Here is an interesting story about the problems that have cropped up in Eastland County, Texas, after the county and the Republican Party decided to count ballots by hand in the upcoming March 3 Texas Republican primary.
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U.S. SUPREME COURT BOOSTS RIGHT TO AN ACCURATE VOTE TALLY
On January 14, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Bost v Illinois State Board, 24-568. It ruled that candidates have automatic standing to challenge election laws that, in the opinion of the candidate, result in slightly inaccurate vote totals. It doesn’t matter if the perceived problem affects the determination of who had won the election or not. Accuracy is intrinsically valuable and essential, for its own sake, even if it is obvious who won the election.
The vote was 7-2, with dissents from Justices Sotomayor and Jackson.
The case had been filed in 2024 by an Illinois Republican Congressmember Michael J. Bost. He is noted for always winning overwhelmingly, sometimes with over 75%. He complained about an Illinois law that says postal ballots are valid as long as they arrive within 14 days of the election.
Rutland, Vermont will hold a special election on March 3 to elect a new Mayor. No candidates’ names are printed on the ballot. All voters will write-in their choice. See this story.
On January 13, the Wisconsin State Elections Commission removed a judicial candidate from the ballot because her statement of candidacy was notarized improperly. The candidate, Christine Hansen, had been thought to have a chance to win a State Appeals Court election. But her husband notarized her paperwork, which was improper. See this story.
On February 24, Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed SB 12, which prevents any local government from using ranked choice voting for elections for its own officers. No locality in Indiana currently uses RCV.