On March 21, the 11th circuit issued a ruling in DiMaio v Democratic National Committee, the case over whether individual Democrats in Florida have a right to have input into the Democratic Party’s choice of a presidential candidate. The 11th circuit said the case had been filed with a procedural flaw concerning standing. The Court dismissed the case but invited the plaintiff to re-file without the flaw. Thanks to Thomas Jones for this news.
On March 19, the Vermont Senate passed S270, the National Popular Vote Plan bill.
The Hawaii bill for the National Popular Vote Plan was to have received a key vote in the House on March 20, but that has been postponed until March 25. That bill is SB 2898, which has already passed the Senate.
On March 21, the Vermont legislature gave final approval to SB 108, a bill that was introduced in 2007. It establishes Instant-Runoff Voting for general election congressional elections. If the Governor signs it, Vermont will be the first state to have used Instant-Runoff Voting for any statewide general elections.
The Constitution Party of South Dakota is again a ballot-qualified party. The party’s petition has been approved by the Secretary of State. Currently the Constitution Party is the only party on the ballot in South Dakota, other than the Democratic and Republican Parties.
On March 20, a U.S. District Court in Connecticut said that the lawsuit Green Party of Connecticut v Garfield should proceed to a trial. The case challenges a law passed in 2005 that sets up discriminatory public funding for candidates for Connecticut state office. The state and its ally, the Brennan Center, had tried to get the case dismissed summarily.
