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All Briefs Filed in California Case Over Validity of Electronic Signatures on Petitions

Posted on February 23, 2011 by adminFebruary 23, 2011

All briefs have now been filed in Ni v Slocum, pending in the California State Court of Appeals in San Francisco, case no. A128721. This is the case over whether electronic signatures are valid on initiative petitions. Amici curiae briefs on behalf of the proponent have been filed by the Asian American Action Fund, Citizens in Charge, the Humane Society of the United States, the National Taxpayers Union, the Electronic Signature and Records Association, Antonio Gonzalez, and Joe Trippi. Trippi is a well-known Democratic Party campaign consultant. Antonio Gonzalez is an attorney. No hearing date has been set yet.

Speakers Announced for Constitution Party National Committee Meeting

Posted on February 23, 2011 by adminFebruary 23, 2011

The Constitution Party National Committee holds a meeting in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, April 28-30. Among the speakers will be former Congressman Virgil Goode, Sheriff Richard Mack, Taylor Haynes (who polled 7.41% for Governor of Wyoming as a write-in candidate last year), and John McManus, President of the John Birch Society. See here.

Goode was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives 1997-2009. He was elected at various times as a Democrat, as an independent, and as a Republican. He joined the Constitution Party’s national committee on November 18, 2010.

Utah Bill to Legalize Fusion has Committee Hearing on February 23

Posted on February 23, 2011 by adminFebruary 23, 2011

Utah State Senator Benjamin McAdams (D-Salt Lake City) introduced SB 176 on February 4. It makes it possible for two parties to jointly nominate the same candidate. The bill provides that a candidate nominated by two parties would be listed twice on the ballot, so a voter could choose which party label to support. The bill has a hearing at 4 p.m. in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, February 23. Thanks to Rob Latham for this news.

Procedural Victory in Vermont Ballot Access Lawsuit

Posted on February 23, 2011 by adminFebruary 23, 2011

On February 22, a Vermont Superior Court denied the state’s motion to dismiss the case Trudell v Markowitz, which is pending in Washington County, 612-8-10-wn-cv. This is the case that challenges the June petition deadline for independent candidates. The plaintiff, Jerry Trudell, was an independent candidate last year for U.S. House, but he was unable to meet the deadline. Until 2010, the Vermont independent candidate petition deadline had been in September, but the 2010 session of the legislature made it drastically earlier than it had been. The Vermont primary (for office other than President) is in August.

Here is the decision. It says a trial is needed to settle the issue of whether the early deadline is needed for any important state purpose. The hearing will be sometime later than May 15.

South Dakota Bill Dies, Would have Required Political Parties to Let Independent Voters Vote in Their Primaries

Posted on February 23, 2011 by adminFebruary 23, 2011

On February 17, the South Dakota Senate State Affairs Committee defeated SB 175. This is the bill that would have provided that independent voters may vote in any party’s primary. Current law lets each qualified party decide for itself whether to let independents vote in its primary.