Utah: County, state ponder election changes to reduce costs | standard.net

A municipal primary that may eliminate only one candidate from the field in setting the November ballot could cost a city as much as $50,000.

But other than being able to advance candidates to a November general election through a nominating convention — a process that Fruit Heights uses — the state election code offers little flexibility for cities trying to reduce election costs.

However, efforts are being made at the county level to consolidate municipalities’ polling locations, and there are rumblings at the state Capitol that lawmakers during the 2012 legislative session may look at changes in the state’s election code. “Cost is certainly an issue,” State Director of Elections Mark Thomas said of lawmakers’ interest in revisiting the code. “But it shouldn’t be the No. 1 issue.”

Indiana: Judge: Ballot suit ruling Monday | Palladium-Item

Wayne Superior Court No. 2 Judge Gregory Horn will decide by Monday whether to order the Wayne County clerk to put the names of those running unopposed in Richmond’s Nov. 8 general election back on the ballot.

Horn presided over a preliminary hearing Friday in the lawsuit filed last week by Wayne County’s two political parties, two candidates in that election and two voters in districts where candidates are unopposed.

They filed an injunction asking for a prompt ruling opposing an interpretation of a new Indiana law that requires county clerks statewide not to list names of unopposed candidates on ballots in municipal elections. The Indiana Legislature this year created the law in the hope of helping counties save on election costs.

Indiana: New election law could affect voter turnout – Candidates running unopposed may not be on ballot | WLFI

A new state law takes candidates running unopposed off your November ballot. It has election officials concerned about voter turnout for this year’s Municipal Election. “I would say the reaction was shock and disappointment,” said Heather Maddox.

Heather Maddox and Jared Bond, Co-Directors for the Board of Elections and Registration Office in Tippecanoe County aren’t happy with House Bill 1242. Part of that new law, effective on July 1, 2011, has a provision about uncontested municipal elections.

“I expect when we start sending out absentee ballots and people start voting in the satellite voting locations, that we will get some phone calls from people saying, ‘I think my ballot was wrong’,” said Bond. Lafayette voters will not be able to cast a vote for Mayor Tony Roswarski, since he has no Republican challenger.

Jordan: Senate endorses draft municipalities law | Jordan Times

The Senate on Thursday endorsed the municipalities draft law for 2011 as referred from the Lower House, with some amendments. During a session chaired by Senate President Taher Masri with the attendance of Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit, members of the Senate made suggestions over the recommendations presented by the Chamber’s Legal Committee on the law before endorsing it.

The Lower House endorsed the law in late July, raising the women’s quota and ensuring more independence and funds for municipalities. Under the law, inhabitants of any district with a population of 5,000 or more can request the establishment of their own municipality or disengagement from a merger with a larger municipality.

Mauritania: Civil society divided on national dialogue | Magharebia.com

In a phone-in conversation with the nation, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz reiterated his readiness to talk to the opposition and civil society. But some activists insist that no meaningful dialogue can occur without prior reforms.

“Some opposition parties pose certain conditions before the start of any dialogue, while these conditions are precisely the issues that must be addressed in the dialogue,” Ould Abdel Aziz said August 5th as he marked the second anniversary of his vote of confidence. “Through a reading of the political scene, it appears that the success factors of this dialogue exist,” said Mohamed Yahya Ould Horma, Vice-President of the ruling Union for the Republic (UPR).