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Electionline Weekly Sept-20-2018


Legislative Updates

California: Gov. Jerry Brown has Signed the Every Vote Counts Act into Law. Under the New Law, Voters will be provided an Opportunity to Verify Signatures on their Vote-by-Mail Ballots.

Maine: The Maine Legislature adjourned for the Year without being able to muster the Votes to Override Gov. Paul LePage’s Veto of a Bill that would have provided Additional Funding to the Secretary of State’s Office to cover the Costs of using Ranked-Choice Voting in the November Election. The Secretary of State's Office will now have to find the additional Funds.

New York: The State Senate has announced that it will hold Hearings into Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order that Automatically Restored the Voting Rights of more than 24,000 Parolees. “I am troubled by the seeming automatic release of cop killers, sex offenders and violent felons who now have had their rights restored through a questionable process,” Sen. Pat Gallivan (R-Erie County 59th District), who Chairs the Criminal Justice Committee said. The Hearings will be held on Oct. 1st and 2nd in Albany and on Long Island.

Vermont: This week, the Winooski City Council Blocked a Ballot Initiative that would have asked Residents whether or not Voting Rights should be Extended to Documented Non-Citizens in Local Elections. City Manager, Jesse Backer, said that the Decision to keep the Question Off the Ballot was so that there could be more Community Engagement about the Issue.

Legal Updates

Federal Lawsuits: The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law has field a Federal Lawsuit against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (ICE) arguing that they believe the Current Administration is purposefully Slowing Down the Naturalization Process before the November Election. The Plaintiffs demand Records, Data, and any Information about possible Changes in Training for the Officers who Interview the Applicants. It is alleged that some Interviewers have Departed from Protocol and Engaged in Extreme Vetting.

Alabama: Twitter Users who have been Blocked by Secretary of State, John Merrill, have Sued in Federal Court arguing that he’s Blocking their Right to Free Speech. Merrill said on Wednesday that he has Blocked People he considers Harassing, Rude, or who "won't listen to reason." But He said "He is one of the most Accessible and Personally Available Elected Officials in the History of the State of Alabama." Merrill said Blocking Twitter Users "doesn't stop them from communicating with me" in other Formats, including his Cellphone. Merrill said he Lists his Cellphone Number on his Office Business Card that he hands out to the Public.

Arizona: Judge James Teilborg has Refused to Order the Secretary of State’s Office to immediately Update Voter Registration Addresses of 384,000 Arizonans who Moved since the Last Election. Teilborg Acknowledged that the State is in Violation of the National Voter Registration Act but said that it would cause Chaos too soon before the Election to Change All the Registrations.

Georgia: U.S. District Judge, Amy Totenberg, Denied a Request for an Injunction that would have Forced the State to Switch from DRE Voting Machines to Paper Ballots by November 6th. In Her 46-page Order She was concerned about “voter frustration and disaffection from the voting process” if she had Prohibited Electronic Voting Machines just Weeks before the Election. “There is nothing like bureaucratic confusion and long lines to sour a citizen,” Totenberg wrote. But She said after the November Election, She would Reconsider the Replacement Options.

Kansas: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is Suing Johnson County in order to get the Names of the Voters whose Provisional Ballots were Denied in the August Primary.

New Hampshire: Grace Fleming, 70 and John Fleming, 71, have been Indicted for Casting an Absentee Ballot in New Hampshire while also Voting in Massachusetts in 2016 General Election. If Convicted, they could face up to 14 Years in Prison.

New Jersey: Republicans will Appeal an Order Issued by a Superior Court Judge on Thursday instructing the Passaic County Clerk to Eliminate Dead Space on the Ballot caused by Special Elections in the 38th District, a move that potentially helps Democrats to Win a County Clerk Seat Republicans have held for the last Ten Years.

Texas: Laura Janeth Garza has been Convicted of Illegally Voting in the 2016 election. Garza, not a U.S. Citizen, used Her Cousin’s Identity to Register to Vote. She is facing Deportation.

In Starr County, the County and the American Civil Rights Union (ACRU) have reached a Settlement in a Suit filed by the ACRU over the County’s Voting Lists. Under the Agreement, in addition to Paying Legal Fees, the County has agreed to Actively Work to Identify and Remove Deceased Voters from the Rolls.

U.S. District Judge, Nelva Gonzales Ramos, issued a Two-Sentence Order Dismissing the Lawsuit challenging the State’s Voter ID Law.

West Virginia: Four Former Employees of the Secretary of State’s Office that had filed Wrongful Termination Lawsuits against Secretary of State, Mac Warner, have Settled Out of Court for a Total of nearly $1 Million.

Jeffrey Hartman, 72, has been Arrested for Voting Illegally in West Virginia and Maryland. An Investigation by the Secretary of State’s Office and the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department found that Hartman has Property in both States and Voted in Multiple Elections for several Years in Both States.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker


     
 
 


This post first appeared on The Independent View, please read the originial post: here

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Electionline Weekly Sept-20-2018

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