See this story, which reports that Al Gore now supports the National Popular Vote Plan bill. The article quotes Gore as saying that even after the 2000 presidential election was decided, he still supported the existing system. But, having thought about it and noticed that voters in most states feel their vote doesn’t really help determine the outcome, he has changed his mind.
On August 31, a lawsuit was filed in the Arkansas Supreme Court to remove the medical marijuana initiative from the November ballot. See this story. The lawsuit does not maintain that the initiative did not have enough signatures. Instead, it says if the voters passed the measure, that would violate federal law.
See this newspaper story for a brief account of the August 31 hearing on whether the Libertarian Party should remain on the ballot for President in Iowa. The judge said he will rule on Tuesday, September 4. Thanks to Brian Moore for the link.
On August 31, a lower state court in Arizona determined that the top-two open primary initiative has enough valid signatures to be on the ballot. See this story.
Current Ohio law and practice does not permit ordinary voters to vote early during the weekend before election day. But Ohio does give each county Board of Elections the discretion to let voters who are in the military vote early on that weekend. On August 31, U.S. District Court Judge Peter Economus, a Clinton appointee, ruled that the state must let all voters vote early during the weekend before election day.
The 23-page ruling is Obama for America v Husted, 2:12-cv-636, southern district. The State will quickly appeal the decision to the Sixth Circuit. The order acknowledges that there is no constitutional right for early voting at all. But because the state lets military voters vote early on the weekend (depending on the discretion of the County Board of Elections), therefore equal protection requires that all voters also be allowed to vote on that weekend. The decision cites Bush v Gore. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.
