The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for April 14 – 20 2014
While advocates believe an amendment updating the Voting Rights Act would pass both chambers of Congress, conservative Republicans in the House appear likely to oppose any attempt to bring the legislation to the floor. Norm Ornstein considers the impact of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on invaliding aggregate limits on campaign contributions. The Los Angeles Times reported on the negative effects of California’s “top-two” primary on third parties. Florida has abandoned Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s controversial Interstate Crosscheck project. In spite of a state Supreme Court ruling, Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz has indicated that he intends to continue to bar all convicted felons from voting. Voter advocates and security experts have warned that poor authentication methods — as well as inconsistent online requirements — make Maryland’s online ballot marking system vulnerable to fraud. Algerian opposition candidate Ali Benflis alleged massive election fraud and vowed to contest results indicating victory for incumbent President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and The Atlantic looked at India’s electronic voting machines.