The Independent View: Electionline Weekly Jan-5-2017

Legislative Updates

Florida: State Sen. Frank Artiles has introduced a bill (SB 224) that would make it a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by 1 year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine if a voter takes a ballot selfie.

Georgia: Rep. Roger Bruce (D-Atlanta) has pre-filed HB 22 which would allow voters to cast ballots in any precinct in their Home County on Election Day.

North Dakota: Secretary of State Al Jaeger is asking the State Legislature for the funds to purchase new Voting equipment for the State as well as E-Pollbooks. He has asked for a $9 million appropriation. The State’s Voting system is about 13 years old. "Even at that time, though the equipment came in fancy new boxes, the technology was already aged," Jaeger told Prairie Public Radio. "We're now at a point where the voting system is not being supported any more."

Virginia: Del. Greg Habeed is proposing Legislation that would automatically restore the Voting rights of Non-Violent Ex-Offenders. "It's streamlining the process for those people who deserve streamlining," Habeeb told WBDJ. "It's putting some more rigor in place where we think that is important, more accountability and it's also addressing all rights, not just political rights, but constitutional rights specifically the second amendment rights."

Wyoming: Rep. Dan Zwonitzer (R-Cheyenne) has introduced House Bill 68 that would give County Clerks additional time to count Mail-In Absentee ballots. HB68 would allow County Clerks to accept and count the Ballots until the Canvassing Board Certifies the Election as long as the Ballots are postmarked on Election Day. Currently all Ballots must be in the Clerk’s office by the time polls close.

Legal Updates

New York: State Supreme Court Justice Alan Scheinkman on Tuesday ruled that County GOP Chairman Lawrence Garvey and the Party's Executive Committee had properly selected Patricia Giblin to replace Louis “Butch” Babcock as the Rockland County GOP Election Commissioner.

North Carolina: The North Carolina GOP has appealed a Lower Court’s ruling overturning the State’s 2013 Election overhaul to the U.S. Supreme Court. According to WFAE, Attorneys for North Carolina say in the eyes of those Appeals Judges, "It is always 1965." In the State's Petition asking the Supreme Court to take the case, Attorneys argue the Lower Court jumped to racial conclusions over fairly Standard Election practices. They point out the Republican changes would've put North Carolina's Election Policies in the mainstream of other States. They warn the ruling provides a roadmap for invalidating many other State Laws.

U.S. Virgin Islands: A sitting member of the St. Thomas-St. John Elections Board and three others have filed a Lawsuit seeking access to the V.I. Elections System’s server, which the Board’s Chairman has criticized as frivolous.

Wisconsin: Prosecutors in Onalaska have charged a convicted felon with Voter fraud. According to the Courier Life, Mark Fisher, who is currently serving probation, admitting to voting in both the Presidential Primary and General Election. He told officials that he knew he was ineligible to vote, but did so because he “felt that his election was important.”

Wyoming: The Laramie County Clerk’s office has forwarded 27 potential cases of Local Voter Registration fraud to the District Attorney’s office. Of the potential cases, 11 were flagged for potentially being felons and 16 were flagged for potentially being non-citizens.