On February 6, the Virginia House Privileges and Elections Committee passed HB 2642 by a vote of 22-0, after amending the bill. The amended bill makes it a crime for anyone to pay petition circulators on a per-signature basis, or even to offer. It would also be a crime for anyone to ask to be paid on a per-signature basis, or to be paid that way.

The part of the bill that requires voters to prove they are citizens before registering to vote was deleted. The only remaining other provisions of the bill require the State Board of Elections to delete the names of voters shown as deceased in Social Security records, and a ban on paying people to register voters on a per-registration basis.

Here is a link to the 61-page memorandum in ProtectMarriage.com v Bowen, the decision that rejected a request that the names and addresses of donors to California’s Proposition 8 be kept private. Proposition 8 last year was the same-sex marriage initiative. Although the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled in 1982 that the Socialist Workers Party could keep the names of its donors secret, this new decision declines to apply that precedent to donors in favor of Prop. 8. The case is not over. Even though the donors failed to win injunctive relief, they will pursue the issue of declaratory relief for future initiatives.

The Montana Senate Administration Committee passed SB 243 on February 5. It amends the State Constitution to say, “In a general election, a majority of votes is needed to be elected.” If the bill passes the legislature, the voters will vote on it in 2010. The sponsor is Senator Joe Balyeat (R-Bozeman). One wonders if Senator Balyeat has Instant-Runoff Voting in mind. The bill consists only of the one sentence quoted above.