Legislative Updates
Arkansas: Earlier this year, the General Assembly Approved Act 328 which Amends the Law for Election Pages to Allow High School Students to be more Involved in the Election Process. Before Students were very Limited on what they could do to Help at Polling Centers on Election Day.
Maine: This week the Portland City Council Voted to Send a Measure to the Voters during the March 3rd Primary. Voters will be asked whether to Amend the City Charter to, Allow Ranked-Choice Voting for City Council and School Board Elections in Addition, the Mayoral and Citywide Elections where it Already happens.
New Jersey: The New Jersey Council on Local Mandates has Invalidated the State’s New Vote-by-Mail Laws which Require County Clerks to Automatically Send Mail-In Ballots to Anyone who Registered to Vote-by-Mail in any 2016 Election. The Council said the Laws amounted to a New Legal Requirement that Lacked Adequate Funding. “In the absence of any funding of the mandate, we find and determine that the challenged laws constitute unfunded mandates,” the Council Wrote. The Council’s Ruling came in Response to a Complaint from the New Jersey Association of Counties, which had Estimated that the New Law would Cost County Clerks around $5 Million to Implement.
New York: Assemblyman Andy Goodell (R-150th District, Jamestown) has introduced a Bill that would Allow Taxpayers to Register to Vote when they File their State Income Tax Returns, Pay their Property Taxes, or File the Paperwork to Purchase a New Home.
Pennsylvania: The Senate State Government Committee this week Voted Unanimously to Advance the Nomination of Acting Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar to the Full Chamber for Consideration.
Virginia: Del. Charniele Herring (D-46th District, Alexandria), who will soon become Majority Leader, filed House Bill 1, a No-Excuses Absentee Voting Bill.
Legal Updates
Florida: Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Secretary of State Laurel Lee (R) have Jointly Appealed a Oct. 18th Ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In his Ruling last month, Hinkle wrote that Florida Cannot Deny the Right to Vote to Felons who have Served their Sentences and are “genuinely unable” to Pay Legal Financial Obligations. He Issued a Preliminary Injunction, however, that Applied Only to 17 Plaintiffs in the Case, and Not more Broadly to Other Felons who might have the Same Condition.
Michigan: Priorities USA has filed yet another Lawsuit in Michigan. This one is Against Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson over Automatic Voter Registration. The Lawsuit argues that the Treatment by Michigan’s Automatic Registration Law of People under the Age of 17 ½ and the Legislature’s Limits on Proof of Residency at the Time of Registration Constitute Undue Burdens on Voters’ Constitutional Rights.
Mississippi: The Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance has filed a Lawsuit against Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann (R) Alleging that the State’s Voter Registration Requirements are more Stringent for Naturalized Citizens than People Born in the U.S., a Violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. State Law says any Naturalized Citizen must Show their Naturalization Certificate or similar Proof to a Circuit Clerk, “otherwise he or she shall not be allowed to register to vote.”
Nebraska: A Legal Challenge to the Constitutionality of Appointing Election Commissioners for some Nebraska Counties has been Moved to a Lower Court. Attorney General Doug Peterson (R) filed the Case in Lancaster County District Court after it was Rejected by the Nebraska Supreme Court.
Wisconsin: The Andrew Goodman Foundation, a Nonprofit that Promotes Voting and Civic Engagement among Young People have filed Suit Against the State’s Voter ID Law that Limits what Student IDs may be Used to Cast a Ballot. The Suit Alleges Limiting Student IDs is a Violation of the 26th Amendment and Seeks to Block the Restrictions for the 2020 Election.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
No comments:
Post a Comment