Legislative Updates
California: ACA 8 which would have Lowered California’s Voting Age to 17 and was Approved by the Assembly in August Failed to get Senate Approval by the September 13th Deadline.
Kansas: Gov. Laura Kelly visited Sedgwick County to Sign New Legislation into Law that will allow Counties to move to a Vote Center Model. Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Tabitha Lehman is a Strong Proponent of the Bill.
Minnesota: After a Study Session, the Minnetonka City Council has tasked the Charter Commission with further Study of whether or not the City should move to a Ranked-Choice Voting system.
New Hampshire: The Legislature was Unable to Override several Vetoes by Gov. Chris Sununu (R) including a Bill that had Reversed Voter Registration Requirements.
New Jersey: The Legislature is considering a Bill that would give Poll Workers a 50% Pay Raise, their First in 18 years. They are currently paid $200 per Election, with the State Paying $125 of that. A Bipartisan Bill seeks to Increase that to $300 and would Require the State Government, not Counties, to Pay the Additional $100.
Wyoming: This week lawmakers Vote Down Pieces of Elections-Related Legislation. One Defeated Bill would have Eliminated the Practice of Crossover Voting in Primary Elections and another Defeated a Piece of Legislation that would have Required a State-Issued Photo ID in Order to Vote.
In October 1st, 2020, A Voter ID will Not be needed as All State Driver Licenses and State ID Cards will have Verified Citizenship.
Legal Updates
Alaska: Anchorage Judge Yvonne Lamoureaux has Granted Permission for a Political Group that introduced a Ballot Measure to Overhaul Alaska Elections, including Implementing Ranked-Choice Voting, to begin Collecting Signatures while the Application is being Litigated.
Arizona: As part of a Settlement with The Navajo Nation, Arizona Voters who Forget to Sign their Early Ballot Envelope will have a Chance after Election Day to Fix their Mistake. Secretary of State Katie Hobbs has Agreed to a New Policy to Require Officials to Notify Voters about Missing Signatures on Early Ballots and give them Five Business days after an Election to Remedy the Problem.
Florida: Judge Robert Hinkle turned Down Gov. Ron DeSantis’(R) Request to put On-Hold a Challenge to a New State Law that Requires those who wish to have their Voting Rights Restored, as Determined by Amendment 4, to Fulfill All Financial Obligations. The State had asked the Court to put the Challenge On-Hold while the State’s Supreme Court considers the Constitutionality of Amendment 4.
Kentucky: Kentucky State Police Seized a Computer Tuesday from the Office of the Secretary of State as part of an Ongoing Investigation into how Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes (R) and her Aides used Voter Data.
New Jersey: Michael Gibbons, 33, who Served as the Deputy Chief of the Atlantic County Superintendent of Elections Office has been Indicted on Charges that he Ran an Overtime Scheme to make Extra Cash. He is Accused of Paying County Workers to Clean-Out his Mother’s Attic.
Tennessee: U.S. Judge Aleta Trauger has Blocked Tennessee’s New Voter Registration Law which would have Penalized Third-Party Groups for everything from Incomplete Forms to Forms that weren’t turned in Quickly enough. “There is simply no basis in the record for concluding that the Act will provide much benefit to Tennesseans, and even less reason to think that any benefit will come close to outweighing the harms to Tennesseans (and non-Tennesseans) who merely wish to exercise their core constitutional rights of participating in the political process by encouraging voter registration,” Trauger wrote when she Approved the Preliminary Injunction in the days before her Ruling.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker Ruled that a Lawsuit filed by a Group of Shelby County Voters Challenging the Security of the State’s Voting Machines Failed to Show that Any Harm has come to Plaintiffs and that they have No Standing to bring Suit.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
