Legislative Updates
District of Columbia: Councilmember David Grosso (I-At-Large Member) introduced several pieces of Election-related Legislation this week including the Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) Amendment Act of 2019 that would Implement RCV in All City Elections.
The Local Residents Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2019 that would Allow Permanent Residents who are on the path to U.S. Citizenship, the Right to Vote in Local Elections.
Vermont: By a 10-2 Vote, the Burlington City Council has Approved a Resolution that seeks to Allow Non-Citizens to Vote in City Elections. The Proposal now heads to the Charter Change Committee which could Add an Amendment to the City’s Charter, but it would need ultimate Approval from the Legislature.
Legal Updates
Arizona: Richard John Greenfield, 80, pleaded Guilty to One Count of Attempted Illegal Voting and was Sentenced to Two years of Probation after Admitting that he Voted Twice in 2016.
Florida: At the end of a Two-day Hearing on the Implementation of Amendment 4, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle called the Process “an administrative nightmare,” and urged the Florida Legislature to Revamp a State Law aimed at Carrying Out a Constitutional Amendment that Restores Voting Rights to Felons who have Completed their Sentences.
Missouri: The State Supreme Court is weighing a Portion of the State’s Photo ID Law that Requires those without a Photo ID to Sign a Sworn Statement. Senior Cole Co. Circuit Court Judge Richard Callahan Struck Down that Provision in 2018 saying that the Affidavit was Misleading because it Implied Proper Photo ID is Necessary to Vote, despite the Fact that the Law had Allowed Voters Without ID who Signed the Affidavit to Cast Ballots.
New York: William Mann, 61, of Cutchogue and Gregory Dickerson, 55, of Mattituck, both Former Republican Board of Elections Employees in Suffolk County had Felony Forgery Charges against them Dropped to Disorderly Conduct. The Charges stemmed from a Scheme in which Green Party Members Claimed that Republicans had “hijacked” the Green Party Line on the Nov. 2018 Ballot for Three Countywide Judge Positions. The Members claimed that they were told the Petition Carriers were Helping Green Party Judicial Candidates on the Ballot, even though the Green Party Didn’t have any such Candidates.
Ted Hamm, Chair of the Journalism and New Media Studies Program at St. Joseph’s College, filed a Request in Queens Supreme Court to obtain a Court Order that would Unlock 353 Affidavit Ballots, with Voter Information Redacted, that the BOE Never Counted in the 2019 Democratic Primary for Queens District Attorney.
Ohio: Almost a year after the November 2018 General Election, Marion County Common Pleas Court Judge William Finnegan Ordered the Marion County BOE to Conduct a Hand Recount of 16 Precincts in the County Prosecutor’s Race.
Pennsylvania: The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced a Settlement with York County over Polling Place Accessibility. Officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice found “barriers to access” at Several Polling Places they Surveyed during the Primary in 2018. Under the Settlement Agreement, the County will Evaluate each Current and Prospective Polling Place to make sure it meets ADA Standards. Any Inaccessible Polling Places must be Relocated or Retrofitted with Temporary Measures on Election Day, such as Portable Ramps, Signs, or Doorbells.
Tennessee: A Judge issued a Temporary Restraining Order against the Shelby County Election Commission that Allows Campaign Workers to use Restrooms in Polling Places. Campaign Workers will be Permitted to Use the Restrooms as long as they have No Campaign Material with them and aren’t Wearing anything Campaign-Related.
Also in Shelby County, a Group of Voters is Appealing a Judge’s Dismissal of a Lawsuit Challenging the Security of Voting Machines in Tennessee’s Largest County and Calling for a Switch to a Handwritten Ballot and a Voter-Verifiable Paper Trail.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
