news of the day 3/31/05

"McPherson is Sworn in As Secretary of State"

The Sacramento Bee offers this report, with the subhead: "Republican takes the reins of office shaken by scandal."

California Newspaper Calls for the Use of Multimember Districts, Instant Runoff Voting

See this San Jose Mercury News editorial.

Washington Post Endorses 527 Bill, Notes Constitutional Issues

See this editorial.

"Speech, Lies and Videotape"

Jonathan Cipriani offers these thoughts on the Pew controversy. See also this FOXNews report.

"Judge blocks part of campaign law; Says it violates unions' speech rights"

The Cleveland Plain Dealer offers this report. (I'd like to see the judge's ruling, which held that a ban on union contributions to campaigns was unconstitutional, while a corporate ban continues in effect. How does this square with McConnell v. FEC?) Yesterday, the newspaper reported Campaign-finance law repeal won't be on ballot. Thanks to Candice Hoke for alterting me to this issue.

"Bill gives secretary of state power over election disputes"

The Palm Beach Post offers this report. This bill does one thing I approve of and another that I disapprove of. I think state centralization and the creation of uniform rules are wonderful. They resolve all kinds of uncertainties and potential equal protection issues.The problem is that this consolidates power in the hands of a single official who is a political appointee of the governor, and likely to do the governor's bidding. Not that the alternative in Florida is very good. On the local level, partisan officials control the process as well. The reason that the Republican-dominated Florida legislature wants this change is to put more power in the hands of a state Republican appointee over the Democratic appointees in many of Florida's larger cities. I'll have more to say soon about how to resolve these kinds of serious, systemic problems.

"Crossing Lines in California"

David Broder offers this Washington Post column, which begins: "SACRAMENTO -- The hardest challenge in the state capital these days is to locate anyone who will defend the way California has drawn its legislative and congressional district lines in the past decade."

"States Take Up Photo IDs at Polls Debate"

A.P. offers this report.

-- 
Rick Hasen
William H. Hannon Distinguished Professor of Law
Loyola Law School
919 Albany Street
Los Angeles, CA  90015-1211
(213)736-1466
(213)380-3769 - fax
rick.hasen@lls.edu
http://www.lls.edu/academics/faculty/hasen.html
http://electionlawblog.org