On October 24, the U.S. District Court in Albany, New York, postponed the hearing in the lawsuit over New York’s primary date from November 3 to November 17. This is the second postponement. Originally the hearing was to be October 20. The federal government is suing New York because New York is not in compliance with the 2009 federal law that requires states to mail absentee overseas ballots at least 45 days before any primary or general election (for federal office). New York’s mid-September primary (for office other than president) makes it impossible for New York to comply, so the federal government seeks a court order moving the September primary to August. See this story.

Gallup Poll has just released a new survey that shows 62% of Americans would prefer a direct popular vote for President, whereas 35% want to retain the Electoral College. Here are the details.

This question is not the same as a poll on the National Popular Vote Plan idea. The National Popular Vote Plan ideas retains the electoral college.

Gallup asked this question 1967-1980, and the idea of a direct presidential election, without an electoral college, was also popular then as well. Gallup then apparently ceased asking the question, but started again in 2000 and has done so since then, at least once per year. This new poll is the first since since after the 2000 election to show that a majority of Republicans, as well as a majority of Democrats, favor eliminating the electoral college. Thanks to Political Wire for the link.

This newspaper story has an update on the South Carolina Republican Party’s lawsuit to close its primary to non-members. There is no actual new news about the lawsuit, which was filed in 2010 and which won’t have a trial until August 1, 2012. A new round of briefs will have been filed by December 15, 2011.

The story also happens to mention that another lawsuit, filed by four South Carolina counties to stop the January 2012 Republican presidential primary unless the party pays all the administration costs, has been accepted by the South Carolina Supreme Court. That case will move quickly.

The link to the story requires the reader to pay to read the article. However, anyone may read the article without charge by going first to www.news.google.com and searching for “GOP Suit Seeks Closed Primary.”