New York Post Columnist Says Legislative Special Session Needed Next Month to Avoid Election-Administration Chaos

Posted on by November 30, 2011
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Michael Benjamin, a New York Post columnist, urges that the New York legislature be called into special session in December to work on the problem that the state’s non-presidential September primary must be changed to an earlier date, due to the federal law on overseas absentees ballots.

The hearing in U.S. District Court in the federal government’s lawsuit against New York on this point has been postponed once again, from December 1 to December 12. This is the fourth postponement. It seems somewhat likely that the judge is hoping the legislature will act before he must choose a new primary date. The case is USA v State of New York, northern district, 10-cv-1214. Thanks to Bill Van Allen for the link.

Rocky Anderson, former Salt Lake City Mayor, Announces Intent to Build a New Political Party

Posted on by November 29, 2011
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On November 29, Rocky Anderson, former Mayor of Salt Lake City, and a man of many other accomplishments, said he will attempt to form a new political party and to seek that party’s nomination. Here is the wikipedia article on Anderson. The new party will probably be called the Justice Party, and will take political positions that will probably appeal more to Democrats and progressives than to other kinds of voters. See this story about Anderson’s announcement.

Anderson has been a close friend of Mitt Romney, according to this news story from earlier in the month. UPDATE: here is another story.

Lewiston Tribune Article Explains How Republican Party’s New Closed Primary Affects Idaho Election Officials

Posted on by November 29, 2011
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The Lewiston Tribune has this article, explaining that Idaho election officials will have a difficult job deciding how many Republican primary ballots to print in 2012. Before 2011 Idaho did not ask voters to choose a party on voter registration forms. In 2011 the law changed, so that in 2014 and years even further in the future, voters will have chosen a party on voter registration forms or at the polls on primary day in 2012. So, for 2014 and years beyond, election officials will know how approximately many primary ballots to print for each party. But 2012 is a special problem, because the registration by party system is still being phased in.

In 2010 and earlier years, election officials printed up one primary ballot for all voters. Voters, in the secrecy of the voting booth, decided which party’s primary to vote in. Even though all party primary ballots were on the same piece of paper, a voter could only vote in one party’s area of that ballot. Thanks to Mike Fellows for the link.

Oregon Independent Party Nominates Suzanne Bonamici, who is Also the Democratic Nominee, for Congress, Special Election

Posted on by November 29, 2011
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Early in 2012, Oregon voters will fill the vacancy in the U.S. House seat, First District. The Independent Party of Oregon has nominated Suzanne Bonamici, who is also the Democratic Party nominee. She defeated Rob Cornilles, the Republican nominee, by a vote of 56-31 in the Independent Party nomination process.

Registered members of the Independent Party voted in this primary by going to the party’s web page, downloading and printing the ballot, and mailing it to the party, together with a photocopy of that voter’s ID. Voters in Independent Party primaries cannot vote unless they had been registered members of the party for a short period before the election had been announced. This party rule is to prevent the party’s nomination from being influenced by partisans of either major party who might join the Independent Party at the last minute, to influence the outcome. Since 2009, Oregon has permitted two parties to jointly nominate the same candidate.