Wisconsin Preparations Already Being Made for Recall of Governor Scott Walker

Posted on by March 15, 2011
23

Wisconsin has the recall for state officers, but says no one can be recalled until at least one year after he or she took office. Governor Scott Walker is already the object of a recall attempt, even though the petition can’t start to circulate until January 3, 2012. An anti-Walker web page says already 149,000 people have signed a pledge to sign the petition, as soon as it can circulate. The petition will need about 540,000 signatures. See this story.

In the meantime, recall petitions are circulating now for half the Wisconsin State Senate. Senators have four year terms and half of them are subject to recall petitioning now. Both Democratic and Republican State Senators are the target.

Arizona County Pays $3,000 to Voter Who Was Stopped at Polls Because of her T-Shirt

Posted on by March 15, 2011
2

On March 14, Coconino County settled a lawsuit that had been filed in October 2010, by a voter who wasn’t permitted to vote at the polls because she was wearing a T-shirt that included a depiction of the American flag, “We the People” script from the Constitution, and the phrase “Flagstaff Tea Party – Reclaiming our Constitution Now.”

Polling place officials felt the T-shirt was illegal “electioneering”, but of course there was no ballot-listed Tea Party on the ballot in Arizona. The voter won injunctive relief last year and now Coconino County has agreed to interpret the electioneering law to include only clothing that refers to a candidate or a party that is actually listed on the ballot. The case had been Wickberg v Owens, cv10-8177-PHX, in U.S. District Court. The county also had to pay $46,000 in attorneys’ fees. See this story.

Arizona Ballot Access Bill Passes House

Posted on by March 14, 2011
2

On March 14, the Arizona House passed HB 2304 by a vote of 51-5. Among many other election law changes, it says that when a political party gets on the ballot, it is then on the ballot for the next two elections, instead of just one election. If this bill is signed into law, the Arizona Green Party will be on the ballot in 2012.

The bill also legalizes out-of-state circulators for all types of petition. The existing law says out-of-state circulators may work on an independent presidential candidate’s petition, but no other kind of petition.

Unfortunately, the House amended the bill so that it no longer makes it easier for a member of a newly-qualifying party to get on his or her own party’s primary ballot. The existing law for that requires a petition signed by members of that party, equal to one-tenth of 1% of the vote for that same office in the last general election. The number of signatures for candidates to get on a primary of an old established party is more lenient, one-half of 1% of that party’s membership. However, the existing law also makes it very easy for a candidate to win a new party’s primary on write-in votes at that party’s primary.

Joe Trippi Predicts New Technology can Make a Presidential Candidate from Outside the Two Major Parties Viable

Posted on by March 14, 2011
10

On March 13, Joe Trippi appeared on a panel in Austin, at a large national conference sponsored by South by Southwest Interactive. The panel subject was: “The people-powered revolution, fueled by the Internet and technology, will change the worlds of activism, media and politics.” Trippi predicted that social networking tools will make it possible for a presidential candidate from outside the two major parties to raise enough money to be competitive. See this Politico story.

Trippi was Howard Dean’s campaign manager in 2004. He has also written the book “The Revolution Will Not be Televised: Democracy, the Internet and the Overthrow of Everything.”

The other members of the panel were: (1) Pete Snyder, CEO of New Media Strategies; (2) Eric Kuhn, Hollywood’s first social media agent at United Talent Agency; (3) David All, founder of the David All Group, which helps companies and activist groups get their message out on the Internet.