Editorials: John Roberts Dismantled the ‘Crown Jewel’ of the Civil-Rights Movement | Theodore M. Shaw/The Nation

ne of the martyrs of the civil-rights movement, Vernon Dahmer, lies in a cemetery in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. A voting-rights activist and president of the local NAACP chapter, Dahmer was killed when his home was firebombed by Klansmen five months after President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act (VRA) into law. Dahmer’s tombstone bears his famous words: “If you don’t vote, you don’t count.” Like every step along the path to racial justice, including the recent removal of the Confederate flag from South Carolina’s state Capitol, the VRA was bought and paid for with blood. Those who fought for it, like Dahmer, understood that it meant a new beginning for democracy, not an end of the need for vigilance.

Connecticut: Merrill Announces Voter Registration Partnership With AAA | CT News Junkie

With the Nov. 3 municipal elections approaching, Connecticut residents have new options when it comes to registering to vote: their local AAA offices. Secretary of the State Denise Merrill this week launched a partnership with AAA in which 14 AAA branch offices are offering voter registration services. To register to vote, eligible residents can fill out a voter registration card at their local AAA branch. The cards then will be shipped to the state Department of Motor Vehicles for processing, or voters can choose to mail the cards directly to their registrar of voters, according to Merrill.

Maryland: GOP-led Montgomery County election board shifts early-voting sites | The Washington Post

The Republican majority on the Montgomery County Board of Elections, led by an appointee of Gov. Larry Hogan (R), voted Monday to shift two heavily used early-voting sites to less populous locations, prompting Democratic charges­ of voter suppression. The board voted 3 to 2 to move early voting from the Marilyn Praisner Community Center in Burtonsville, which serves high-poverty East County communities along U.S. 29, to the Longwood Community Recreation Center in Brookeville, 13 miles to the northwest.

Michigan: Partisan redistricting at ‘heart’ of voter frustration, says Michigan group exploring alternatives | MLive

Partisan redistricting is at “the heart of so much frustration the public is feeling toward their elected leaders,” according to the Michigan League of Women Voters, which is hosting a series of town halls across the state to discuss alternatives. “Think about this for a minute. In Michigan, every 10 years, we allow politicians of whichever party is in power to draw their own districts to the advantage of their political party and their own re-election,” said League vice president Sue Smith. “This means we’re allowing politicians to pick their voters, rather than allowing voters to pick their representatives.”

New Mexico: Dianna Duran wants more time to mount defense; AG’s Office says request misguided | Albuquerque Journal

Secretary of State Dianna Duran is asking for an extension to mount her defense against corruption charges, arguing in a court motion filed this week that more time is needed to further review whether Attorney General Hector Balderas’ office violated New Mexico grand jury laws and Duran’s right to privacy in its investigation. Among other allegations raised in the motion filed in District Court in Santa Fe, Duran’s attorney claimed the Attorney General’s Office appears to have accessed information about Duran’s personal banking accounts without having a court order or subpoena.

North Carolina: Senate proposes detailed plan for combined March primary | News & Observer

As North Carolina lawmakers look to move up the presidential and statewide primary elections to March 15, everything election-related must move up with it, including the candidate filing period. The state Senate proposed a plan Wednesday to hold the filing period from Dec. 1 through Dec. 21. Sen. Bob Rucho, a Mecklenburg County Republican, said there will be as much or more time for candidates to file with the board of elections and for the board to send out absentee ballots. He proposed the plan during a Senate Rules Committee meeting, saying they would not take a vote yet but wanted input from committee members to include in the final conference report.

Canada: British Columbia to pursue Internet voting at municipal elections | Vancouver Sun

B.C.’s municipal politicians were so hotly divided about whether to allow Internet voting for the 2018 local elections that they had to hold an electronic vote to tally the results. In the end, it was a squeaker, with 51.1 per cent of delegates at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention voting in favour of the resolution and 48.9 per cent against. The resolution calls on the UBCM to request the B.C. government to “initiate analysis and legislative changes” to encourage more voters — especially the elderly, disabled, snowbirds and those working in camp — to participate in the democratic process.

Myanmar: Final Candidate List Released, Dozens Disqualified | VoA News

Myanmar has released its final list of candidates for the upcoming general election, with more than 6,000 people running for positions in the national parliament and regional legislatures. However, at least 75 independent or opposition party candidates have been disqualified, many because of the citizenship status of their parents. Among them are about 15 of 18 candidates from the Democracy and Human Rights Party, a Muslim majority party whose candidates tried to run in the Rakhine state constituencies.

Philippines: No Internet voting in 2016 – Comelec | ABS-CBN

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has ruled out the possibility of conducting Internet voting for the 2016 presidential elections. “Personally, I favor Internet voting, but unfortunately, our laws at present do not allow it,” Comelec commissioner Arthur Lim said Wednesday. According to Lim, there are two pending bills in Congress on Internet voting. However, current preparations for the 2016 polls are already focused on the automation of the elections.

Florida: Political operative charged in Miami-Dade elections case | Miami Herald

A political operative surrendered to face criminal charges Tuesday after prosecutors said he manipulated elections for community councils in Southwest Miami-Dade. David Alberto Carcache, 34, was charged with falsifying records, aiding and abetting an elections-code violation and false swearing. According to prosecutors, the unregistered lobbyist Carcache arranged for three candidates to run for community councils in Kendall and West Kendall, even though they did not live in the neighborhoods and were not eligible to run. He is alleged to have prepared bogus qualifying documents and maintained control over the candidates’ email accounts. He also submitted fraudulent campaign financial records, prosecutors said.