The Reform Party has set a teleconference national committee meeting for December 19, Saturday. Now that the Texas-based officers have won the federal lawsuit in New York establishing their ownership of the party’s trademark, the party hopes to rebuild. It is still ballot-qualified in Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. That is more states than any other nationally-organized party, except for the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, Green and Constitution Parties. The Working Families Party is still not a nationally-organized party.

On December 15, the San Francisco Bay Guardian carried this op-ed, pointing out some problems with the “top-two open primary” measure that the legislature put on the June 2010 California ballot.

Also, see this Letter to the Editor in the Marysville, California Appeal-Democrat, which also points out some problems with the measure.

On December 16, the city attorney of Oakland, California, wrote this legal opinion which says that the city must use Instant Runoff Voting for its own city elections in 2010. The voters amended the charter in 2006 to use IRV, but only when elections officials had certified that the vote-counting equipment is ready. Because Secretary of State Debra Bowen fulfilled that last requirement last week, the opinion says the city council has no power to stop IRV, as long as the City Charter retains its existing language. Thanks to Blair Bobier for the link.