Recently the Virginia Republican Party decided to hold a 2010 primary to choose its nominee for the U.S. House, 5th district. The 5th district seat was won by Democrats in 2008 in a very narrow race. The November 2008 vote was: Democrat Tom Perriello 158,810 votes, Republican Virgil Good 158,083 votes.

Now the Republican Party’s decision to use a primary instead of a convention is getting criticism from people who say it will cost the taxpayers $260,000. Virginia has no U.S. Senate race in 2010, and no state offices up in 2010, so there can only be primaries in 2010 for U.S. House, and partisan county office. If the Republicans had chosen a convention instead of a primary for the U.S. House in this district, elections officials inside the 5th district would mostly not need to hold any primary. See this story.

Virginia could save much more money if it would move its state elections to even-numbered years. Because federal elections are in even years, Virginia holds elections every year, for either federal office or state office. Other states that hold some or all statewide state elections in odd years are New Jersey, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania.

A proposed California initiative, which is only in the beginning stages of petition-gathering, would repeal the 2008 initiative that sets up a Citizens Redistricting Commission. See this story. The purpose of the Citizens Redistricting Commission is to draw to boundaries for state legislative districts. If this new proposed initiative were to qualify for the November 2010 ballot, and if it passed, then the Commission would be eliminated before it had ever carried out its function. Thanks to ElectionLawBlog for the link.

On December 28, Colorado State House of Representatives member Kathleen Curry changed her registration from “Democratic” to “Independent.” See this story. She would like to run for re-election in 2010 as an independent. Under existing Colorado law, she switched too late. She is about to introduce a bill that would ease the prior affiliation restriction for independent candidates, and also there is a lawsuit pending against that law in federal court. Curry also mentioned the possibility that if neither of those plans works, she could be a write-in candidate in November 2010. Thanks to Gene Berkman for the link.

Curry is the first Colorado legislator to be neither a Republican or a Democrat since the legislative session of 1901-1902, when there were 13 Peoples Party members in the House, 8 Silver Republicans in the House, 7 Peoples Party State Senators, 6 Silver Republican Senators, and one Single Tax Party Senator.