Anthony Pollina, state chair of the Vermont Progressive Party, will hold a press conference on May 29 (Thursday), to say whether he will continue running for Governor, or whether he will switch to the Lieutenant Governor’s race. He has been running for Governor since late last year. But recently, the Democratic Party came up with a gubernatorial candidate, the Speaker of the Vermont House, Gaye Symington. Democrats are hoping Pollina will switch to the Lieutenant Governor’s race, and are hinting that if he does, they will support him.

The Ohio Petition Company has implemented an idea that has been talked about for some time…outfitting its circulators with a portable computer that is connected to the state’s list of registered voters. The Ohio Petition Company is a profit-making firm that collects signatures for any group that needs them. The new device enables a circulator to know instantly if someone who is about to sign a petition is a registered voter, and what his or her address is, in the voter registration records. See the company’s web page here. The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 required each state to have a computerized list of all the voters in that state. The device can also be used to know how many signers have signed a petition more than once. Thanks to Thomas Jones for this news.

On May 31 and June 1, the Rules and Bylaws Committee of the Democratic National Committee will meet in Washington, DC, to reconsider whether to give Florida and Michigan any convention delegates. The Rules & Bylaws Committee has 28 members, 13 of whom have already committed themselves to support Hillary Clinton, and 8 of whom have already committed to Barack Obama. Whatever the Rules & Bylaws Committee decides can be appealed to the National Committee, so the meeting may be somewhat inconclusive.