The Gotham Gazette has this article, which explains that the New York city Board of Elections has been without an executive director since January, just as it is charged with using entirely new vote-counting equipment in this year’s elections. The story also explains how the Board has become a patronage plum for the Democratic and Republican Parties. Thanks to Gail Robinson for the link.
Film star Russell Crowe has just donated $10,000 to the Australian Green Party, according to this story. The Australian dollar is roughly equivalent to the U.S. dollar.
On March 29, Louisiana state representative Joel Robideaux was elected Speaker Pro Tempore of the State House. Robideaux is an independent. He defeated Noble Ellington, a Democrat, by a vote of 53-48. Speaker Pro Tempore is the second most powerful position in the Louisiana House, after Speaker. Thanks to Randall Hayes for this news.
John Wildermuth, a California journalist, has looked into financing for the campaign to pass Proposition 14, the “top-two” measure. He says that the California Hospital Association actually donated $500,000 to the campaign in favor of the measure. The CHA gave $250,000 directly, and another $250,000 to Governor Schwarzenegger’s fund for ballot measures. Then that second payment was funneled into the pro-14 campaign. See this story. The story has a link to the “stop top two” web page set up by Christina Tobin, and says this web page is just about the only organized activity against Prop. 14.
Bill Redpath, who is just completing his second term as national chair of the Libertarian Party, will be on the Jon Stewart “Daily Show” on Thursday evening, April 1. The show broadcasts at 11 p.m. on Comedy Central. Stewart will ask Redpath about the Libertarian Party’s position on the census.
