On June 19, the California Assembly Elections Committee will hear ACA 10, by Assemblymember Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles). Currently, an initiative to change the California Constitution needs a petition signed by 8% of the last gubernatorial vote. The proposal would provide that the initiative would also need the signatures of 8% of the last gubernatorial vote in each of at least 27 State Senate districts.

If the legislature passes this proposal, then it would be subject to a popular vote, because it amends the Constitution.

Two Florida Democrats were kept off the August primary ballot because of paperwork errors, but have filed a lawsuit in court to get on the ballot. See this story. Thanks to Bill Van Allen for the link.

Arizona held a special election on June 12, to fill the vacancy in the U.S. House seat, 8th district. Even though all the provisional ballots still haven’t been counted, turnout is already 47.1% of the number of registered voters, and that will increase as more ballots are counted.

Voters in the 8th district heard a stimulating campaign, in which three parties participated. The Democratic, Republican, and Green Parties appeared on that ballot. The Democratic candidate won with an absolute majority.

The Arizona 47.1% turnout is especially good, when compared to California’s June 5 statewide primary for President and all other partisan office. That system, using the top-two open primary law passed by the voters in 2010, yielded a turnout of approximately 31%. The votes haven’t all been counted yet so the exact turnout figure is not known. Preliminary reports show that California independent voters turned out at a significantly lower rate than the turnout for party members. This is true, even though the California Independent Voters Network spent over $1,000,000 on a mailing to 500,000 registered independent voters, urging them to vote in the June 5 primary.