Sargent Shriver Was One of Only Two Major Party Vice-Presidential Nominees in 20th Century Not Nominated in a Convention

Ballot Access News:

"On January 18, Sargent Shriver died. He was the Democratic Party’s nominee for vice-president in 1972. He was chosen by the Democratic National Committee, in a committee meeting, after the vice-presidential nominee chosen by the Democratic National Convention resigned from the ticket.

During the 20th century, the only other Republican or Democratic Party vice-presidential nominee not chosen by a national convention was Nicholas Murray Butler, the Republican vice-presidential nominee in 1912. He was chosen by the Republican National Committee after the party’s original nominee, James S. Sherman, died during the campaign, on October 30, 1912."

Paper-Equal Citizenship and the Individual Right to Vote

SSRN-by Joseph Fishkin:

"An emerging consensus among election law scholars urges courts to break out of “the stagnant discourse of individual rights and competing state interests” and instead adopt a jurisprudence of “structural” democratic values that sidelines individual rights. This structuralist approach won out in the great “rights-structure” debate in election law, and came to dominate the field, during a period in which the main controversies – vote dilution, gerrymandering, ballot access, campaign finance – were all ones in which the structuralist move was illuminating. However, structuralism is now causing both scholars and courts to evaluate the new vote denial controversies – such as voter roll purges and voter identification laws – in problematic ways that bypass the importance of each individual voter’s right to cast a ballot."

"FEC Seems Headed for Continued Deadlock On Rule Following Citizens United Decision"

Election Law: "

A 143-page draft expected to be supported by the FEC's three Democratic commissioners includes provisions that could require disclosure of all contributors above a threshold level to groups spending money on federal campaigns. The Democratic draft also includes a proposal to restrict campaign spending by companies that have more than a minimum level of ownership or control by foreign nationals.

A rival 91-page draft believed to be backed by the three Republican commissioners excludes the proposals on disclosure and foreign nationals and concentrates more narrowly on eliminating existing regulatory provisions that restrict campaign spending by corporations and unions."

Former CO SOS: Campaign finance is 'irretrievably broken,'

AspenTimes.com:

"The country's system of campaign finance is “completely, irretrievably broken,” said former Colorado Secretary of State Bernie Buescher. In a talk to Garfield County Democrats Monday evening, he called for a better system to disclose donors to 527-type campaign organizations."

Panelist drops out of Calif. redistricting board

San Francisco Chronicle:

"A member of California's independent redistricting panel has resigned from the commission, saying it will take up too much of her time.

Democrat Elaine Kuo (quo) of Mountain View stepped down from the California Citizens Redistricting Commission on Friday, saying time limitations make it impractical for her to continue."

The political perils of California's redistricting process

The Fix:

"... drawing and approval of the state's 53 districts this year is in the hands of 14 people. They are mostly amateurs, not political pros and they're not supposed to have any regard for incumbents, which means they could do just about anything.

If you're a member of Congress from California, that's a very scary proposition.

'When you go from a system that allows incumbents to draw districts that favor themselves to one that disallows considering incumbents at all, you're bound to have some incumbents paired together and some open districts,' said Tom Bonier of the National Committee for an Effective Congress, which advises Democrats on the redistricting process.

Added GOP consultant Dave Gilliard: 'There's a good chance that the vast majority of the congressional districts in California are not going to resemble what we have right now.'"

Blaming the Giffords tragedy on a lack of campaign finance reform? Really?

Nancy Bordier for MyFDL explains why she thinks Congress is responsible for the Giffords assassination attempt:

"1. Congressional refusal to pass campaign finance reform legislation to prevent elections from being dominated by special interests, like the National Rifle Association, and U.S. politics from being dominated by vitriolic diatribes between politicians and pundits aimed at raising special interest campaign funds and inflaming and dividing the electorate in order to win elections;

2. Congress’s legislative agenda which puts the interests of special interest campaign funders, like the National Rifle Association, ahead of the safety and welfare of their constituents, such as by allowing ordinary citizens to carry assault weapons;

3. The rigging of elections by the Democratic and Republican parties via the gerrymandering of Congressional election districts to create artificial party majorities that deny voters a real choice of candidates and lead to the re-election of major party incumbents backed by special interest campaign financiers;

4. Democratic and Republican-inspired state election laws that prevent third parties and their candidates from contesting the monopoly of elections they have attained through gerrymandering election districts and campaign finance laws;"

The Giffords assassination attempt was Congress' fault because they didn't pass campaign finance reform last session and gerrymandering? Seriously? Sounds like you're using the tragedy to further your own political agenda.

Top 10 Political Gaffes of 2010

HUMAN EVENTS:

"(1) Pelosi on Obamacare: When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said of Obamacare: 'We have to pass it, to know what’s in it,' it was a gift to Republicans, many of whom used it against their Democratic opponents in their midterm-election campaigns. The remark reminded voters both of the arrogance of the Democratic leaders for ramming the unpopular health-care plan into law as well as the negative consequences still to come as Obamacare is implemented."

Circus in Atlantic City vote-fraud trial

PressofAtlanticCity.com:

"Ronald Harris was supposed to be the state's key to proving members of Atlantic City Councilman Marty Small's 2009 mayoral campaign conspired to defraud voters.
Instead, he became the star of a courtroom circus Tuesday that began with him begging off the stand for a bathroom break and ended with him arrested on unrelated warrants.
Harris, 24, was one of 14 people - including Small - indicted in September 2009 after they allegedly mishandled absentee ballots during Small's failed bid against Lorenzo Langford in the Democratic primary."

Virginia Bill to Ease Presidential Primary Ballot Access

Ballot Access News:

"Virginia Delegate Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond) has introduced HB 1667, to reduce the number of signatures for candidates running in a presidential primary from 10,000 signatures to 5,000. Currently, Virginia is the only state that requires more than 5,000 signatures for all presidential candidates running in a presidential primary. Some major party presidential candidates have had trouble getting on the ballot in Virginia’s presidential primary. For example, in 2008, Democrats Chris Dodd and Mike Gravel, and Republican Duncan Hunter, tried and failed. The requirement is considered so difficult, generally the state Democratic Party itself collects at least 5,000 signatures for all Democratic presidential candidates recognized by the party as legitimate, to help them attain 10,000."

Please, please pass this bill. The 10,000 signatures requirement is SO over the top. It is a complete nightmare for major presidential candidates.

Analysis: For-profit schools attack reform rule by lobbying

Reuters:

"Students at for-profit schools, including the University of Phoenix and DeVry schools, make up 26 percent of federal student loans for 2008-2009, but 43 percent of defaults, according to Education Department figures. (See the Reuters graphic here: r.reuters.com/gev75r )

The schools' lobbying campaigns have been aggressive. They increased their donations to lawmakers and ran television, radio and newspaper ads accusing the government of interfering with students' choice of schools.

The schools hope that donations will get them audiences with lawmakers to convince them that the proposed regulations will deny Americans education opportunities.

They also want to kill legislation that Democratic Senator Tom Harkin, chairman of the education committee, has proposed to make the gainful employment rule tougher."

New secretary of state: Don't count provisional ballots in contested vote

Cincinnati.Com:

"On his first day on the job, Republican Ohio Secretary of State John Husted ordered the Hamilton County Board of Elections to certify the race for juvenile court judge - without counting the 849 ballots that were cast in the right place but the wrong precinct and have been in question since the November election.

That supersedes former Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's directive saying that 137 of the 849 ballots must be counted. Bruner, a Democrat, issued that order Friday, her last day on the job."

Republicans ask party switcher to go back to Democratic Party

al.com:

"Marshall County Republicans have asked Circuit Judge Howard Hawk, who announced a switch to the GOP in December, to switch back to the Democratic Party.
In a special meeting Monday, the 27 members present of the 29-member Marshall County Republican Executive Committee voted unanimously to ask Hawk to 'reconsider switching parties and remain as a member of the Marshall County Democratic Party.'
Jean Brewer, chairwoman of the county Republican Party, said Hawk made the party switch without consent of the local party and that he turned down an offer to meet with them prior to the switch.
Hawk said he plans to remain a Republican."

Two ex-senators join major lobbying firm

USATODAY.com:

"Two senators who just left Congress are joining a major law firm that seeks to influence policymaking.

Republican Robert Bennett and Democrat Byron Dorgan are joining Arent Fox LLP, which lobbies on a host of issues including health care, trade, and technology and financial policy.

Dorgan, who retired from his North Dakota Senate seat after 18 years, will be co-chairman of the firm's government relations practice. Bennett, who lost his nomination to a fourth term in Utah because of the Tea Party movement, will be a senior advisor in the law firm's Los Angeles office."

U.S. Supreme Court Sets Conference Case in Texas Vote-Counting Machine Lawsuit

Ballot Access News:

"The U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether to hear Dallas County, Texas v Texas Democratic Party, 10-755, at its January 21 conference. This is the case in which the lower court had ruled that Dallas County can’t continue using iTronic vote-counting machines unless the Voting Rights Section of the U.S. Justice Department approves those machines. The Democratic Party had filed the lawsuit because those vote-counting machines have a tendency to cause under-votes, for voters who use the straight-ticket device."

EDITORIAL: Justice Department road trip

Washington Times:

"The substance of the department's case is an affront on several levels. First, Justice is defending its decision that voters in the town of Kinston, N.C., are too dumb to know what form of voting is in their own best interests. Second, it claims that the only way Kinston's black majority can elect their 'candidates of choice' is if the candidates are identified as Democrats. Third, the department defends the proposition that a single Justice official can override an entire local referendum - supposedly on civil rights voting grounds - even if the town and county haven't been guilty of discriminatory voting actions in almost 50 years. Finally, the department would deny that a collection of individual voters even has legal standing to argue its case in court because 'their alleged injuries are not sufficient' unless the town's elected officials join their case.

In short, individuals have no court rights of their own; only government minders can speak for the people."

Idaho G.O.P. Seeks to Close Open Primaries

NYTimes.com:

"In one of the reddest of red states, the state Republican Party is pushing to prevent independents, Democrats and others from voting in its primaries. Republican primaries in Idaho have been open for a century, but the party has filed a federal suit that would close them to voters who are not registered Republicans.

Legislative leaders have also said they will pursue a bill this session to prevent Democrats from so-called crossover voting.

Who is on the other side of the fight? Other Republicans. This is, after all, Idaho.

“I don’t believe the Republican Party in Idaho has suffered here under an open primary,” said Ben Ysursa, the Idaho secretary of state, who has been put in the awkward position of defending the state against his own party.

Mr. Ysursa opposed legislative efforts to close the primaries in 2007 and says closed primaries run counter to Idaho’s historic political independence."

Kentucky Democrats Launch iPhone App

Roll Call:

"The Kentucky Democratic Party is the first in the nation to offer supporters an iPhone application. Officials billed the launch as making it “easier than ever to receive news and stay in contact with elected officials, party leaders and fellow Democrats.”
The app will include news releases, upcoming state events that can be downloaded directly to the iPhone calendar and a GPS “to determine a user’s Senate or House district and Senator or Representative and add their information to an iPhone’s contacts.”"

Redistricting Q&A: Matt Angle -- how the 2010 election affects Dems redistricting plans

Hotline On Call:

"The Hotline: How did the 2010 election results affect Democrats' planning?

MA: Well, we lost so many state legislatures and lost so many members of Congress. What's left in a lot of states are just the safe members and so their natural incentive for a fair map -- to drive for a fair map -- is not as strong as it would be if there were other members in the state who have to have a marginal district to survive.

When Martin Frost [was in charge of the process for Democrats], he had a personal incentive because of his own district and because he was in a state full of marginal members. And he felt not only a need to protect himself but to protect his delegation. The real feud between DeLay and Martin wasn't about anything other than DeLay didn't like the fact that so many Democrats held marginal districts in Texas."

Plug up the primaries

Plug up the primaries - TheHill.com:

"Open primaries should be eliminated. Not only should members of political parties be allowed to select their own nominees, but open primaries provide too many opportunities for mischief by their political foes.

We saw this in 2008, when Rush Limbaugh organized “Operation Chaos,” urging his listeners to vote for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries at a time when Barack Obama had seemingly wrapped up the nomination. I led a similar campaign during the Michigan primary — which was meaningless on the Democratic side — urging my readers to vote for Mitt Romney as a way to try and extend a Republican primary that had been pretty much locked up by John McCain."