The Independent View: Electionline Weekly Sept-14-2017

Legislative Updates

California: Lawmakers have approved Assembly Bill 606 which would allow Election Officials to Print only Summaries of Ballot Measures in Statewide Voter Guides. The Bill requires the Secretary of State to make Clear in future Voter Guides the Internet Address where Voters can find the Full Text of Ballot Measures. Voters would also be given the Option of Calling a Toll-Free Number to Request a Full Guide of the Legal Language.

A Group of Youth Commissioners from Several Cities in the Bay Area Traveled to Sacramento to Lobby on Behalf of ACA 10 which would Lower the State’s Voting Age to 17. According to Assemblyman Evan Low (D-28th District) the Legislation he introduced has Bipartisan Support.

Maryland: Voters in Greenbelt will decide whether or not to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to Vote in Local Elections. The City’s Youth Advisory Committee put the Proposal forward in 2015 and after Two Years of Work, it was Struck Down by a 4-3 Vote of the City Council. Instead the Proposal will appear on the November 7th Ballot.

The College Park City Council Voted 4-3 to allow noncitizens to vote in local elections. The new ordinance will allow All Undocumented Immigrants, Student-Visa Holders, and Residents with Green Cards to Vote in City Elections. About 20% of College Park’s 32,275 Residents are Foreign-Born, according to Data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The University of Maryland Campus, with more than 27,000 Undergraduates, has about 3,600 International Students.

New York: Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has Signed a Bill into Law that will allow Election Inspectors to Work a Split Shift. The New Law Permits Boards of Election to Divide the Shift, thereby Eliminating a Major Obstacle to Election Inspector Recruitment and Retention. The Payment for each Worker would be Adjusted accordingly.

Legal Updates

California: Judge John Menedez has Dismissed a Suit against Siskiyou County Registrar of Voters Colleen Setzer, the County’s Sheriff, several State Employees, and Agencies, brought by Hmong Residents of the County who Alleged in they were Discriminated against during a Voter Fraud Investigation.

North Carolina: A State Supreme Court Ruling has made it possible for Two-Member County Boards of Elections to continue to do their Work while the Larger Lawsuit about the State’s Electoral Process Proceeds. Associate Justice Mike Morgan Issued an Order on Sept. 1th that says Local Election Boards with just Two Members can Conduct Business. Their Votes have to be Unanimous to take effect, he said.

Texas: Late last week, Plaintiffs in the Ongoing Suit against the State’s New Voter ID law asked all 14 Judges of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to Void a Prior Ruling by a Three-Judge Panel of the Court that would allow the State to use the ID Law for this Year’s Elections.

In a 5-4 Ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court Blocked Two Lower Court Rulings that had Required Texas to Redraw certain Congressional and State House Districts after the Lower Courts Ruled the District Lines Discriminate against Minorities. According to the Houston Chronicle, the Justices gave No Reasons in their One-Paragraph Statement Granting a Request from Texas that it not be Forced to Draw New Districts until the Supreme Court Reviewed the Lower Court's Decision.

Utah: U.S. District Court Judge Jill Parrish has Rejected a Request by the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission to Rule in their Favor in their Suit against San Juan County and its Decision to Move to Vote-by-Mail. The Suit alleges that the Reduced Number of Polling Places burdens Navajo Voters who must sometimes Drive Hours to Vote. Judge Parrish also Rejected a Request by the County to Dismiss the Lawsuit Outright.