The Independent View: Electionline Weekly July-5-2018

Legislative Updates

Delaware: A Bill that would have allowed In-Person Early Voting for the 10 days leading up to an Election died in the Senate this weekend after the Senate Majority Leader announced that it would not be considered on the final night of the Session.

Florida: The Tampa City Council has Approved a Resolution backing Amendment 4, which if approved by Voters on November 6th, would Restore the Voting Rights to approximately 1.6 Million former Felons.

North Carolina: The House and Senate have Approved House Bill 335 which would Reinstate the popular Half-Day of Early Voting on the Saturday before an Election.

The Senate gave Final Approval to an Amendment that will ask Voters this November whether or not they want to Add a Photo ID for Voting Requirement to the State Constitution. The Senate vote was 33-12 along Party Lines.

Ohio: The Mayors of Five Summit County Cities, including Akron are planning to ask their Councils and ultimately Voters to approve a Measure that would move the City’s Elections to May to line up with other State Elections. It is anticipated that the move could Save anywhere from $100,000 to $400,000.

Legal Updates

Arizona: A New Lawsuit has been filed in an attempt to Overturn the State’s Ban on Ballot Harvesting. In his Suit, Attorney Spencer Scharff argues that only Congress has the Right to Regulate the U.S. Mail and that when someone puts a Ballot into an Envelope, which has Prepaid Postage on it, it becomes Mail and therefore the State cannot Regulate what happens to it.

Kansas: Secretary of State Kris Kobach will Not Represent Himself in the State’s Appeal of the Proof-of-Citizenship Law. Kansas Solicitor General Toby Crouse will Argue the Case at the Appeal Stage.

Massachusetts: The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts has Upheld the State’s 20-day Voter Registration Deadline. However, in its Ruling, the Court found that the Legislature has a Duty to continually Review the Deadline to make sure it is no further from Election Day than what the Legislature “reasonably believes is consistent with the Commonwealth’s interest in conducting a fair and orderly election.”