Election-Campaign Law

Mobile: independent candidate allowed on the ballot despite challenge to residency

Posted on September 09, 2010
The Mobile Press-Register reports: In dismissing a case filed by state Rep. James Buskey, Mobile County Circuit Judge Rick Stout cleared the way for Rashawn Figures to appear as a candidate for House District 99 on the Nov. 2 general...

Bessemer: suit filed over residence of leading mayoral candidate

Posted on September 08, 2010
The Birmingham News reports: A Bessemer woman who lost her bid for a seat on the City Council last month is seeking to have a mayoral candidate headed into a runoff with incumbent Mayor Ed May disqualified. Jessie Burrell on...

Ala SD 11: GOP chooses new candidate, Dems cry foul

Posted on September 08, 2010
Doc's Political Parlor reports: The state Republicans today chose Talladega businessman Ray Robbins to replace Senate veteran Jim Preuitt on the ballot in Senate District 11. While Democrats feel good about their chances, one interested Republican told the Parlor after...

Birmingham: judge rules that councilwoman is legally holding office

Posted on August 28, 2010
The Birmingham News reports: A Jefferson County Judge this afternoon dismissed a lawsuit claiming Birmingham City Councilwoman Valerie Abbott was serving illegally because she works for a utility. In his lawsuit filed in October 2009, Paul Latino asked the judge...

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Montgomery Co, Ala: GOP push poll upsetting the Dem candidate

Posted on August 22, 2010
The Montgomery Advertiser reports: A contender for a local seat in the Alabama House of Represen­tatives is up in arms about a poll run by Republicans in his dis­trict that he said inaccurately tells people he defended corrupt politicians and...

Australia: how are the votes cast and counted?

Posted on August 21, 2010
ABC of Australia is predicting a hung Parliament -- meaning no party has a majority. To get the official totals go to the Australian Electoral Commission's Virtual Tally Room. What are the mechanics of voting? For the answer to that,...

Bessemer, Ala: mayoral candidate uses fake photo and endorsement; campaign manager confesses to hoax

Posted on August 19, 2010
The Birmingham News reported on 18 August: Bessemer Councilwoman Dorothy Davidson is distributing a flier for her mayoral campaign that includes the top photo. Davidson claims Alabama football coach Nick Saban is endorsing her campaign, but the Alabama athletics staff...

RNC changes the presidential primary calendar

Posted on August 07, 2010
Hotline On Call reports: The RNC has approved a resolution making dramatic changes to the way the GOP picks a presidential nominee, moving primaries to later dates and requiring states to allocate their delegates on a proportional basis. The proposal...

Lauderdale County: referendum on separate commission chair and probate judge

Posted on August 05, 2010
The Times Daily reports: Lauderdale County voters will decide in November if they want to separate the commission chairmanship from the probate judge. Florence attorney Chris Smith, counsel for the Lauderdale County Commission, said he received written approval from the...

Alabama: black voters file Section 5 case over Gov. Riley cancelling their votes (complaint attached)

Posted on August 01, 2010
The Tuscaloosa News reports: Local politicians in Greene and Macon counties have joined to file a federal lawsuit claiming that Gov. Bob Riley's bingo raids are perpetuating racial injustice by thwarting the intent of black voters. The suit, filed Thursday,...

Alabama's judicial campaign finance law unenforced for 15 years

Posted on August 01, 2010
The Birmingham News reports: A 15-year-old state law meant to discourage big­-dollar donations to judicial cam­paigns has never been enforced, and each of the three branches of government in Montgomery blames another for the failure. The attorney general says the...

Alabama needs instant-runoff voting

Posted on July 25, 2010
Alec Slatky begins his op-ed in the Birmingham News: The contentious Republican runoff for governor between Bradley Byrne and Robert Bentley has many Alabama political leaders thinking about possible reforms to the election process. Wary of an influx of Democratic...

Alabama: suit filed to block enforcement of law on campaign contributions

Posted on July 22, 2010
The Birmingham News reports: A 15-year-old Alabama law that says judges should not hear cases in which one of the parties donated at least $2,000 to their campaigns has never been enforced, locked in a stalemate over whether it first...

Alabama: ADC files judicial-inquiry complaint against circuit judge over campaign flyer

Posted on July 20, 2010
The Montgomery Advertiser reports: The Alabama Democratic Conference has filed a complaint against Circuit Court Judge Patricia Warner over what the organization's chairman said are questionable and misleading campaign tactics. Joe Reed, chairman of the ADC, has filed a complaint...

Alabama: election-reporting system tested in runoff, to be ready for general election

Posted on July 18, 2010
The Mobile Press Register reports: Elections officials have announced plans to launch a rapid new online vote reporting-system statewide for November's elections, following a largely successful test during Tuesday's primary runoffs. The Election Night Reporting system is billed by the...

Autauga Co: DA finds no multiple voting occurred

Posted on July 16, 2010
The Montgomery Advertiser reports: District At­torney Randall Houston has for­warded his report about poten­tial voting irregularities during Autauga County's June 1 prima­ry elections to the secretary of state's office. The issue came to light when a voter's name appeared on...

Alabama: editorial warns GOP about crossover voting (or closing the barn door after ...)

Posted on July 14, 2010
The Huntsville Times editorializes: Be careful what you ask for. It may not be what you really want. Alabama Republicans need to ask themselves what they really want in the wake of Tuesday's GOP gubernatorial runoff between Bradley Byrne and...

Alabama: winning candidate withdraws because of campaign-finance violation

Posted on July 14, 2010
The Cullman Times reports: With the shadow of an election violation hanging over his campaign, Jerry Parker captured the most votes in the Republican runoff Tuesday. But in a dramatic turn moments after the totals were announced, he declined to...

Alabama: candidate may face criminal prosecution

Posted on July 09, 2010
The Troy Messenger reports: Pike County District Attorney Gary McAliley said further legal action will be taken against former commissioner Karen Berry "one way or another." ... Berry was removed from office in October 2009 when a Pike County Circuit...

Alabama: bingo and voting rights linked

Posted on July 03, 2010
The Tuscaloosa News reports: The chairman of the Alabama Black Legislative Caucus said today he wants to file a federal voting rights complaint over the raid by Gov. Bob Riley's gambling task force at the Greenetrack bingo casino. State Rep....

Alabama: legislator will appeal election contest loss

Posted on July 02, 2010
The Montgomery Advertiser reports: After a subcommittee of the Alabama Democratic Party ruled against putting state Rep. James Thomas into a runoff with the man who beat him in the primary, the legislator's at­torney filed an appeal with the party....

New York: Port Chester's use of CV results in first election of black and Hispanic to city government

Posted on June 19, 2010
The Washington Post reports: The court-ordered election that allowed residents of one New York town to flip the lever six times for one candidate - and produced a Hispanic winner - could expand to other towns where minorities complain their...

Alabama: absentee voter fraud investigated

Posted on June 19, 2010
The Montgomery Advertiser reports: District Attorney Randall Houston is investigating possible voting improprieties in Autauga County after someone allegedly gained improper access to the circuit clerk's computer. At issue is a vote cast in the name of a Prattville man...

Utah: crossover primary voting discussed, promoted, derided

Posted on June 16, 2010
The New York Times reports from Utah: So-called tactical voting in open primaries, here and elsewhere, is a perennial possibility that mostly fizzles come Election Day, voting experts say. And some people in both parties are convinced that will happen...

Alabama: Republican primary challenge based on campaign disclosures

Posted on June 14, 2010
The Atmore Advance reports: A state Republican committee will meet Wednesday to review a primary election challenge from Jeff Peacock, who lost the state Senate District 22 primary to Danny Joyner. And according to state elections officials, there is little...

Monday is Flag Day

Posted on June 12, 2010

Alabama: Republicans complaining about 'strict construction' of recount law

Posted on June 12, 2010
Republican Party Chairman Mike Hubbard called the opinion by Attorney General Troy King "ridiculous." Tim James, knocked out of the runoff by that opinion, said it was "absurd on its face." It certainly is ridiculous to have a contest about...

Revised Section 5 guidelines

Posted on June 11, 2010
The Department of Justice has published its proposed revisions to the Section 5 guidelines in today's Federal Register: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-13393.htm and http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-13393.pdf....

Alabama: AG throws Tim James out of the runoff

Posted on June 11, 2010
The Alabama Attorney General has released an opinion in answer to several questions by the Secretary of State regarding the recount requested by Tim James -- the number 3 candidate (by 167 votes) in the race for the GOP nomination...

Alabama: Johnny Ford alleges voter fraud in Democratic primary

Posted on June 11, 2010
The Opelika-Auburn News reports: Ten days after the Democratic primary, former Tuskegee Mayor Johnny Ford remains unsatisfied with the outcome. Ford has filed a complaint with the Alabama Secretary of State's office, citing "voting irregularities" in the Senate District 28...

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