"Petition may need Spanish translation"

Padilla v. Lever hits Orange County: "City officials are trying to determine whether a petition challenging a San Juan Hills Golf Course housing proposal for older adults and an amendment to the general plan was done correctly. The city was alerted today by the Orange County Registrar of Voters Office because the petition was not translated into Spanish, Assistant City Manager Bill Huber said. He said he wasn't sure whether the petition needs to be written in a second language." This uncertainty is terrible for California.

By Thursday, I expect the 9th Circuit will rule on the emergency motion made in the Monterey initiative race (that's the deadline based on the printing of ballots for the next election). My pro bono amicus letter supporting the initiative proponents is here. Eugene Volokh briefly weighs in on the issue. For more background, here is my December 2005 LA Times oped on the original Ninth Circuit case that caused this mess, Padilla v. Lever (petition for rehearing and suggestion for rehearing en banc pending), and here is Dan Weintraub's Sacramento Bee column from yesterday.

"TX 22: Replacing DeLay on Ballot May Take Months"

CQPolitics offers this post. My earlier thoughts on Texas election law as applied to the DeLay situation are here and here.

"Osceola rejects voting-rights deal"

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel offers this report, which begins: "Osceola County commissioners have rejected the first settlement offer in the federal government's voting-rights lawsuit against the county. Justice Department attorneys last month proposed a meeting to discuss a possible settlement. It suggested Osceola could switch from its countywide election format to five or six district seats and satisfy the Voting Rights Act."

"Investors Seek Clarity on Campaign Giving; Pressure Grows on Corporations to Improve How They Disclose and Track Political Donations"

The Wall Street Journal offers this very interesting report.

"Money for Nothing"

The New Republic offers this editorial advocating public financing of political campaigns.

"House 527 Bill Said to Lose Pence's Support on Eve of Tough Floor Battle"

Roll Call offers this breaking news report. A snippet:

Earlier Tuesday, a senior GOP aide said that Republican leaders expected the measure to pass. "It will be a party-line vote -- and close and tough -- but it will make it across the finish line," the aide said. "It's definitely one of the most important things we can do for our members this year."

But Tuesday evening, another senior GOP aide said that Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), author of a competing measure, will likely oppose the bill despite vigorous support from the Republican leadership.

Pence's decision came after the House Rules Committee voted to block any floor amendments when lawmakers take it up Wednesday. He had wanted to propose swapping the measure under consideration for one he coauthored with Rep. Albert Wynn (D-Md.). He also wanted to offer a provision that would carve out contributions to political parties from caps on total giving placed on donors.

Bob Bauer offers more on the nuts and blots of the House vote:

The House Rules Committee yesterday sent a 527 bill to the floor. It was an entirely Republican affair: a closed rule, allowing for one hour of debate, and the core bill, HR 513, was changed only to add a Republican-favored provision repealing party spending ("coordinated expenditure") limits. The leading reform organizations have decided to support this bill. Democrats will overwhelming oppose it, and it appears, as of this morning, that they will be joined by some Republicans, such as Republican Study Conference Chairman Mike Pence, who reject the sudden enthusiasm for regulation found in the Republican leadership.

Here and here are press releases from reform groups. Here is a National Review editorial against the bill, and that magazine reproduces this letter from conservative activists opposing the bill. Here is a Washington Post editorial supporting the House legislation. The Hill offers 527 Bill Splits Republicans. The Roll Call report notes: "Even if it passes the House, the bill faces long odds in the Senate, where Democratic leaders have pledged to defeat it."

In the Election Law Mailbag

Here are some books and articles that have arrived recently:

John R. Koza et al., Every Vote Equal: A State-Based Plan for Electing the President by National Popular Vote (2006)

National Research Council of the National Academies, Asking the Right Questions About Electronic Voting (Richard Celeste, Dick Thornburgh and Herbert Lin, eds. 2006)

Jeff Manza and Christopher Uggen, Locked Out: Felon Disenfranchisement and American Democracy (2006)

Sasha Abramsky, Conned: How Millions Went to Prison, Lost the Vote, and Helped Send George Bush to the White House (2006)

Richard Saphire and Paul Moke, Litigating Bush v. Gore in the States: Dual Voting Systems and the Fourteenth Amendment, 51 Villanova Law Review 229 (2006)

-- 
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