Leaders of the Working Families Party are mulling over contesting the Phildelphia, Pennsylvania city-council at-large seats. Generally the Working Families Party doesn’t organize in states unless those states permit fusion. Pennsylvania doesn’t permit fusion, except in a very limited manner, but Philadelphia does have a provision that makes it possible for a party with less than majority support to win seats on the city council. That is attractive to the Working Families Party. See this story.

The Phildelphia provision, like similar provisions in Washington, D.C., and in some cities in Connecticut, makes it impossible for any party to run for all the available at-large seats. That leaves an opening for parties who aren’t the dominant party in the city to win some seats.

The Alaska legislature adjourned on Sunday evening, April 14. HB 13, to establish a top-two primary, failed to pass. The legislature did pass HB 104 on the last day. It moves the primary from the fourth Tuesday in August to the third Tuesday in August. That has the effect of automatically moving the non-presidential independent candidate petition, since those petitions are due on primary day. But the bill has no effect on the deadline for presidential independent petitions.

Justin Trudeau has won the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada. The party depended on its own primary to make this decision. Party members, and party supporters, were allowed to vote, and internet voting was permitted. The primary used ranked-choice voting, but Trudeau’s victory was so overwhelming, the ranked-choice aspect wasn’t needed. See this story.