The Voting News Daily: Vote Center Bill Passes IN Senate, Voter ID debated in MN, MO andTN , Internet Voting in Canada?
GA: Saturday requirement removed from early-voting bill for local elections | ajc.com
A revised early-voting bill would shorten the voting period to 21 days, but it would not require polls to be open on Saturdays if no state or federal candidates are on the ballot. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Mark Hamilton, R-Cumming, removed the Saturday requirement to save municipalities money. Municipal elections are already 21 days, and adding the Saturday requirement could require adding an additional day to the schedule. Local governments still have the option of adding Saturday voting. Read More
HI: Supreme Court Looking Into Hawaii Election Law – Honolulu Civil Beat
After years of legal wrangling in lower courts, a case challenging Hawaii’s ballot access rules could end up in front of the United States Supreme Court. In 2004, longtime consumer advocate and occasional independent presidential hopeful Ralph Nader sued the state when he was told he wouldn’t be on the ballot because he didn’t have enough signatures. Under Hawaii law, non-party presidential candidates need to submit a petition with enough signatures to represent 1 percent of the votes cast in the previous presidential election. In 2000, more than 360,000 votes were cast for president in Hawaii, so Nader needed more than 3,600 names. In rejecting Nader’s lawsuit in September 2010, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said Hawaii’s burden for ballot access is low. They did acknowledge, though, that the threshold is high when compared with the other way for presidential candidates to get on the ballot. Read More
IN: State Senate OKs vote center option | Palladium-Item
Legislation that would allow all Indiana counties the option of using vote centers was approved 49-0 by the Indiana Senate on Tuesday. The bill moves to the Indiana House of Representatives for consideration.Senate Bill 32 would allow county election boards to designate their county as a vote center county. Vote centers consolidate multiple precinct voting locations into several centralized vote centers and voters may choose the center most convenient for them. Read More
KS: Critics say Kansas election fraud bill too drastic – KHGI-TV
Critics of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s (KOH’-bahk’s) election fraud bill are criticizing him for not seeking less drastic administrative changes first. They told the House Elections Committee on Wednesday that the measure would end door-to-door and other community voter registration drives and likely disenfranchise poor and minority voters. The bill would require voters to show photo identification at the polls and people to provide proof of citizenship when they register for the first time in Kansas. Read More
MN: GOP voter ID measure passes first Capitol hurdle | kare11.com
A controversial voter photo ID bill cleared its first hurdle at the State Capitol Tuesday, when it passed the House Government Operations Committee on a straight party-line vote. It marked the first time ever a voter ID bill has ever made it through a legislative committee in Minnesota. The sponsor, Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake, said she was confident the measure will eventually pass the full House and Senate now that they are controlled by her fellow Republicans.