California held a special election on May 21 to fill the vacant State Senate seat, 16th district. Three Democrats, a Republican, and a Peace & Freedom Party member ran. Here are the unofficial results. Unlike regularly-scheduled elections in California, in special elections, if anyone gets 50% of the vote, there is no second election. It appears the Republican, Andy Vidak, is winning this seat outright. The district had been represented by a Democrat who resigned his seat to take a job in the private sector.

On May 21, the California Green, Libertarian, and Peace & Freedom Parties filed this brief in Rubin v Bowen, the case in state court that challenges the California top-two system. The parties also filed this request for Judicial Notice, pertaining to the procedures by which the top-two bills passed the legislature, as well as June 2012 and November 2012 data showing almost 2.5 times as many voters voted in California in November as in June.

On May 21, the Oregon State Circuit Court, 5th district, issued an opinion in Reeves v Wagner, cv12-010345. The Oregon Libertarian Party is internally divided between two factions. The Reeves faction sued the Wagner faction, hoping to obtain a court decision that the Reeves faction officers are the true officers of the state party. But the court ruled that it has no jurisdiction, and that the Oregon Libertarian Party’s Judicial Committee should decide the matter. Thanks to IndependentPoliticalReport for the link.