Broward County, Florida, requires high school seniors to complete 20 hours of community service, to graduate. On August 17, the County School Board amended the policy to include political campaigning as part of the definition of “community service.” County Board member Robert Parks opposed the change. He said, “This has all the features of controversy. It opens up a whole new bag of worms. There are approximately 24 political parties registered in Broward County. Some of the parties, such as the Socialist Workers Party, are inconsistent with the character values of this school district.” However, Parks was outvoted.

On August 28, the national committee of the Green Party chose Chicago as the site of the 2008 national convention. One factor boosting Chicago was that the Green Party of Illinois is a fully-qualified party in Illinois, as a result of having polled over 5% for Governor in 2006. The Green Party is the first nationally-organized third party to be fully ballot-qualified in Illinois since 1922. So, by choosing Chicago, the party highlights that success in Illinois.

The convention dates are July 10-13, 2008.

Two interesting California election law bills may receive a vote in the Assembly on August 29 or August 30. One is the National Popular Vote Plan, SB 37. The other bill would make it more difficult for initiatives to get on the ballot, by restricting who can circulate a petition. It is SB 408.