On April 6, bills were introduced in each House of Congress to provide for public funding for candidates for Congress. The Senate Bill only deals with candidates for U.S. Senate and is S.750. The House bill only deals with candidates for U.S. House and is HR 1404.

The bills do not discriminate on the basis of the candidate’s partisan affiliation or lack of affiliation. The bills therefore resemble the Maine and Arizona public funding laws, and are very different from Connecticut’s public funding law.

The sponsor of the Senate bill is Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois). The Senate bill has 12 co-sponsors. The sponsor of the House bill is Representative John Larson (D-Connecticut). It has 46 co-sponsors.

Supporters of the bills have set up a web page, http://fairelectionsnow.org. The web page suggests that the wording on the bills is identical to similar bills in 2009, S.752 and HR 1826. The Library of Congress doesn’t have the wording of the new bills posted yet. The web page set up by the supporters of the bill contains a factual error; the web page says Senator Arlen Specter is a co-sponsor, but he is no longer a U.S. Senator.

According to this story, many Ohio Democratic state legislators will introduce a proposed constitutional amendment next week, to set up procedures for recall of elected state officials (except judges). As the story notes, the bill is extremely unlikely to pass, but introducing the idea in bill form will cause some discussion. Ohio does have the initiative, so it is always possible for the proposal to be put on the ballot as an initiative measure to amend the state Constitution.

The bill will require the signatures of 15% of the last gubernatorial vote in order to recall a state elected official. That is easier than the recall procedures of most states that have the recall, although it is more difficult than California’s recall, which requires a petition of 12% of the last gubernatorial vote. In 2003, when California Governor Gray Davis was recalled, 12% of the last gubernatorial vote worked out to almost exactly 5% of the number of registered voters.

Both Wisconsin and Illinois held local non-partisan elections on April 5. Green Party members won six elections:

1. Steve Alesch was elected to the Warrenville Park District Commission in DuPage County, Illinois, in a contested election.
2. Toni Williams was elected to the Thornton Township High School District 205 board, Cook County, Illinois, in a contested election.
3. Don Crawford ran unopposed for a seat on the St. Elmo Library Board in Fayette County, Illinois.
4. Michael Drennan ran unopposed for a seat on the Ridgeville Park Board, Cook County, Illinois.
5. Bob Poeschl was re-elected to the Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Common Council, in a contested election.
6. Marsha Rummel was re-elected to the Madison, Wisconsin, Common Council, district 6, in a contested election.

Thanks to Brent McMillan for this news.