California Democrat Will Try to Qualify National Popular Vote Plan as an Initiative

California businessman Tom Steyer, a Democrat, has filed paperwork to launch an initiative campaign to place the National Popular Vote Plan before California voters. That proposal, if it qualifies, would compete with the Republican plan to elect one elector from each U.S. House district. See here for more about the Steyer plan.

Fulani Wing of NY Independence Party Defeats State Officers in Court

On August 20, the New York Supreme Court in Brooklyn ruled in favor of the Fulani wing of the New York Independence Party, and against the party’s statewide officers. The case is Conroy v State Committee of Independence Party, no. 700025-07. The issue is whether the state committee of the Independence Party could deprive some duly constituted county units of the party from controlling who runs in the party’s primary. The state party had passed a bylaw saying that upstate counties could continue to enjoy that right, but that the New York city units of the party could not. The court ruled that the state party bylaw conflicts with the state election code. Thanks to Bill Van Allen for this news.