On November 7, National Review columnist Jim Geraghty published this column, suggesting that certain states controlled by Republicans might wish to alter selection of presidential electors, so that each U.S. House district would elect one elector. The column has now been discussed in several other major publications, including the Washington Post.
Last month, the BBC said that it would sponsor three debates next year for the 2015 parliamentary election. The most inclusive of these four debates would feature the leaders of the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democratic, and UKIP Parties. The Green Party would not be included, even though it has an elected member of the House of Commons.
In response, the Green Party has gathered 200,000 signatures asking that the Green Party leader be included, and many prominent politicians from the major parties have signed. See this story, which seems to suggest that the BBC may reconsider.
Law Professor Mark Osler says in this op-ed that one-party regions of the United States invariably develop bad government. It is published in the Waco Tribune, and seems aimed for a Texas audience. He uses Detroit as an example.
Because most states had unusually low turnout in the November 2014 election, and because most states that have the initiative process base the requirement on the number of votes cast in the last election, it seems that the number of signatures to qualify initiatives for the ballot in 2016 will be markedly easier than in the recent past. Thanks to Jill Pyeatt for this thought.
The Post & Courier, daily newspaper for Charleston, South Carolina, says in this editorial that the legislature should repeal the straight-ticket device. Thanks to Dave Gillespie for the link.
