California Assemblymember Tim Donnelly has introduced AB 1117, which would provide that any statewide initiative in circulation would be posted on the Secretary of State’s web page. Any registered voter could then find the petition, print a blank petition sheet, and sign the petition both as the signer and the circulator. The bill has a hearing in the Assembly Elections Committee on Tuesday, April 9, at 1:30 p.m.
California Assemblymember Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) has introduced AB 1038. It says, “A person shall not offer to pay or pay money or other valuable consideration to another person, either directly or indirectly, to assist another person to register to vote under a certain political party by receiving the completed affidavit of registration. Any person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.”
Assemblymember Pan had a similar bill in 2012, AB 2058, but Governor Jerry Brown vetoed it.
The bill is discriminatory, because while it would make it illegal for a qualified party to pay someone for each registration into that party, it would not be illegal for an unqualified party to do the same thing. California election law defines “party” to mean a qualified party. The bill has a hearing in the Assembly Elections Committee on Tuesday, April 9, at 1:30 p.m.
On April 4, the Montana Senate passed SB 408 by a vote of 28-22. This is the bill to provide that in 2014, the voters will be asked if they want a top-two primary system. All Republicans voted for the bill except for one; all Democrats voted against it. Thanks to Mike Fellows for this news.
On March 28, the Hawaii Senate Ways & Means Committee passed HB 1481, which would institute a program of public funding for candidates for state house of representatives. Here is a copy of the bill, although it may not be the latest version. The bill had passed the House on March 5. It does not discriminate for or against any candidate on the basis of partisan affiliation.
According to this story, Geovanni Regalado, who is on the May 14 ballot for Mayor of Passaic, New Jersey, has filed a lawsuit to remove his name. The law says he should have withdrawn 60 days before the election, but he argues the law is not mandatory.
