On April 16, New Hampshire Governor John Lynch signed SB 36 into law. It bans the “straight-ticket” device. A “straight-ticket” device is a choice at the top of a ballot, which, if chosen, lets a voter vote for every partisan office in a single motion, without even reading the ballot to see which candidates are running. There is a separate entry for each party on the ballot. For example, if the voter chooses the “Republican Party” choice, then the ballot is automatically marked for every Republican nominee listed on the ballot for all partisan offices.

Straight ticket devices still exist in 15 states. Bills to ban them are also pending in Texas, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island.

On April 19, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 1905 by a vote of 241-177. It expands the size of the House from 435 to 437, and gives another seat to Utah, and a seat to the District of Columbia.

On April 19, USA Today ran an editorial endorsing the use of Instant-Runoff Voting. It can be read here. Thanks to Rick Hasen for this news.