Gary L. Baker, an incumbent member of the Columbus, Ohio, School Board, will run for re-election this November as a write-in candidate. He failed to get on the ballot because the paid petitioner he hired to collect his signatures apparently forged many signatures. Four seats are up for election, and there will either be three or four candidates listed on the ballot. Obviously if there are only three candidates listed on the ballot, it will be easy for Baker to obtain enough write-in votes to be the fourth victor. However, it is possible the ballot will list four candidates. Another candidate was told he was only 21 signatures short, and he is contesting that ruling. See this story.

Columbus, Ohio, is the 16th largest city in the U.S., and had an estimated population in 2009 of 769,360, about the size of a typical U.S. House district. It is rare for anyone to win as a write-in candidate in a jurisdiction that large. Thanks to Steve Linnabary for the link.

On February 17, the West Virginia Judiciary Committee passed HB 2378, the National Popular Vote Plan bill. Although the vote was by voice, it appeared that approximately 20 “aye” votes were cast, and only about two or three “nay” votes. See this story.

On February 16, the Oklahoma Senate Rules Committee passed SB 602. The bill moves the primary (not the presidential primary) from July to June. It also moves the deadline for a new or previously unqualified party to submit a petition from May 1 to March 1. That deadline, combined with a very high number of signatures, is almost certainly unconstitutional. All reported decisions, on the constitutionality of deadlines for new parties to qualify, that are earlier than May, have unanimously held that deadlines earlier than May are unconstitutional.