Congressman Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) has introduced HR 6240. It would move federal election day from the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, to the first full weekend in November. Thanks to ElectionLawBlog for this news.
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A Reform Party national meeting in Dallas is scheduled to be held, commencing on Friday afternoon (July 18). The meeting was called to resolve the difficult issue of the identity of the national officers of the Reform Party. In early 2007, a federal jury trial in Florida had determined that the Tampa 2005 national convention of the Reform Party had not been valid. In late 2007, a state court in Texas had determined that the national convention before that one (in Yuma in early 2005) had also not been valid. The Texas court had appointed a professional parliamentarian to preside over a new national meeting.
One of the factions that does not wish to participate in the Texas meeting filed a lawsuit in state court in New York in response to the action of the Texas court. On May 28, the New York court set a hearing on whether the Texas meeting should be enjoined. On July 14, one of the plaintiffs in the New York case telephoned the hotel that is hosting the Dallas meeting, and explained that the hotel should cancel the Dallas meeting. On July 15, the Texas court held a hearing, at which the hotel manager participated. The hotel then determined that it would continue to host the meeting. On July 17, the New York court issued an order saying the plaintiffs in the New York case “will be irretrievably harmed if the defendants are permitted, in effect, to hijack the political parties and entities which appear, on these papers at least, to be in the legitimate domain of the plaintiffs.” However, as of Friday morning, it appears likely that the Dallas meeting will proceed on schedule.
On July 13, Donna Spring died at the age of 55. She had been one of the Green Party’s longest-serving public officials. She was in her fourth four-year term on the Berkeley, California city council. She had been working for Instant-Runoff Voting in Berkeley since 1993. The voters of Berkeley approved the use of IRV several years ago, but it still hasn’t been implemented. Spring lived with rheumatoid arthritis and generally used a wheelchair. In the last two years she had participated by speakerphone at city council meetings, since it was difficult for her to obtain access to the city council chambers. She died of pneumonia, only three weeks since she last participated in a city council meeting. Thanks to Rob Richie for this news.
On July 17, Pennsylvania State Senator Mike Folmer (R-Lancaster and Lebanon Counties) contacted the Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition, and requested a copy of the Coalition’s original 2007 ballot access proposal. The Senator said he is not interested in Representative Kerry Benninghoff’s idea for replacing mandatory petitions with filing fees. Senator Folmer wants ideas for a bill specifically to help minor parties. The Coalition’s original proposal, submitted to all legislators last year, was a ballot access system similar to Delaware’s system. In Delaware, minor parties that attain a certain number of registered voters are considered qualified parties, and nominate by convention, and are automatically on the November ballot.
On July 17, Bob Barr and his candidates for presidential elector in Oklahoma filed a lawsuit against the Oklahoma procedures for qualifying an independent presidential candidate. The procedures are so difficult that they have not been used since 1992. UPDATE: the case number is civ-08-730-R.