Rhode Island to Hold Three-Party Gubernatorial Debate

Posted on by October 16, 2014
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Rhode Island will hold a gubernatorial debate on October 21. The nominees of the Democratic, Republican, and Moderate Party will participate. See the last part of this story.

The story also carries the results of a gubernatorial debate, and the results suggest that the Moderate Party may receive enough votes to retain qualified status. The results: Democrat Gina Raimondo 42%, Republican Allen Fung 36%, Moderate Party nominee Robert Healey 8%, undecided 12%, the two independent candidates together below 1%. Parties remain on the ballot if they poll 5% for Governor (in midterm years).

Connecticut November Ballot Format is Unfair to Independent Candidate for Governor Joe Visconti

Posted on by October 15, 2014
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Here is the Connecticut sample ballot for the November 4, 2014 election. Connecticut, like Delaware, New York, and most counties in New Jersey, no longer uses mechanical voting machines. But those four states continue to design general election ballots as though the mechanical voting machines were still in use. This ballot is unfair to the independent gubernatorial candidate, Joe Visconti, because the column of candidates for Governor lists the two major party candidates, followed by a blank space, and then Visconti is in the row below the blank space. There are probably many voters who will not even notice Visconti’s name.

Two Billionaires Have Now Donated $2,750,000 to Pass Top-Two Initiative in Oregon

Posted on by October 15, 2014
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On October 7, former New York city Mayor Michael Bloomberg donated $1,250,000 to “Yes on 90”, the chief committee that is advertising in support of the top-two system that is on the November 4 ballot in Oregon.

As previously reported, another billionaire, John Arnold, donated $500,000 on September 17, and another $1,000,000 on October 1, to “Open Primaries”. That committee then gave those donations to the “Yes on 90” committee. Presumably this money will pay for radio, television, newspaper and direct mail advertising in favor of the measure.

Here is a link to the donations to Open Primaries, and here is a link to the donations for Yes on 90. Note also that Bank of America donated $10,000.

Arkansas Supreme Court Invalidates State’s Government Photo-ID Law for Voting at the Polls

Posted on by October 15, 2014
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On October 15, the Arkansas Supreme Court invalidated the states’s requirement that voters at the polls show certain types of government photo-ID. The decision is unanimous. Here is the decision, Martin v Kohls, cv-14-462.

Four justices voted to invalidate the law because it violates State Constitutional guarantees on the right to vote. Three other justices voted to invalidate it on the grounds that the bill implementing the law did not pass with a two-thirds majority in each house of the legislature. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.