On February 19, Oklahoma SB16 passed the Senate Rules Committee. It ends the straight-ticket device. Similar bills are pending in Kentucky, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Texas.
Reply
On March 7, the Arkansas Senate passed HB1509 unanimously. It expands Instant-Runoff Voting for use in partisan primaries. Existing Arkansas law already lets overseas military voters use it, and HB 1509 extends this to overseas civilians as well. The Governor is expected to sign the bill soon.
Back on November 27, 2006, a U.S. District Court in Cincinnati struck down an Ohio law that made it illegal for circulators to be paid per signature. That decision is now reported. Citizens for Tax Reform v Deters, 462 F Supp 2d 827 (S.D. Ohio, 2006).
When a decision is reported, it is more influential. This decision is particularly well-reasoned, and it will help, as activists try to stop bills to outlaw paying circulators per signature now pending in the Washington and Montana legislatures.
On March 1, a U.S. District Court in Northern California struck down a city ordinance that made it illegal for candidates to post campaign signs earlier than 90 days before an election, and also prohibited such signs on public property. Maguire v City of American Canyon, c-06-5681.
On March 6, the California Assembly passed SB 113 by a vote of 46-29. It now goes to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has already said he will sign it. It moves the presidential primary from June to February 5, while retaining June as the primary for all other office. This is the first time California will have had two regularly-scheduled statewide primaries since 1940. Back then, the California presidential primary was in May and the primary for other office was in August.