Terry McAuliffe, former national chair of the Democratic National Committee, is the leading candidate for the Virginia Democratic Party’s gubernatorial nomination this year. The primary is in June 2009. Free & Equal has just released a press release, pointing out that whereas this year McAuliffe is saying good things about election participation, in 2004 he spent millions of dollars to physically prevent voters from voting for Ralph Nader. Thanks to Independent Political Report for the news. FURTHER UPDATE: The Los Angeles Times has this, and The Nation is now featuring the story here. UPDATE: a Washington Post blog has picked up the story; see here, and here is a Post news story.

Nevada SB 212, a bill that would require statewide initiative petitions to get a substantial number of signatures from every one of Nevada’s 42 Assembly districts, is probably dead. It has not moved. It had been set for a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee on May 27, but that hearing was cancelled. The legislature adjourns on June 1.

The Nevada National Popular Vote Plan bill, AB 413, cannot become law this year. Although it passed the Assembly on April 21, and has never been defeated in the Senate, it didn’t move through any Senate committee fast enough to meet the legislative deadlines.