On February 14, the New York Senate passed S2339, which allows mechanical voting machines to be used for local elections during 2011. Some years ago, Congress outlawed these machines for federal elections.
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California Republican state chair Ron Nehring has written a proposed party bylaw, that would provide for party meetings to endorse candidates for partisan office before the June primary. See this story, which has a link to the proposed rules. The party will decide whether to adopt this change at its statewide meeting in Sacramento, June 18-20.
On February 15, the Virginia House passed SB 1246, which moves the presidential primary from February to March. Thanks to Josh Putnam of Frontloading HQ for this news. The bill now goes to the Governor.
Vermont Representative John Moran (D-Wardsboro) and eight others have introduced HB 241. Vermont already allows two parties to jointly nominate the same person, but that candidate’s name is only listed once on the November ballot, followed by the names of all the parties that have nominated that person. The bill would change fusion in Vermont, to the type used in New York, Connecticut, Delaware, and South Carolina. Those states print the name of a candidate on the ballot twice (if the candidate is nominated by two parties), so voters can choose which party label they wish to support.
The bill was the idea of the Working Families Party, which is already ballot-qualified in Vermont.
Montana Representative Michael More (R-Gallatin Gateway) has introduced HB 521, to require all state judges (except Justices of the Peace) to be elected and re-elected in partisan elections. Currently, Montana holds non-partisan judicial elections when an incumbent judge is leaving the bench. Judges whose term has expired, and who wish to remain in office, currently appear on the ballot with a retention question (voters check “yes” or “no” to determine whether to keep the judge in office). See this story. The bill was heard in the House Administration Committee on February 15, and the Committee will decide in a few days whether to pass the bill.