On October 18, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Barrett will hear arguments in Liberty Township Tea Party v International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 648, southern district of Ohio 1:10-cv-707.  The issue is whether a private property owner who rents out space for a polling place may stop leafletting outside the polling place, in the area beyond 100 feet of the polling place door.

This particular Ohio polling place is a union local headquarters.  Union officials told Katherine Dirr that she could not stand on their property with a sign that said “Stop Obama Care”, on primary election day in May 2010.  Ohio election law does not permit electioneering within 100 feet of the polls, but she was beyond the 100 foot limit.  She and the Liberty Township Tea Party argue that if the union is correct, then the union could permit electioneering and leafletting (outside the 100 foot zone) for one side of an issue, but not the other side.  Thanks to Rick Hasen for the news.

On the evening of October 14, Illinois held its first-ever gubernatorial general election debate that included more than the two major party candidates.  Here is one newspaper’s account of the debate, which included Rich Whitney, the Green Party nominee.  Here is another story; here is another one which says that Whitney outperformed his opponents.

In other news about Rich Whitney, the Chicago Board of Elections now says the electronic voting machines will show his name with correct spelling.

On October 12, Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty signed the National Popular Vote bill for the District of Columbia.  See this story.  In theory Congress could veto the District’s law sometime during the next 60 days, but that seems unlikely to happen.