On March 29, a group of Maine voters filed a lawsuit in federal court, to force the state to redraw the U.S. House district boundaries before the 2012 election. For some reason, Maine and Montana law provide that redistricting should not occur in the election that immediately follows completion of the census. Instead, both states won’t redistrict until 2013. The case is Desena v State of Maine, 1-11-cv-00117.

Montana, of course, does not need to redistrict any U.S. House district boundaries, because Montana only has one seat in the U.S. House.

At 6:20 p.m. on March 29, the 9th circuit issued a very brief order in Chamness v Bowen, 11-70882. This is the federal lawsuit over whether California election law is unconstitutional for denying members of unqualified parties, and independent candidates, any label on the ballot except “no party preference.”

The order says, “Treating the petition as a request for a writ of mandamus to compel the district court to issue a preliminary injunction, the petition is denied. The district court is requested to act promptly on petitioner’s motion for a preliminary injunction.” The U.S. District Court held oral arguments on March 22 but still hasn’t ruled. Los Angeles County elections officials plan to start printing overseas absentee ballots on March 30, in the special election for U.S. House, 36th district. Chamness is on the ballot in that race.

On March 29, the 6th circuit refused to rehear Hunter v Hamilton County Board of Elections, so now the provisional ballots will finally be counted in a local partisan judicial race from the November 2, 2010 election. Ohio election law says provisional ballots are not valid if they are turned in to the wrong precinct. However, several hundred voters turned in their provisional ballots at the wrong precinct (although in the right building) because poll workers gave them mis-information. Because Hamilton County had already decided to count another set of provisional ballots that were legally shaky, the U.S. District Court and the original 6th circuit panel had ruled that Hamilton County must also count these disputed ballots. The two candidates in that election have been waiting a long time for a complete vote count. Thanks to Moritz for this news.