Here, at the ACSblog.
Monthly Archives: September 2011
“Independent investigator: Waukesha Clerk likely violated election law”
Kathy Nickolaus found to commit non-wilful violation of law.
Regular Blogging to Resume Next Week
“Campaign-finance law argued before Colorado Supreme Court”
Interesting issue, with potential ramifications for federal campaigns.
“Pennsylvanians Want to Keep Winner-Take-All”
Political Wire reports. Of course, it is what the Pa. legislature, not the voters want, which counts here.
Looks Like Wisconsin Republicans Want to Interfere with the Nonpartisan Government Accountability Board, in Possible Benefit to Governor During Recall Attempt
This is troubling,especially given that Wisconsin’s GAB has been one of the only efforts to expand nonpartisan election administration on the state level since 2000.
Recall Effort Against Saguache County Clerk in Election Ballot Battle
See here.
“Democracy 21 and Campaign Legal Center Challenge Tax-Exempt Status of Groups Engaged in Campaign Activities, Urge Prompt Investigations and Action by IRS”
Press release: “Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center sent a letter today to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) challenging the eligibility of four organizations engaged in campaign activity to be treated as 501(c)(4) tax exempt organizations. Democracy 21 took the lead in preparing the IRS letter.”
” Arizona and sham candidates — comparing different recall set ups”
“Democracy Loses with Super PACs”
Fred Wertheimer has written this Politico oped.
“L.A. County rejects bid for second Latino-majority district”
The LA Times offers this report.
“Eleventh-hour lawmaking with morning-after questions; Passed in the chaos of the Legislature’s last hours, a senator’s ‘gut and amend’ bill on notifying women about breast cancer risks could bring a multimillion-dollar windfall to a firm in his district.”
The LA Times on “gut and amend.”
When the Right to Vote is Not Enough
An interesting global perspective from the NY Times: Our parents are grateful because they’re voting,” said Marta Solanas, 27, referring to older Spaniards’ decades spent under the Franco dictatorship. “We’re the first generation to say that voting is worthless.”
Why Did Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas Change His Vote and Approve a Redistricting Plan for LA County without a Second Majority Latino District?
He probably thought he’d have better luck getting the courts to create such a district when MALDEF challenges the Knabe plan than rolling the dice on a districting plan by LA Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley, Sheriff Lee Baca and Assessor John Noguez.
I expect the Voting Rights Act section 2 litigation to be quite hard fought and the outcome controversial. Though redistricting often flies below the radar, this case will go to the very essence of political representation and race in Los Angeles county.