law also says that when an incumbent is running for re-election, he or she can make the decision of how the party nominates. On February 25, the Republican Committee of the 24th State Senate District filed a federal lawsuit, alleging that letting the office-holder decide, rather than the party, violates the party’s freedom of association to make the decision. Adams v Alcorn, w.d., 5:15cv-12.
The incumbent State Senator wants a primary, and the party wants to nominate by convention. See this story.
Minnesota hasn’t had a presidential primary since 1992, and is usually the second most populous state (after Washington state) that uses caucuses instead. But Senator Julianne Ortman (R-Chanhassen) has introduced SF 1205, which would bring back a presidential primary and hold it in March. The bill would also move the primary for other office from August to March. The bill has two co-sponsors, both Republicans. See this story.
This op-ed in The Oregonian discusses the Independent Party’s impact on the Oregon elections of 2016. The author, Tim Nesbitt, speculates that because the Independent Party will probably have a government-administered primary, and because the Oregon Independent Party will let independent voters vote in its primary, that may put pressure on the two major parties to also let independent voters vote in their primaries.
The op-ed does not mention that both major parties in the past let independent voters vote in their primaries. The Democrats allowed that in 1998 and 2000. The Republicans allowed it in 2002.
The op-ed also mentions HB 2177, now pending in the legislature. It would put people on the voter rolls automatically if they have a drivers license or state ID card. But, if it passes, chances are the Independent Party will slip below 5% of the total state registration, and won’t have a government primary in 2018. That is because, if the bill passes, all those new voters will automatically be listed as independent voters, not as party members, unless they respond to an inquiry asking if they want to be members of a party. Because there will be so many newly-registered voters, probably the Independent Party’s registration, as a percentage of the entire registered electorate, will slip. The Independent Party has already noticed this and has expressed concerns HB 2177.
