National: How a super PAC plans to coordinate directly with Hillary Clinton’s campaign | The Washington Post

Hillary Clinton’s campaign plans to work in tight conjunction with an independent rapid-response group financed by unlimited donations, another novel form of political outsourcing that has emerged as a dominant practice in the 2016 presidential race. On Tuesday, Correct the Record, a pro-Clinton rapid-response operation, announced it was splitting off from its parent American Bridge and will work in coordination with the Clinton campaign as a stand-alone super PAC. The group’s move was first reported by the New York Times.

Florida: Scott Faces Looming Deadline To Sign Online Registration Bill | CBS Miami

Governor Scott has little more than a week to decide on whether to approve a bill that would lead to online-voter registration in Florida. The bill was approved despite opposition from Secretary of State Ken Detzner. It is one of 68 bills that the Senate sent to Scott last week, triggering a May 22 deadline for the governor to sign, veto or allow the bills to become law without his signature, according to a list on the governor’s office website.

Florida: Senate offers to fund private lawyers in redistricting challenge | Tampa Bay Times

Faced with subpoenas for information in a second redistricting lawsuit, the Florida Senate is offering to reimburse 21 senators up to $5000 to allow them to hire private lawyers to defend themselves in public records requests. The $105,000 allocation is on top of the more than $1 million taxpayers are already paying to defend the Senate in redistricting challenges brought by the League of Women Voters, and a group of Democrat-allied citizens, which challenged the congressional plan and are awaiting trial on a lawsuit challenging the Senate map. There are 8 Democrats and 13 Republicans who have been subpoenaed in the case and 28 districts are under dispute by the plaintiffs.

Maryland: Bill To Restore Ex-Offender Voting Rights On Gov. Hogan’s Desk | CBS Baltimore

A bill to restore voting rights to ex-offenders is on Governor Hogan’s desk. The same groups that championed it in the General Assembly are urging him to sign it. Political reporter Pat Warren reports it gives ex-offenders the right to vote while still on parole or probation. West Baltimore, the center of recent unrest, is also home to large numbers of ex-offenders who want the governor to sign a bill restoring the right to vote immediately after release. “If we pay taxes, we should be able to vote,” said one man.

Nevada: Senators approve proposal to dump Nevada’s caucus system | Associated Press

Nevada’s caucus system for presidential nominees is on shaky ground after senators approved a measure seeking to replace it with a primary election. Senators voted 11-9 on Tuesday to approve SB421, with Democrats opposing. The measure now moves to the Assembly. The bill would preserve Nevada’s influential position as one of the earliest states to nominate a presidential candidate. But it would change the selection process from a gathering of only the most motivated party activists to a regular election among all voters.

New Hampshire: Bill would set new residency requirements for voters | WMUR

Secretary of State Bill Gardner is signaling support for a bill its sponsors said would crack down on so-called drive-by voting. Supporters of SB 179 said it would safeguard the integrity of New Hampshire elections, but others see it as a political ploy to keep some voters away from the polls. When Vice President Joe Biden’s niece, Alana Biden, cast a ballot in New Hampshire in 2012 after a short campaign stint, she didn’t break the letter of the law, but many think she violated the spirit of it. “When that happens, it hurts all of our votes,” Sen. Sharon Carson, R-Hudson, said. “It disenfranchises the people that really live here.”

Ohio: Democrats sue State of Ohio, Husted, others over voting issues | Toledo Blade

Democrats, including an attorney for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, sued in federal court on Friday to block laws and orders they claim are designed to throw roadblocks between the voting booth and traditional Democratic constituencies. Among the issues challenged is Ohio’s shortened early voting period, which has already been the subject of a recent settlement under a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, League of Women Voters of Ohio, and others that led to the reinstatement of some in-person early voting hours for future elections.

Pennsylvania: Secretary of State Cortes gets neutral vote | Associated Press

A state Senate committee on Tuesday took the unusual step of sending Pedro Cortes’ nomination for a second stint as Pennsylvania’s secretary of state to the Senate floor without any recommendation. The State Government Committee voted without dissent after an hourlong hearing that largely focused on Cortes’ role in the case of former Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, who was convicted of murder and is serving a life sentence for killing three babies born alive during illegal abortions at his former clinic.

Vermont: Same-day voter registration passes House | VTDigger

A measure that would allow Vermonters to register to vote at a polling place on Election Day passed the House on a voice vote Tuesday. Starting in 2017, the bill would allow people to fill out a voter registration form minutes before voting without providing any formal identification. The House Government Operations Committee cleared S.29 from committee along party lines before the full body approved it on a 87-54 vote. The Senate now must either approve the House changes or appoint a conference committee to iron out the differences.

Burundi: EU suspends €2m aid to Burundi amid violent crackdown on election protests | The Guardian

The EU is withholding €2m ($2.3m) of aid to Burundi amid increasing concern over the government’s violent crackdown on protesters opposed to President Pierre Nkurunziza’s attempts to secure a third term in office. The president’s decision to try to extend his decade-long rule has prompted weeks of unrest that have killed at least 19 people and forced tens of thousands to flee to neighbouring countries. His opponents argue the move is a clear violation of the constitution, which limits a president to two terms in office. The EU envoy to Africa’s Great Lakes region, Koen Vervaeke, said that although the union had disbursed €6m ($6.7m) of the €8m designated for elections, it had decided to withhold the rest until Nkurunziza heeded calls for a transparent poll.

Guyana: Political parties appeals for calm after election violence | Trinidad Express

The two main political parties here yesterday appealed for calm, following a night of unrest in the Sophia community in South Georgetown as Guyana awaits the official results of Monday’s general election. Both the ruling People’s Progressive Party /Civic (PPP/C) and the opposition coalition—A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change AFC —issued calls to their supporters to refrain from any act of violence. Their calls follow a statement by the chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Dr Steve Surujbally, that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) had been experiencing difficulties trans­porting statements of polls (SOP) and ballot boxes from some of the 2,999 polling stations.

Poland: Presidential Election Heads for Contentious Runoff | Wall Street Journal

Poland’s presidential election is set for a run off between the conservative opposition candidate and the center-right incumbent, whose departure could lead to a change of political and economic priorities in the European Union’s largest emerging economy. The challenger, Andrzej Duda, scored a surprise victory on Sunday in the first round of voting, taking 34.5% of the vote, according to a late exit poll. President Bronislaw Komorowski, supported by the center-right camp that has ruled Poland for nearly eight years, had hoped to win the race by an outright majority but came second with 33.1%.

Thailand: Will new voting system work for Thailand? | The Nation

The drafters of the constitution may have stipulated a new type of electoral system for Thailand – a mixed-member proportional (MMP) electoral system – but Mahidol University professor Gothom Arya has doubts. He believes an MMP system would lead to a coalition government. More importantly, he says, is the question: are Thai people ready to accept it? A seminar held on Sunday by the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies (IHRP) on “Election System Reform in Thailand: MMP or another system?” discussed the system along with invited international communities who had adopted it.