Seems like time for a recap (or scorecard).
The U.S. Supreme Court restored Ohio’s cutbacks in early voting, which a district court had put on hold and the Sixth Circuit had affirmed.
A three judge panel of Kansas judges did not force Democrats to run a candidate in the Kansas U.S. Senate race, and ballots are now being printed without a Democrat, a move expected to hurt the incumbent Republican Senator Pat Roberts (running against independent Greg Orman)
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit temporarily put on hold two aspects of North Carolina’s restrictive voting laws—an end to same day voter registration and and end of counting of ballots cast in the wrong precinct. North Carolina has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and the Chief Justice has asked for a response from voting rights advocates by Sunday at 5.
After the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit divided 5-5 over whether Wisconsin’s voter id law can be implemented right now, before a final appeal is considered on whether the id requirement violates the Constitution or the Voting Rights Act, challengers of the law have gone to the Supreme Court to get the id requirement blocked for use in this election. Justice Kagan has asked for a response from Wisconsin by Tuesday at 5.
The Mississippi Supreme Court heard oral arguments over whether Chris McDaniel’s election challenge in the U.S. Senate Republican primary against incumbent Thad Cochran was untimely.
The Arkansas Supreme Court heard oral arguments over whether the state’s voter id law was properly put on hold by a trial court.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear major cases involving whether citizen redistricting commissions for Congressional districts violate state legislature’s power to set the rules for Congressional elections and a case on judicial campaign speech.
And we are still expecting a ruling any time from federal district court on whether Texas’s voter id law violates the Constitution and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
Yes, we are just weeks before the election and the voting wars are more than heating up.