On January 16, the Connecticut Attorney General ruled that the State Constitution, which requires election by “plurality”, does not permit the legislature, or local governments, to authorize Ranked Choice Voting. However, the Opinion says it is a close question. The Opinion notes that the Maine and Alaska Supreme Courts have considered this question for their states, and they came to opposite conclusions. Here is the Connecticut Opinion. Thanks to Fairvote for the link.
On January 11, the very day of the hearing, the Minnesota Supreme Court issued a brief order saying that Ryan Binkley should not be added to the Republican presidential primary ballot. In Minnesota, the parties have complete control over which candidates appear on their presidential primary ballot. The Court said it would issue a full opinion later. Binkley for President 2024 v Simon, A23-1900.
Binkley intends to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his appeal. The primary is March 5, 2024.
On January 16, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said he will the decision in No Labels Party v Fontes, 2:23cv-2172. The decision said that No Labels Party has a freedom of association right to block candidates for congress and partisan state office from filing to get on its primary ballot.
This essay was published today and is excerpted from Mr. Hasen’s forthcoming book “A Right to Vote: How a Constitutional Amendment Can Safeguard American Democracy.”
