U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., Suggests Texas U.S. House and Legislative Districts are Unlawful

Posted on by November 8, 2011
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On November 8, a 3-judge U.S. District Court issued an order that reveals they believe the Texas U.S. House and legislative district boundaries violate the federal Voting Rights Act. This may mean that the Texas March 6 primary will ultimately be postponed.

The case is State of Texas v U.S.A., cv-11-1303, in the District of Columbia. The three judges are U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Thomas B. Griffith, a Bush Jr. appointee; and two U.S. District Court Judges, Rosemary M. Collyer, another Bush Jr. appointee; and Beryl A. Howell, an Obama appointee. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the news.

Pennsylvania Turnout on November 8, 2011, Will Determine Number of Signatures Needed in 2012

Posted on by November 8, 2011
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On November 8, 2011, Pennsylvania voters will elect two statewide judges in partisan races. There is one race for Superior Court and one race for Commonwealth Court. Both are statewide posts.

The number of signatures needed for minor party and independent candidates to get on the November 2012 ballot for statewide office depends on the November 8, 2011 turnout. The 2012 petition requirement will equal 2% of the highest vote-getter’s vote among the four 2011 statewide major party candidates.

In November 2009, the Pennsylvania turnout for the statewide partisan judicial races was extremely low. As a result, the number of signatures needed in 2010 was only 19,082 signatures. Normally the requirement in Pennsylvania is approximately 25,000 signatures.

Regional Parties Win Provincial Elections in Canada

Posted on by November 8, 2011
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On November 7, the voters of Saskatchewan, Yukon, and Northwest Territories, elected new provincial or territorial parliaments. In Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Party won an overwhelming victory, winning perhaps 50 of the 58 seats. In this election, the New Democratic Party placed second, and in total popular votes, the Green Party placed third, with 3%. However, one reason the Green Party polled more popular votes than the fourth-place Liberal Party is that the Green Party ran in every district, whereas the Liberal Party did not.

In Yukon, the Yukon Party won control of the territorial legislature. The Northwest Territories election is non-partisan. Thanks to Thomas Jones for this story.

Federal Court Orders Somewhat Later Primary Filing Deadlines for Texas

Posted on by November 7, 2011
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On November 7, a 3-judge U.S. District Court in Texas issued an order, providing for somewhat later candidate filing deadlines for the Texas March 2012 primary. Candidates for all offices (including the presidential primary) now will file between November 28, 2011, and December 15, 2011. The old filing period had been November 12 to December 12. The case is Perez v State of Texas, western district, 11-cv-360.

The reason for the order is that the boundaries of the legislative districts may be invalidated by another 3-judge court in Washington, D.C. Having a somewhat later filing deadline gives more time for everyone to know what the district boundaries will be. Thanks to Tony Roza for this news.