Illinois Governor Pat Quinn must take some action on House Bill 723 between now and August 26. This is the bill that requires nominees of qualified parties who are chosen by party committee to submit a petition if they wish to be listed on the general election ballot. Quinn can either veto the bill, or sign it, or modify it and sign the modified version.
The August 23 issue of The Philadelphia Inquirer has this op-ed, advocating that the Pennsylvania legislature pass the National Popular Vote Plan bill for presidential elections. The op-ed is by the bill’s author, Representative Mark Cohen (D-Philadelphia).
The August 23 issue of The Eagle-Tribune of North Andover, Massachusetts, has this story, saying New Hampshire Republican state house member Anthony DiFruscia says he will run for re-election in 2010 as an independent candidate, not as a Republican. Tne Eagle-Tribune servers southern New Hampshire as well as the adjoining part of Massachusetts.
The August 23 issue of the Albany (New York) Times Union has this story, about voters who own homes in two different regions of New York state, and who are registered at both addresses.
The Help America Vote Act passed by Congress in 2002 requires the states to create a statewide registry of registered voters, to catch problems like this. But, some states have trouble keeping their statewide list up-to-date. Thanks to Bill Van Allen for the link.
The New York Times published this editorial in its local edition on August 21. It expresses concern that the Working Families Party is too closely associated with Data and Field Services, a for-profit company that assists electoral campaigns. The Times fears that Data and Field Services sells its services at cut rates for candidates favored by the Working Families Party.
