The Montana House Administration Committee will hold a hearing on SB 408 on April 15. This is the bill to ask the voters in 2014 if they wish to put a top-two primary system into place. The same committee resoundingly defeated another top-two bill earlier this year.
The Liberal Party of Canada is choosing the party leader with a party-funded primary that uses ranked-choice voting. Canadians who are members of the Liberal Party, and Canadians who have signed up as “supporters” of the party, are able to vote on-line or by telephone. Six candidates are running. If the Liberal Party wins the next Parliamentary election, then whoever has been chosen as party leader will become Prime Minister. See this story. The vote lasts a week and will be over by April 13. The winner will be announced on April 14. Thanks to Thomas Jones for the link.
Alton, Illinois, held city elections on April 9, 2013, and only one name appeared on the ballot for Mayor. However, a candidate who had tried and failed to get on the ballot won the election on write-in votes. See this story. Alton has a population of 27,865. Thanks to Ken Bush for the link.
On April 10, the Maine Supreme Court again heard oral arguments in Nader v The Maine Democratic Party, Wash-10-678. Here is an article about the arguments. The issue is still whether or not Ralph Nader is entitled to a trial in his case against the Democratic Party and its allies for its behavior in 2004, trying to keep him off the ballot in as many states as possible. Here is another article.
On April 4, an ordinance of Gaines Township, Kent County, Michigan, restricting political signs to only twenty square feet, was declared unconstitutional. See this story about the case, which was written before the outcome was known. The plaintiff is a farmer, Vern Verduin, who had placed a large political sign on his own truck trailer, which was parked on his own property. The ACLU helped with the lawsuit. It is not known if the decision will be appealed. Thanks to Thomas Jones for the link.
