Theresa Amato has this op-ed in the February 3 issue of the Kansas City Star, calling for Federal Election Commissioners chosen for their neutrality and expertise, rather than their fealty to either the Democratic Party, or the Republican Party. President Obama is free to choose independent commissioners; no law change is required. Ever since the FEC was established in 1974, presidents have always chosen FEC Commissioners from the ranks of the two major parties.
Here is the Chicago Tribune’s election returns web page for today’s Illinois primary. Note the large number of very close contests, not only for Governor in both major parties, but also for Lieutenant Governor and Controller. Because the Green Party’s primaries are mostly uncontested, there is little coverage tonight of the Green Party primaries. Thanks to Green Party Watch for the link.
On February 2, Missouri held a special election to fill the vacant State House seat, 62nd district. The results: Republican Nita Ayres 78%, Libertarian Patty Tweedle 22%.
When this seat was last up for election, in November 2008, the vote had been: Republican 73.1%, Democratic 26.9%. The district is in southwest Missouri, including the famous entertainment center of Branson.
On February 2, the Kentucky Senate passed SB 53, which tells the political parties that nominate by primary that they must let independents vote in their primaries. The bill now goes to the House.
This newspaper story describes the oral argument in Thalheimer v City of San Diego, a case filed last December to challenge certain campaign finance laws in San Diego. The hearing was on February 2. The judge promised a preliminary decision by February 22.
