The New York Times of January 5 has this fairly lengthy article about the Working Families Party, and its clout. Thanks to Bill Van Allen for the link.
Reply
The PAC for the California Association of Health Underwriters (CAHU-PAC) recently contributed $100,000 toward the campaign to pass the “top-two open primary” ballot measure on the June 2010 California ballot. The PAC’s blog says, “The Legislature has placed a ballot measure on the June 2010 ballot that will change the law to provide that all primary elections for state legislative office will be NON-PARTISAN (caps in original). This change is terribly important to CAHU because it will result in the election of more moderate anti-single payer Legislators.” See the CAHU blog here (go back to the November 16, 2009 CAHU-PAC blog post for more).
The campaign for the “top-two open primary” ballot measure has already sent a 25 inch by 11 inch brochure to many registered independent voters in California, advocating the measure. The brochure includes an application for a voter to request a mail ballot.
In 2004, when the “top-two open primary” was also on the California ballot, the biggest contributor to the campaign for it was Countrywide Home Lending, which contributed $250,000.
The PAC for the California Association of Health Underwriters (CAHU-PAC) recently contributed $100,000 toward the campaign to pass the “top-two open primary” ballot measure on the June 2010 California ballot. The PAC’s blog says, “The Legislature has placed a ballot measure on the June 2010 ballot that will change the law to provide that all primary elections for state legislative office will be NON-PARTISAN (caps in original). This change is terribly important to CAHU because it will result in the election of more moderate anti-single payer Legislators.” See the CAHU blog here (go back to the November 16, 2009 CAHU-PAC blog post for more).
The campaign for the “top-two open primary” ballot measure has already sent a 25 inch by 11 inch brochure to many registered independent voters in California, advocating the measure. The brochure includes an application for a voter to request a mail ballot.
In 2004, when the “top-two open primary” was also on the California ballot, the biggest contributor to the campaign for it was Countrywide Home Lending, which contributed $250,000.
The January 3, 2010 issue of the Los Angeles Times has this enthusiastic, whole-hearted endorsement of two initiatives that will probably be on the November 2010 ballot. One amends the State Constitution to provide that a constitutional convention can be called if an initiative proposing such a convention passes. The other presumes that the first one will pass, and proceeds to call a Constitutional Convention. Both measures are sponsored by Repair California.
The federal Voting Rights Act says, “No voting qualification or prerequisite to voting or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision in a manner which results in a denial or abridgement of the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.”
For decades, ex-felons and felons have been filing constitutional lawsuits, alleging that state laws that deprive felons or ex-felons of the right to vote are in violation of the Voting Rights Act. In order for this claim to succeed, it is necessary that these plaintiffs establish that the criminal justice system disproportionately prosecutes and sentences racial minorities. Much statistical evidence does support that conclusion. Notwithstanding that statistical evidence, courts have not been willing to agree that the Voting Rights Act outlaws state laws that disenfranchise ex-felons or felons.
However, on January 5, the 9th circuit ruled in a Washington state case that the Voting Rights Act does apply. The decision, Farrakhan v Gregoire, is here. The case was first filed in 1996. The 9th circuit decision is 2-1. The dissenter wanted the case sent back to the U.S. District Court again for still more evidence-gathering. But the majority notes that in Washington state, almost 25% of the black male adult citizens are or have been felons.
Although the 1st, 2nd, and 11th circuits have ruled that the Voting Rights Act does not relate to state laws on felon or ex-felon disenfranchisement, in all three of those other circuits, the decisions were not unanimous. One of the 2nd circuit judges who wrote that the Voting Rights Act does pertain to this issue was Sonia Sotomayor, now on the U.S. Supreme Court. Thanks to Bill Van Allen for this news.