The August 2 Washington Post has a chart, showing the progress of U.S. House redistricting in each state. One must choose a category, Republican controlled states, Democratic controlled states, states in which party control is split, or states with a nonpartisan redistricting commission. The chart defaults to the Republican controlled states, so to see all the states, choose the other three categories. Thank to Political Wire for the link.
On July 27, Delaware Governor Jack Markell signed SB 118 and SB 89. One bill moves the presidential primary from February to April, and the other bill shrinks the period during which no voter can change voter registration from one party to another.
In Delaware, the only way for parties to qualify, or retain qualified status, is by keeping voter registration membership of approximately 650 members. It is difficult for parties to gain members during the months in which it is impossible for voters to switch parties. Because of the new laws, voters can switch parties at all times during odd years, and during the first few months of presidential election years, and of course for a longer period in midterm election years (when there is no presidential primary, just a primary for other office in the late summer). But during the times when voters can’t switch parties, the only way for a party to gain members is by finding unregistered people and registering them. Thanks to Josh Putnam for this news.
According to this story, the Republican National Committee, meeting this week in Tampa, will consider a resolution putting the committee in opposition to the National Popular Vote Plan. The article says that California has passed the plan, but Governor Jerry Brown still hasn’t signed the bill, AB 459.
Some of the statements expressed by various Republican Party officials are not true. The founding fathers never intended the Electoral College to operate the way it does today. Furthermore, the National Popular Plan does not “junk” the electoral college; the plan keeps the college. Some of the speakers are confusing tradition with the text of the U.S. Constitution.
On July 27, U.S. District Court Judge Nora Barry Fischer, a Bush Jr. appointee, upheld a Pennsylvania law that makes it illegal to pay registration workers on a per-registration form basis. Here is the 54-page decision, Project Vote v Kelly, 09-951, western district.
The decision construes the Pennsylvania law to permit firing registration workers if they have low productivity, and the opinion suggests that if the law made it illegal to have production quotas, the law would be unconstitutional. Also, the decision partly depends on the fact that the number of registered voters obtained by any group has no effect on whether any particular ballot question, party, or candidate, qualifies for the ballot. See pages 35 and 39 of the opinion.
The U.S. Supreme Court has received the cert petition filed by the New Hampshire Libertarian Party. Libertarian Party of New Hampshire v Gardner, 11-119. If New Hampshire chooses to respond to the petition, the response is due August 29. The issue is whether the First Amendment freedom of association clause protects a political party’s name on the ballot. In 2008 the Secretary of State had printed the names of two presidential candidates on the November ballot, both with the label “Libertarian”, even though only one of them, Bob Barr, was the party’s nominee.
This is the first time in which any minor party or independent candidate has ever brought a New Hampshire ballot access lawsuit before the U.S. Supreme Court.
