At the November 8, 2022 election, six independents were elected to the Alaska State House. Ironically, however, none of them were helped by Ranked Choice Voting. In all six races, either the independent had no opponent, or had just one opponent. So RCV didn’t have any effect on the race.
The six are Daniel Ortiz, Rebecca Himschoot, Calvin Schrage, Alyse Galvin, Bryce Edgmon, and Josiah Patkotak. The latter two were unopposed. The first four each had a Republican opponent.
On November 4, the National Republican Senatorial Committee filed a federal lawsuit to overturn the federal campaign law that limits how much money parties can contribute to their nominees. Parties can already contribute an unlimited amount if the money is not coordinated with the candidate’s campaign, but there are limits if the party coordinates with the candidate.
The case is filed in Ohio. National Republican Senatorial Committee v FEC, 1:22cv-639. In order for this lawsuit to win, it will be necessary to persuade the courts that the U.S. Supreme Court was wrong when it upheld limits in 2001 in FEC v Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee. That was a 5-4 decision. It is likely that the Republican Party will lose this lawsuit in the lower federal courts, and that the U.S. Supreme Court will then hear the case. Scholars generally deplore the status quo, in which political parties have fewer rights to contribute money than virtually any other non-corporate groups. Thanks to the Institute for Free Speech for this news.
The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Douglas R. Cole, a Trump appointee. J.D. Vance is a co-plaintiff, along with Steven Chabot.
On November 29, the Michigan Senate Elections Committee passed SB 1207, which moves the presidential primary from the second Tuesday in March to the second Tuesday in February. Later in the day, the Senate passed the bill, 34-1. The sponsor is a Republican but the bill had bipartisan support in the Senate. UPDATE: see this analysis of the bill from FrontloadingHQ.
The date of the Michigan presidential primary has no bearing on any petition deadlines, nor on the primary for non-presidential office, which would continue to be in August.
In 2020, New Hampshire held its presidential primary on the second Tuesday in February. If Michigan SB 1207 passes, the New Hampshire primary will move into January. The New Hampshire Secretary of State controls the date of the New Hampshire presidential primary; no legislative action is needed in New Hampshire.
The Michigan legislature adjourns soon, so if the bill is to pass in this session, the House will need to act quickly.
On November 29, the Ninth Circuit upheld California’s rules for recalls for state office. The California law says recalls shall simultaneously first ask the voters if they want to recall the officer. Then, on the same ballot, voters are asked to choose a replacement, in case the recall succeeds. But the person being recalled is not permitted to be listed as a candidate on that second half of the ballot.
A voter had sued, arguing that he ought to have a right to vote for the person being recalled on the second half of the ballot. Specifically, he had argued that he should be permitted to vote for Gavin Newsom in the California gubernatorial recall of 2021. But the court did not find any constitutional flaw in the California recall system. Thanks to Steve Kamp for this news. Here is the decision in Clark v Weber, 21-56337.
The American Solidarity Party will hold its 2024 presidential nominating convention in the summer of 2023, in Plano, Texas.
