The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly July 2-8 2012

After the violent overthrow of Muammar Quaddafi last year, Libya holds it’s first elections in over 40 years this weekend. In a decision praised by advocates for American voters abroad, the Federal Voting Assistance Program has agreed not to enforce a requirement for voters requesting absentee ballots to state categorically that they either intend to stay abroad indefinitely or not. Michaigan’s Republican Governor Rick Snyder vetoes three bills that would have placed restrictions on voters and voter registration drives. Rep. Charlie Rangel survived a recount in his New York primary, but his opponent has threatened legal action alleging irregularities. Returning to their previous policy, the Oklahoma Election Board has decided to do all programming in house after a software error marred a special election this Spring. The chief Pennsylvania election administrator says a comparison of registration lists and state Transportation Department records showed 758,939 people don’t have either a driver’s license or an alternative state ID. The Wisconsin recall elections came to a close with the completion of a recount that confirmed the shift in control of the State Senate and Mexico’s Institutional Revolutionary Party was returned to power amid allegations of vote buying, election tampering and calls for a recount.