The Working Families Party of New York city is in the process of deciding which candidates should be permitted to run in its 2009 primary for city offices. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and two Democratic contenders are each seeking the WFP’s backing for Mayor. The party suggested a debate between the three of them, but Bloomberg declined, saying it is too early for debates. See Elizabeth Benjamin’s column in the April 23 Daily News. Benjamin is consistently the leading source of news about New York’s qualified minor parties.

On April 21, the California Assembly Elections Committee passed AB 1121. It would let 10 general law cities or counties use Instant-Runoff Voting for their own elections.

A somewhat broader bill passed the legislature in the last session. It would have let any general law city or county use IRV. However, that bill was vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Last year, on July 9, 2008, Delaware’s Governor signed SB 164 into law. It provides that write-in candidates who wish to receive a tally of how many write-in votes they received, must file a declaration of write-in candidacy by September 30 of any election year.

Delaware did not permit write-ins in the general election until 1970, when they were legalized. Between 1970 and 2007, all write-in votes were legal votes, and Delaware generally prepared a list of all write-ins and who they were cast for, at least for president. However, that was not done in 2008. No write-in candidate for president filed a declaration of write-in candidacy in Delaware in 2008, probably because no presidential candidate who was not on the Delaware ballot knew about the new requirement. Thanks to Tim San Souci for this news.