The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly March 31 – April 6 2014
In a decision that will likely increase the role money plays in American politics, the Supreme Court struck down limits on federal campaign contributions. The Election Assistance Commission has asked a judge to temporarily suspend his own order that they help Kansas and Arizona enforce state laws requiring voters to prove their U.S. citizenship, pending an expected appeal. Technical errors in reporting vote totals from the District of Colubia’s ES&S iVotronic voting machines delayed the posting of results of the D.C. primary on Tuesday, leaving candidates and voters frustrated. In a report released Wednesday, North Carolina’s elections board said it had found 35,570 people who voted in the state in 2012 and whose names and dates of birth match those of voters in other states, but experts note that there is little in the data to suggest actual voter fraud. In a party-line vote by the Cuyahoga County Council approved “voter rights” legislation that conflicts with a new Ohio state law setting up a legal battle ahead of the November elections. An Hidalgo County Texas grand jury Thursday took a step toward investigating possible criminal tampering with voting machines in the recent Democratic primary. In spite of a series of Taliban attacks against election officials and infrastructure, Afghans are enthusiastic about the election this weekend and amid fears about vote buying and poll manipulation, Indonesia prepares to hold one of the world’s most complicated elections.