California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has informed the legislature that he is opposed to the bills that legalize write-in votes even when the voter fails to “X” the box next to the name written in. Senator Debra Bowen will press ahead with her bill on this subject, SB 1050. It has already passed the Senate. The sponsor of the Assembly bill on the same subject (AB 43), Assemblyman Juan Vargas, has given up this year.
On June 10, the US Court of Appeals, DC circuit, reversed the lower court decision that had told the Federal Election Commission to re-visit the question of whether the Commission on Presidential Debates is biased against minor parties. The decision is here.
On June 3, Minnesota’s Governor signed HF 1481, which provides a third means for a party to obtain or keep “qualified status”.
The veto of Colorado HB 1147 (the bill liberalizing the rules on who can be a petition circulator) has revived a pending lawsuit in federal court, Koehler v Davidson, 04B-1377. The lawsuit challenges Colorado law that won’t let anyone circulate a petition outside his or her home district. The plaintiffs wants to help get a Democratic candidate on the primary ballot, by carrying his petition, but they live outside the district. The judge had put the suit on hold since he knew the legislature was in the process of repealing the restriction. But now that the bill has been vetoed, the lawsuit will proceed.
HR 1316, a campaign finance bill, passed the US House Administration Committee on June 8. It is co-sponsored by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Indiana) and Rep. Albert Wynn (D-Maryland). It will probably receive a vote in the full House in July.
Current law controls the amount of money an individual can give to political parties in support of that party’s federal campaigns. Current law sets these limits for every two-year period: $53,400 to the national committee of a political party; $53,400 to the same party’s senate campaign committee; and $53,400 to the same party’s house campaign committee. Also, the same individual can give $20,000 to a state political party for use in federal races.
However, current law says the combined total that an individual can give in a two-year period to all these party committees is capped at $101,400. HR 1316 removes this cap. Therefore, if someone as wealthy as Ross Perot were financing the birth of a new political party, that individual (if the bill passes) could give $1,180,200 to that new party for federal campaign activity, instead of only $101,400, in a 2-year period.
