What’s Geauxing On: Everybody’s Copying Louisiana?
January 12, 2011
When one thinks of Louisiana, the first thing that comes to most people’s mind is likely not “model for electoral reform.” This, after all, is the electoral system that in recent years has brought a veritable parade of politicians whose terms in office have transitioned into terms in prison on corruption charges. That’s why it may come as a surprise that there are movements afoot in states across the country to adopt the most unique element of Louisiana’s electoral system.
In 1976, Louisiana adopted a non-partisan blanket primary system for both its state and congressional elections. Also known as an “open” or “top-two” primary, this unique system puts candidates of every party on the same ballot for the primary. If any one candidate receives a majority of votes, that candidate is elected without any need for a general election. If, as frequently happens when there are more than two candidates on the ballot, no candidate wins a majority of votes, the top-two candidates go on to a run-off general election. The goal of open primaries is to promote the election of more moderate candidates. The theory, however, is controversial. (more…)
Voters Demand a Fair and Impartial Judiciary: NOW WHAT?!
January 10, 2011
The other candidate is lazy, soft on crime; a politician. These are the accusations blaring over Alabama airwaves, but you would be mistaken to think that 2012 White House hopefuls have begun campaigning. No, these are the television spots for Alabama Supreme Court candidates. These messages and others like them are often funded by large interest groups like the Alabama Democratic Party, and linked with the plaintiffs’ bar, the Business Council of Alabama, and groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. According to the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, Alabama’s judicial elections are the most expensive in the nation, with Supreme Court candidates having raised $40.9 million from 2000-2009. (more…)
Holiday Hiatus
December 3, 2010
State of Elections is going on a temporary hiatus for the next few weeks. Exams begin next week at William & Mary, and shortly after that we take our well-deserved winter break. We will be posting a few new articles periodically over the next few weeks, so make sure to check in every now and then. We’ll return to our normal, thrice weekly posting schedule on January 10th.
See you next year!
I Know What You Did Last Summer: Signed a Petition in Washington
December 1, 2010
Last year, female Facebook users around the world updated their status messages with their bra color. Version 2.0 of this breast cancer awareness marketing strategy ran this year. Perhaps some things should be kept private. But what about our politics? As vast amounts of information goes digital – from individual campaign contributions to the personal communications of our officials – traditional notions of privacy are giving way to an era of sunshine in all aspects of our lives.
Enter (from stage right) Tim Eyman, a veteran ballot initiative activist in the state of Washington. If state-wide ballot initiatives create a de facto citizen legislature, then Eyman is the conservative Washington citizen’s whip. To get an idea on the ballot, initiative supporters must sign petitions, and give such information as their home addresses to verify they’re eligible to sign. (more…)
Optical Scanners, Punch Cards, and Levers: New York City’s Continuing War Against the Machines
November 29, 2010
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| Photo taken at New York’s 32nd Precinct. Voters had some difficulty with New York’s new “Terminator” voting machines. |
In the fallout of the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election, the U.S. Congress and President Bush passed the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (“HAVA”) to prevent a recurrence of the voter confusion and vote invalidation that occurred in that election. Among its provisions, HAVA required states to create electronic voter registration lists, implement stricter voter identification standards, and transition to modern electronic voting machines. These changes were met with resistance from voting rights advocates and state officials; nevertheless the number of HAVA compliant localities continues to increase. New York remained among the states that did not implement key provisions of HAVA, even in the face of challenges from the U.S. Justice Department. (more…)
Hotspots: Key Post-Election Disputes in the States
November 26, 2010
Keep checking back here for links to the latest state midterm election results and recount coverage
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois (Gubernatorial, House), Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri,New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington
SENATE
Joe Miller, the Republican candidate for Senate in Alaska, will probably require a hand recount of the write-in votes before he will concede the race.
Wednesday night, Democrat Scott McAdams conceded the race after only getting 23% of the vote.
Murkowski and Miller are preparing for the next round of ballot counting that will begin next week. Murkowski has set up a separate campaign account to support campaign efforts in the counting process.
Joe Miller is questioning the fairness of the process and has filed a lawsuit in federal court to prevent misspelled ballots being counted for Senator Lisa Murkowski.
The Associated Press reports that a federal court judge has denied Republican Joe Miller’s request for an injunction to stop the counting of incorrectly spelled write-in ballots.
Live coverage of the counting is being streamed online.
The Court has rejected Miller’s request to stop the recount. The count now shows Murkowski with 98% of the initial write-in vote.
Joe Miller’s prospects for victory are getting slimmer, and the lawyers are starting to leave Alaska.
Alaska election officials have completed the fifth day of counting write-in ballots. Senator Lisa Murkowski has retained 89% of write-in votes
With almost all votes counted, Senator Lisa Murkowski currently has an edge of over 2,000 votes over Republican Joe Miller. Murkowski’s total does not include the over 10,000 challenged ballots.
As counting ends, Murkowski is heading back home and is expected to declare victory soon. 8,135 ballots have been challenged, but even if all of those ballots were thrown out by the Court, Murkowski would still be ahead by more than 2,000 votes.
With all but 700 write-in votes counted, Senator Lisa Murkowski has declared victory over Republican candidate Joe Miller. The AP called the race for Murkowski Wednesday evening.
Joe Miller is asking a federal judge to stop election officials from certifying results declaring Murkowski the winner. Murkowski leads by about 10,400 votes; Miller has challenged 8,153 of the ballots counted for Murkowski.
A federal judge has granted Joe Miller (R) a temporary injunction preventing election officials from naming Senator Lisa Murkowski the winner. Miller filed his complaint on the grounds that the counting of misspelled ballots for Murkowski violates state law. Miller will now bring the issue to state court.
Attorneys for the state of Alaska have asked a judge to decide the case over contested absentee ballots by next week. The case will be heard Wednesday in state court in Juneau. Senator Lisa Murkowski is seeking to intervene in the suit. Her attorneys have said her seniority will be in jeopardy if she is not sworn in when the new Congress meets in January. (more…)
“MOVE” Act Created Urgency for NH Election Officials
November 24, 2010
As New Hampshire voters were casting ballots in their state’s September 14 primary, local and state election officers were anxiously preparing to tabulate and certify the results with greater urgency than usual. The pressure to confirm town and city results with all possible speed was a reaction to certain provisions of the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act (MOVE Act) signed into law by President Obama in 2009. In particular, the Act requires states to be able to provide U.S. soldiers and citizens abroad with their respective absentee ballots “not later than 45 days” before an election. With this year’s general election set for November 2, New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner was left with a mere four day interval to affirm the primary results and furnish general election ballots in accord with the 45-day requirement. (more…)
In the Silver State, Sometimes the Silver Medalist Walks Away the Winner
November 22, 2010
The 2008 Democratic primary battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama was a long and unpredictable run of events. Never was this truer than in the Nevada Caucuses, where exactly the opposite of the state ethos occurred: it was not winner take all. Shortly after the major news networks declared that Hillary Clinton had won a majority of the precinct caucus delegates (by a 7% margin) they surprisingly declared that Barack Obama had won the majority of the state’s delegates to the national convention.
This odd outcome was the result of a delegate allocation which sought to ensure that northern and rural Nevada, not just Las Vegas, had a voice in the decision making process. (more…)
What Do You Mean, “One Person?”
November 17, 2010
For nearly half a century, American courts have looked to the “one person, one vote” standard as the guiding principle in reapportionment and redistricting cases. This doctrine, first laid forth in Reynolds v. Sims (1963), holds that “the constitutional test for the validity of districting schemes shall be one of population equality among the various districts.” Since that time the principle has become a central tenet in redistricting, and indeed as the country heads into the post-2010 round of redistricting, the courts’ understanding of one person, one vote remains largely unchanged. That is, unless one Dallas suburb can upset it. (more…)
Montana Eyes Voting By Mail
November 15, 2010
Montanans are currently embroiled in a debate over whether to transition to a vote-by-mail system, a move that could make Montana the third state, after Oregon and Washington (which has a “county option”) to adopt the mail ballot system. The State Association of Clerks and Recorders have come out in support of the proposal, calling the proposal their “top legislative priority” in the face of increased use by voters, higher costs, administrative difficulties, and the potential for higher turnout. The group previously supported legislation calling for a “county option” in the 2009 Legislature, and proposed a similar draft bill to the State Administration and Veterans Affairs (SAVA) interim committee in June 2010. (more…)