Ken Bennett, Arizona Secretary of State, says he will ask the Election Administration Commission, a federal agency, for permission to add extra questions to the federal voter registration form, a path suggested by yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court opinion. Thanks to Thomas Jones for the link.
Various California election law bills of interest have been set for Committee hearings. AB 1419, which moves the deadline for a group to qualify as a political party in presidential years from January to July, has a hearing in the Senate Elections Committee on June 18. SB 213, which repeals all residency requirements for circulators, has a hearing in the Assembly Elections Committee on June 25. AB 1038, which makes it illegal to pay registration drive workers on the basis of how many registrants in any particular party they obtain, has a hearing in the Senate Elections Committee on July 2.
On June 14, the Maine Supreme Court refused Ralph Nader’s request for reconsideration, in Nader v The Maine Democratic Party, case number Was-12-499.
On June 17, U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Wilkins again ruled that the Libertarian Party is entitled to have its bequest lawsuit heard in the U.S. Court of Appeals, before all the full-time judges of that court. Here is the 8-page ruling that denies the Federal Election Commission’s request for reconsideration. The case concerns whether the FEC violated the U.S. Constitution when it told the Libertarian Party that it can’t receive a bequest of $217,734 soon after the bequester died. Instead the FEC said the bequest had to be released to the party in annual increments that match the contribution limit for living individuals to contribute to national political committees. Thanks to Joe Trotter of the Center for Competitive Politics for the link.
On June 17, the Hawaii Democratic Party filed a lawsuit in federal court, seeking to close its primary to all except registered Democrats. Hawaii at this time does not ask voters to choose a party when they register to vote. This is the first time any state Democratic Party has ever filed a lawsuit to close an open primary. In the past, the Republican Parties of Virginia, Idaho, and South Carolina filed such lawsuits.
The Virginia Republican Party lawsuit had some success, and the Idaho Republican Party completely won its case. The South Carolina Republican Party lawsuit is still pending.
UPDATE: here is the party’s press release. Here is the Republican Party’s press release.
