Wisconsin: Challenger in Wisconsin court race concedes | chicagotribune.com

Wisconsin Supreme Court challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg conceded defeat on Tuesday to conservative incumbent Justice David Prosser, in a race that was widely seen as a referendum on Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s divisive legislation stripping most state workers of nearly all their collective bargaining rights.

Kloppenburg admitted defeat after a statewide recount reaffirmed Prosser’s victory over her in the April 5 election.

“David Prosser has won the election and I have congratulated him,” Kloppenburg said in a news conference in Madison. “I will not be requesting judicial review of the results of the recount.”

Voting Blogs: Kloppenburg Concedes Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, Cites ‘Widespread Irregularities’, Says Problems Found During ‘Recount Should be Wake-Up Call’ | The Brad Blog

Citing a “cascade of irregularities”, thousands of tabulation errors discovered during the statewide “recount”, and tens of thousands of ballots found to be unverifiable or otherwise having been in violation of the secure chain of custody, Wisconsin’s independent Asst. AG JoAnne Kloppenburg conceded the Wisconsin Supreme Court Election for a 10-year term on the bench to Republican incumbent Justice David Prosser this afternoon at a press conference held in Madison.

“Over 150 ballot bags containing tens of thousands of votes were found open, unsealed or torn. Waukesha County had twice as many torn, open or unsealed bags as every other county in the state combined. In many cases, municipal clerks in Waukesha testified the bags weren’t torn when they left cities, towns and villages so the security breaches occurred sometime when the bags were in Waukesha County’s custody.”

Maine: Secretary of State supports bill eliminating same-day voter registration in Maine | Bangor Daily News

Secretary of State Charlie Summers and Republican leaders are supporting a bill that would eliminate Maine’s 38-year-old same-day voting registration and ban absentee voting two business days before Election Day.

Proponents say the bill is designed to ease the workload of town clerks overwhelmed by an increasing number of voters who cast absentee ballots and who wait until the election to register.

But critics counter that those voters often are students, the elderly or disabled. Groups such as the Maine Civil Liberties Union believe LD 1376 is an attempt by Republicans to gain an electoral advantage.

Maine: If same-day voting ends in Maine, legislator hopes to add opt-out clause | Portland Daily Sun

Legislation ending same-day voter registration in Maine may come up for a vote today, and if it does and is passed, a Portland legislator said he will offer an amendment that would allow cities such as Portland to opt out.

Rep. Ben Chipman, I-Portland, said he remains opposed to LD 1376, a bill eliminating “registration of new voters on election day and during the two business days before election day.” The bill was voted out of committee last month and now faces a vote by the full Maine House of Representatives.

Wisconsin: Backers of efforts to recall Senate Democrats call for top election official to resign | CapTimes

Residents connected to the recall efforts of three Democratic senators called for the states top election official to resign Tuesday, charging the agency he oversees is slanting recall results toward the Democrats.

The call for Kevin Kennedy, the director of the nonpartisan Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, to resign came after the agencys board voted Tuesday to move ahead with recall elections against three more Republican senators, while postponing its decision to vote on the petitions to recall three Democratic senators. Kennedy said the GAB needs more time to validate the signatures.

Wisconsin: Three more Wisconsin State Senate recalls certified, group accuses Government Accountability Board of bias | WTAQ

Wisconsin officials certified three more state Senate recall elections Tuesday. The Government Accountability Board said there were enough valid petitions to hold recall votes against Republicans Rob Cowles of Allouez, Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls, and Finance co-chair Alberta Darling of River Hills.

Tuesday’s action means that all 6 Republicans targeted for recalls will stand for election this summer – unless the board’s approvals are challenged in court. Last Friday, the Board delayed action on certifying recall votes against three Democratic senators.

Nevada: Court Suggests Delay For Nevada House Election | Eyewitness News 9

Nevada’s first special election to fill a House seat could be delayed because of a legal tussle over the contest rules.

The Nevada Supreme Court issued an order Tuesday directing the Nevada Democratic Party, the Nevada Republican Party and Secretary of State Ross Miller to address whether the September special election can be rescheduled. The political parties and Miller disagree on the rules of the contest to fill the seat left vacant when Republican Dean Heller was appointed to the U.S. Senate.

Nevada: Nevada Supreme Court to hear appeal on special election | ReviewJournal.com

The Nevada Supreme Court indicated Tuesday that it needs more time to rule on a key election procedure than a planned Sept. 13 election date would allow.

As a result, Nevadans in the district — which encompasses all of Nevada with the exception of urbanized areas of Clark County — might not get to vote on Heller’s replacement until October or even November. The replacement would fill out the last year of Heller’s unexpired term, thereby getting a leg up on the competition in the 2012 election.

Minnesota: GOP still owes counties for 2010 recount | Winona Daily News

Winona County and its two southern neighbors are still trying to collect money from the state Republican Party  nearly six months after party officials requested 2010 election documents for the governor’s race recount.

Winona, Fillmore and Houston counties have all sent multiple inquiries to GOP headquarters in St. Paul, seeking a combined $3,000 for staff time and copy costs related to election documents requested after Gov. Mark Dayton eked a slim victory over Republican challenger Tom Emmer last November.

Philippines: COMELEC starts partial distribution of voter’s ID in Maasin City The Philippines | PIA daily news

The office of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) based in Maasin City has started distributing the first batch of voter’s ID to its recipients in the city of Maasin.

Out of 48,781 registered voters, as of the latest barangay elections, only 10,603 voter’s ID intended for Maasin City have arrived yet, Laurence Irman Gelsano, the Acting Election Officer III reported to PIA in an interview today.