According to this story, an Oklahoma election law that won’t even be in effect starting January 1, 2015, may force Oklahoma to hold a special U.S. House election early in 2015. The Democratic Party nominee died shortly before the general election, and according to the law in effect in 2014, it appears that therefore a special election must be held, even though the Republican Party nominee polled 70% of the vote.
The Star Tribune, Minnesota’s largest newspaper, has this editorial about the recent election. The bottom third of the article praises ranked-choice voting, used in Minneapolis, and contrasts it to the dismal results of the normal U.S. election system. Thanks to Bob Richard for the link.
On November 7, the Tenth Circuit ruled 3-0 that Kansas and Arizona cannot require the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to modify the federal voter registration forms that are used in those two states. Kobach v U.S. Election Assistance Commission, 14-3062. Here is the 29-page opinion. The most interesting parts start on page 18.
The federal voter registration form asks registrants to sign under penalty of perjury that they are citizens. Kansas and Arizona don’t believe that is sufficient, and they want the federal forms used in their states modified to tell applicants that they must attach proof of citizenship. The U.S. District Court in Kansas had ruled that if the states want that change made, the Election Assistance Commission must comply.
Article One of the U.S. Constitution gives congress the right to write election laws for congressional elections. States may set voter qualifications, but congress has the right to modify how congressional elections are run. Page 20 finds that the content of the form is related to how elections are run, not on which individuals are qualified to vote.
The decision says the Election Assistance Commission already held extensive evidence-gathering on whether the forms need to be modified, and that the Commission made no clear error when it sifted through the evidence and concluded the alternation is not needed. The decision is by Judge Carlos Lucero, a Clinton appointee, and co-signed by Judge Jerome Holmes, a Bush Jr. appointee, and Judge Gregory Phillips, an Obama appointee. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.
This story says that Virgin Islands election officials haven’t finished counting ballots. One reason the process is taking longer is because there are many write-in votes for State Senator Alicia “Chucky” Hansen, an incumbent who was removed from the ballot by the Virgin Islands Supreme Court on October 24. Hansen supporters printed up stickers and distributed them to voters. Most states no longer permit stickers. A “sticker” is a type of write-in, in which the voter glues a sticker to the ballot instead of literally writing in the name of the candidate.
Hansen was removed from the ballot because ten years ago, she had not filed territorial income tax returns. The Governor had pardoned her earlier this year, and a federal court had ruled she should be on the ballot, and she had been on the ballot in each of the past two previous elections. But that didn’t stop the Virgin Islands Supreme Court from removing her. The Virgin Islands charter says the legislature shall be the “sole” judge of the qualifications of its members, but that didn’t phase the Virgin Islands Supreme Court either.
Connecticut, like New York, uses party column ballots, and determines the order of parties on the ballot by their gubernatorial vote. At the November 4, 2014 election, the vote for Governor of Connecticut was: Democratic 528,669 (48.64%); Republican 500,329 (46.03%); Working Families 23,684 (2.18%); Independent Party 22,878 (2.10%); independent candidate Joe Visconti 11,337 (1.04%).
The Working Families Party has enjoyed the third line on Connecticut ballots for the last four years, but the Independent Party this week almost displaced it to the fourth line.
The Republican Party has had the top line for the past four years, but as a result of this week’s election, it slips to the second line.
In the 2010 election, the Working Families Party got 2.30%. Both in 2010 and 2014, it cross-endorsed the Democratic nominee, Dannel Malloy. In 2010 the Independent Party had run its own nominee, Thomas E. Marsh, who had received 1.54%. In 2014 the Independent Party cross-endorsed the Republican nominee.
