The Voting News Weekly: The Voting News Weekly for May 30 – June 5 2016
Three Democratic U.S. congressmen have asked a federal agency to provide information regarding whether EC Executive Director Brian Newby had the right to unilaterally change voter registration forms in three states to require proof of citizenship. A federal judge refused to reopen voter registration in California ahead of next week’s presidential primary, telling a group led by backers of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders that the rights of the state’s unaffiliated voters have not been harmed. Louisiana has repealed a century-old state law that required naturalized citizens to provide proof of their citizenship when they registered to vote, a change that effectively resolves a lawsuit’s discrimination claims. A group of activists is asking a federal court to order a new primary for Baltimore voters, alleging that a series of irregularities and a “vote-buying scheme” marred the election’s outcome. A panel of federal judges rejected the most recent challenge of North Carolina’s newly drawn congressional districts. The Supreme Court of Virginia will hold a special session on July 19 to take up the Republican challenge to Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s order restoring voting rights for more than 200,000 felons. The head of a five-member panel charged with reviewing Haiti’s presidential elections has stated that the results were such a disaster that the election should be held again and Russia’s Central Election Commission has ruled the final results of the Democratic Coalition’s online primaries void after their website came under attack from hackers.