The British Broadcasting System has this story about the strong showing of the Green Party of France, in the European Parliamentary elections held a week ago. Greens polled 16.3% of the vote in France. Thanks to Rick Kissell for the link.
Reply
Los Angeles elects its Mayor in the spring of the odd years that follow presidential election years. The Socialist Workers Party has run a candidate for Mayor in all Los Angeles elections, starting in 1945, except that it didn’t run in 1997.
At the March 3, 2009 election, the Socialist Workers Party again ran a candidate for Mayor. Also, the new Party for Socialism and Liberation also ran a candidate for Mayor. The two candidates, together, polled 2.01% of the total in a 10-candidate field. Although that may seem to be a small percentage, it is the first time that socialist candidates for Mayor of Los Angeles, together, have polled that much, since the 1930’s.
Socialist Workers Party percentages for Mayor of Los Angeles have been: 1945 .21%, 1949 .38%, 1953 .73%, 1957 1.38%, 1961 .47%, 1965 .07%, 1969 .05%, 1973 .35%, 1977 .19%, 1981 .23%, 1985 .16%, 1989 .41%, 1993 .11%, 1997 no candidate, 2001 .16%, 2005 .48%.
The 2009 results are .90% for James Harris, Socialist Workers candidate; and 1.11% for Carlos Alvarez, Party for Socialism and Liberation candidate. The 2009 election had 10 candidates, 3 of whom had Spanish surnames.
The Socialist Workers Party and the Party for Socialism and Liberation are the only parties with “socialist” , “communist”, or “workers” in their names, that have run candidates for Mayor of Los Angeles since before World War II.
On June 5, Massachusetts Representative Karyn Polito (R-Shrewsbury) introduced a proposed constitutional amendment to provide for legislative term limits. See this story. Although Massachusetts has the initiative for changing state laws, proponents of term limits can’t use the initiative, because term limits must be a constitutional amendment and the Massachusetts initiative procedure doesn’t apply to constitutional amendments. Polito’s bill doesn’t have a bill number yet.
On June 9, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen signed SB 547, which expands membership on Tennessee Election Commission from 5 to 7 members. On the next day, two new Republican Commissioners were appointed, so that Republicans now have a majority, 4-3.
All this was necessary because the State Constitution says that the party which won the most seats in the last state house elections should have a majority on the State Election Commission. The 2008 election produced a Republican majority for the first time in Tennessee history (there had been ties in the past, but never a Republican majority).
On June 10, the U.S. House Administration Committee passed three bills by Congressmember Susan Davis, a Democrat from San Diego. All three of these bills only relate to federal elections.
HR 1604 would require states to let any eligible voter vote by mail. Currently, 22 states do not let any voter vote by mail unless that voter alleges that he or she will be away from home, or is physically unable to visit a polling place on election day. This bill has 50 co-sponsors and passed Committee by a vote of 4-2. It had been introduced on March 19 and is called the “Universal Right to Vote by Mail Act.”
HR 2510 grants money to states to establish systems to track absentee ballots, so that a voter who votes absentee can learn if the ballot is on the way to him or her, and also if it was received and counted afterwards. HR 2510 was introduced May 20, has 4 co-sponsors, and passed on a voice vote. It is called the “Absentee Ballot Track, Receive and Confirm Act.”
HR 512 makes it illegal for a state’s chief elections officer to engage in any partisan political activity on behalf of a candidate for federal office, much like the original Hatch Act of 1939 that forbade all federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity. This bill was introduced on January 14, has 2 co-sponsors, and was passed on a voice vote. It is called the “Federal Election Integrity Act.”