| Page 6307

Tennessee State Senator Will Run for Re-Election as an Independent

Posted on October 13, 2007 by Richard WingerOctober 13, 2007

Tennessee State Senator Michael R. Williams was re-elected in November 2004 to the State Senate, 4th district. He was unopposed. However, on March 14, 2007, he declared that he was leaving the Republican Party and had become an independent. He will run for re-election next year as an independent. The Democratic Party will attempt to discourage any Democrat from running against Williams, but Republicans are already declaring their candidacy to run against him.

Tennessee does not have registration by party, so the only way anyone establishes being an independent is by what he or she says publicly. Fortunately for Williams, Tennessee does not have a straight-ticket device on November ballots. The 4th district is in the eastern, mountainous end of Tennessee, and is in the part of the state that has been strongly Republican ever since the Civil War.

If Williams is re-elected as an independent, he will be the first person to win a Tennessee legislative election as an independent since 1982.

Schwarzenegger Vetoes Bills on Write-Ins and Initiatives

Posted on October 12, 2007 by Richard WingerOctober 12, 2007

On the evening of October 11, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed SB 439, which would have provided that write-in votes should be counted even if the voter forgot to “x” the box next to the name written in. He also vetoed SB 408, which would have set new restrictions on who can circulate an initiative petition.

New Hampshire Court Hearing Postponed Until November 15

Posted on October 12, 2007 by Richard WingerOctober 12, 2007

The hearing in New Hampshire Libertarian Party v Gardner, which had been scheduled for October 12, has been postponed until November 15. The issue is whether it is constitutional for the state to provide the state list of registered voters to a qualified party at a very low price, but refuse to sell it to an unqualified party for any amount of money. The case is pending in Merrimack County Superior Court, no. 2007-e-327. The reason for the postponement is that the court only has one judge and she is swamped with too many cases.

Coming Up in Next 3 Days

Posted on October 12, 2007 by Richard WingerOctober 12, 2007

The period October 12-15 will make election law news. In California, Governor Schwarzenegger must sign or veto three election laws. One makes it more difficult for initiatives to get on the ballot; one makes it easier for write-in votes to be counted; one expands Instant Runoff-Voting.

In Illinois, the fate of the National Popular Vote Plan should be decided.

In New Jersey, a state court is likely to rule on whether the Libertarian who qualified for public funding can have “Clean Elections Candidate” printed on the November 2007 ballot next to his name (his Democratic and Republican opponents will have such a label next to their names. The Libertarian qualified but without a court order, he doesn’t get the “Clean” label). The ballots need to be printed so this decision can’t wait.

Ontario Proportional Representation Got 37%

Posted on October 12, 2007 by Richard WingerOctober 12, 2007

The Ontario provincial election of October 10 featured a ballot question, asking voters if they wish to switch to proportional representation. It only got 37%. It needed 60% in order to win. The previous post saying it got 54% was erroneous.

In the Ontario provincial elections, the Liberal Party won 70 seats, the Conservative Party 26 seats, and the New Democrats won 11 seats. The Green Party didn’t win any, even though it polled 8% of the popular vote. The strongest Green candidate, Shane Jolley, polled 34% and came in second, in the district named Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound.