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Weekly Wrap-Up

Election Law Society · October 1, 2010 ·

Virginia governor Robert McDonnell is outpacing his Democratic predecessors in restoring voting rights to felons. McDonnell, known as a law-and-order attorney general, has approved 780 of 889 applications — approximately 88 percent of applications — since taking office in January. His predecessors, Democrats Timothy Kaine and Mark Warner, restored the rights of 4,402 and 3,486 felons, respectively. McDonnell revamped the process for restoring voting rights to felons, reducing the wait time for nonviolent felons to two years, allowing applicants to submit documents online, and self-imposing a deadline of 60 days after the application is complete to make a decision. Even as this process continues, however, 300,000 people in Virginia remain disenfranchised.

Rahm Emanuel may be out of a job. The same day that the White House announced he was leaving his post as Chief of Staff to run for mayor of Chicago, attorney Burt Odelson pointed out a 1871 law requiring candidates to live in their jurisdiction for the year before the election. Since Emanuel leased out his house in Chicago while he was working in DC, this may block him from running for Mayor.
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Weekly Wrap Up

Election Law Society · February 5, 2010 ·

Every week, State of Elections brings you the latest news in state election law.

– New Orleans has experienced a record number of early voters for its municipal election. About 16,600 ballots have been cast already, compared to 12,850 early votes in the 2008 presidential election. Experts speculate that the rise in early voting is because the election is scheduled for this Saturday, just one day before the Saints play in the Superbowl.

– A measure that would allow overseas voters to send their ballots by email has passed the Washington House, and is headed to that state’s Senate.

– A judge in New Jersey has ordered a panel of experts to evaluate the security of New Jersey’s 11,000 voting machines. Some have criticized the ruling for not requiring that the machines be retrofitted to produce a paper trail.

– A corporation has announced its candidacy for Congress! Murray Hill Inc. plans on filing to run in the Republican primary in Maryland’s 8th Congressional District. Feeling liberated by the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United, the corporation has decided to take the logical next step in their struggle for equal rights. According to Murray Hill “It’s our democracy. We bought it, we paid for it, and we’re going to keep it.”

– The California governor’s race has taken a bizarre turn. Steve Poizner, a Republican candidate, has accused his rival Republican Meg Whitman of trying to bully him out of the race. Poizner claims that an e-mail sent to him from Whitman’s office violates four federal and state election laws. A copy of Poizner’s complaint, including a copy of the email, can be found here.

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Hawaii Five-O: A $5,000 Budget has Hawaii Rethinking the Special Election

Election Law Society · February 1, 2010 ·

On January 4^th U.S. Congressman for Hawaii Neil Abercrombie announced he will resign on February 28^th to focus on his run for Governor in November. When a special election is required to fill a U.S. representative’s seat, it may not formally be announced until the current representative officially vacates his seat. Chapter 17-2 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes states that the elections officer must declare the special election not later than within 60 days of the date of the special election (unlike with senators, there is no provision for interim appointments.) Therefore, the earliest the state may hold the special election is May 1^st. [Read more…] about Hawaii Five-O: A $5,000 Budget has Hawaii Rethinking the Special Election