The Independent View: Electionline Weekly Sept-6-2018

Legislative Updates

Colorado: The Golden City Council has referred a Measure to the November Ballot that would give 16-year-olds the Right to Vote in Local Elections on Issues and Candidates. If Approved, Golden would become the first Locality in Colorado to extend Voting Rights to those under 18.

Ohio: Akron has gathered enough Signatures to allow Voters to decide in November whether or not the City’s Primary Election should be Moved from September to May. Because moving the Election is a Charter issue, it must be Approved by Voters.

Pennsylvania: Erie City Councilwoman, Kathy Schaaf, has introduced a Resolution to proclaim September 25th as Voter Registration Day in Erie. "We are living in a very crucial time in our history, and we need more people to realize the power that they have in their vote," Schaaf said.

Legal Updates

Arizona: The State of Arizona has reached an Agreement with several Groups including Mi Familia Vota, Promise Arizona, and the League of Women Voters of Arizona, who had threatened to Sue over about 300,000 Potential Voters who weren’t offered a required Chance to Register to Vote when they Contacted the State’s Department of Economic Security or the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. Affected Voters will get a Bilingual Letter explaining that they should have been offered the Chance to Register to Vote.

Florida: U.S. District Court Judge Mark walker heard Arguments this week over whether or not 32 Florida Counties should provide Bilingual Ballots for the November Elections. The Suit was brought by Mi Familia and other Organizations on behalf of the influx of Puerto Rican Voters the State has seen since Hurricane Maria. A Coalition of Counties argued before Walker that there simply is not time to provide the Ballots in Spanish. Although he did not Rule yet, Walker seemed to Agree with the Supervisors of Election.

Illinois: McLean County Circuit Judge Paul Lawrence has Ruled that a Referendum to Disband the Bloomington Election Commission should Proceed after he found 1,187 Petition Signatures were Valid. The Referendum needed 1,000 Signatures to make the Ballot.

Kansas: The Kansas Supreme Court has Ordered Douglas County to summon a Citizen-Initiated Grand Jury to Investigate allegations that Secretary of State, Kris Kobach’s Office. Mishandled Voter Registration Forms during the 2016 Election. In a One-Page Order Signed by Chief Justice Lawton Nuss, the Court Denied Kobach’s Request to Review a Kansas Court of Appeals Decision in June that said Lawrence Resident, Steven Davis, had met the Legal Requirement for Circulating Petitions to Summon a Grand Jury.

Michigan: College Democrats from the University of Michigan and Michigan State University have filed Suit against Secretary of State, Ruth Johnson, alleging that State Voting Laws Discriminate against Younger Voters. The Suit asks a Federal Judge to Declare Unconstitutional a State Law that Requires a Voter’s Residence for Voter Registration purposes to Match the Address on the Voter’s Driver’s License.

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 Decision has Blocked a Lower Court Ruling that would have Struck Down the State’s 2016 Law Banning Straight-Ticket Voting. The Appeals Court said "there are very serious problems with both the factual underpinnings and the legal analysis" of the Lower Court's Opinion.

New Mexico: The New Mexico Republican and Libertarian Parties, along with Two Outside Political Groups and a Democratic Write-In Candidate, filed a Petition with the State Supreme Court late Thursday seeking to Bar the Straight-Party Voting Option for the Nov. 6th Election.

Texas: Crystal Mason, 43 of Tarrant County, has been Ordered to spend 10 Months in Jail followed by 26 Months of Supervised Release after She Illegally Cast a Ballot in the 2016 Election while still on Parole for another Charge.

U.S. Virgin Islands: The U.S. Solicitor General, Noel Francisco, has filed Paperwork with the U.S. Supreme Court Rejecting any Responsibility of the Federal Government for a Law Preventing some Territorial Residents from Voting Absentee in Federal Elections.