Election-Campaign Law

Alabama: FCC violation leads to one candidate contributing to opponent

Posted on June 10, 2010
The Sand Mountain Reporter reports: Alabama House District 26 Republican Candidate Kerry Rich contributed $250 to competitor Peggie Haney?s campaign, according to reports filed with the Secretary of State?s Office. Rich said he was required to make the contribution to...

Alabama: James wants a recount

Posted on June 09, 2010
The Montgomery Advertiser reports: Tim James will ask for a recount in the Republican race for governor after a tally of the provisional ballots failed to yield the more than 200 votes he needed to add to move into second...

Tim James asks for $ "to ensure that every vote counts"

Posted on June 08, 2010
GOP gubernatorial candidate (now in 3rd place) Tim James' website carries this Democratic-sounding headline: We need your help to ensure that every vote counts! His undated blog entry repeats this plea and says, "It has always been my intent to...

Alabama: fewer provisional ballots than 4 years ago

Posted on June 05, 2010
AP has a short item about the decline in the number of provisional ballots. -- Alabama election chief says provisional ballots down | al.com...

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Alabama: Byrne complains about a robocall from AEA to its members

Posted on June 05, 2010
The Mobile Press-Register reports: A recent automated call from the Alabama state teachers' union reminding its members that the Republican primary is open to all voters drew criticism Friday from Republican gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne. Byrne, who has publicly feuded...

Alabama: Provisional ballots might make the difference in the GOP governor race

Posted on June 03, 2010
The Birmingham News reports: Republican candidate for Alabama governor Tim James urged voters who cast a provisional ballot Tuesday to make sure their votes are counted by taking a driver license or other form of identification to their county's Board...

Alabama Supreme Court race: Johnston stays on the ballot

Posted on May 28, 2010
Doc's Political Parlor reports: The ballot remains the same in the GOP primary for Supreme Court Justice, Place 3. Supreme Court Justice and candidate Tom Parker had sued to get GOP challenger Eric Johnston taken off the ballot, citing two...

Alabama: GOP asks candidate for updated list of contributions

Posted on May 28, 2010
The Tuscaloosa News reports: The Republican Party steering committee has asked Supreme Court GOP primary candidate Tracy Cary to disclose where his campaign got the money to buy a reported $650,000 in political advertising. Cary, challenging incumbent Justice Bill Bolin,...

Alabama: Worries about absentee-ballot fraud in Hale Co.

Posted on May 28, 2010
The Tuscaloosa News reports: Local election officials are questioning absentee ballots for Tuesday's primary in Hale County, and the state's chief election officer has requested federal help in monitoring the voting on Election Day across West Alabama...

Alabama: Secretary of State investigating voter fraud charges

Posted on May 25, 2010
The Montgomery Advertiser reports: With the primary just eight days away, Secretary of State Beth Chapman is investigating allegations of voter fraud in at least four Black Belt counties. Chapman's office announced Monday that it has received complaints of alleged...

Alabama: postmaster reminds that postage is due on campaign flyers

Posted on May 22, 2010
The Opelika-Auburn News reports: Opelika Postmaster Terry Dozier reported Friday that some political flyers have been distributed in area mailboxes without using postage. "It's not widespread, but we've seen a little," he said. "When one candidate does it, everyone wants...

Dominion Voting Systems buys assets from ES&S

Posted on May 22, 2010
Dominion Voting Systems, Inc. [on Wednesday] announced that it has acquired from Premier Election Solutions, Inc. (Premier) a wholly owned subsidiary of Election Systems and Software (ES&S), the primary assets of Premier, including all intellectual property, software, firmware and hardware...

Alabama: still disfranchising the arrested and convicted

Posted on May 20, 2010
The Montgomery Advertiser reports: With just one day left to register for the June 1 primary, the issue of prisoner and felon voting is once again in the spotlight, and at least one community organizer is concerned that a lack...

Alabama: a charge of cyber-squatting

Posted on May 14, 2010
The Arab Tribune reports: Ed Teal, Republican candidate for Marshall County Sheriff has filed a federal civil lawsuit for "cyber squatting." Teal claims that Marshall County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Doug Gibbs "cyber squatted" by registering numerous website domain names containing...

Alabama: suit to remove Supreme Court candidate heard

Posted on May 14, 2010
The Montgomery Advertiser reports: Attorneys for incumbent Alabama Supreme Court Judge Tom Parker argued Thursday that one of his opponents in the Republican primary should be struck from the ballot. Attorney Al Agricola Jr., ar­gued before Montgomery Coun­ty Circuit Court...

UK's possible alternative election systems

Posted on May 11, 2010
BBC has good guide to electoral systems --> BBC News - Q&A: Electoral reform and proportional representation...

Britain: a "broken" election system

Posted on May 07, 2010
While everyone is talking about a "hung parliament" and the "squatter on Downing Street," take a look at this table of the election results I prepared. Among the three largest parties, Labour was most efficient, turning out one seat for...

Maryland: "anti-corporate bigotry" in voter registration

Posted on May 06, 2010
Corporations are People Too! announces: In a stunning and alarming decision that could have wide-ranging consequences to the electoral process, the Maryland Board of Elections again defied the Supreme Court and rejected Murray Hill Inc.'s voter registration for the second...

Britain: will PR come in because of this election?

Posted on May 06, 2010
The Christian Science Monitor reports: British voters taking part in a photo-finish election went to the polls today in what could be the last-ever poll held under a centuries old system if the British election 2010 results are as close...

Britain: voting problems

Posted on May 06, 2010
The BBC is reporting: # Hundreds of people have been turned away from polling stations and police have been called at some counts. # The Electoral Commission says it will be undertaking a "thorough review" of what happened in constituencies...

Alabama: Tom Parker sues to remove one opponent from the ballot

Posted on May 05, 2010
Doc's Political Parlor reports: Alabama Supreme Court Justice Tom Parker not only is running for re-election (we weren't so sure in late March, but then he did qualify on time), he wants a fellow Republican kicked off the primary ballot....

Alabama: Shelby County's complaint against VRA

Posted on May 04, 2010
The complaint in Shelby County,Alabama v. Holder is available here: Complaint...

Alabama: "AEA is hedging its bets in race for Alabama governor"

Posted on May 02, 2010
The Birmingham News reports: A teachers' union headed by Democrats bankrolling the True Republican PAC? And that PAC blanketing the airwaves with ads attacking Republican gubernatorial front-runner Bradley Byrne for associating with - Democrats? Are you confused? Not if you...

Alabama: 2010 election will affect redistricting

Posted on May 02, 2010
The Montgomery Advertiser reports: People elect legislators to serve in Montgomery and those lawmakers determine the policy and direction of the state for four years. But every 10 years, the state lawmakers elected to the House and Senate redraw lines...

Texas: DeLay's trial delayed no longer

Posted on April 29, 2010
TPMMuckraker reports: Five years after he was charged with conspiracy and money laundering in an alleged scheme to funnel corporate money into the 2002 Texas elections, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay may soon stand trial after a ruling by...

Alabama: Candidate, indicted for failure to file campaign report, claims others did it too

Posted on April 28, 2010
The Talladega Daily Home reports: A city schools board member was recently indicted on charges of campaign form violations. But several other officials, including candidates for Alabama governor and state school board members, may have made one of the same...

DOJ Voting Section -- new deputy chief position is open

Posted on April 28, 2010
The Voting Section's deputy chief ad has been reopened to reflect the addition of one more vacancy. The ad describes the new procedures for applying. The ad states that "This vacancy is a reposting of vacancy announcement 10-ATT-007, Deputy Chief,...

Alabama county to sue DOJ over Section 5 constitutionality

Posted on April 27, 2010
The Shelby County Reporter reports: The Shelby County Commission approved a resolution at its April 26 meeting to allow the county to file a lawsuit against the federal government over part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. County attorney Butch...

Mississippi: DOJ objects to law requiring runoffs in some school board elections

Posted on April 01, 2010
The U.S. Attorney General has objected under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act to a Mississippi law requiring runoffs in certain municipal school board elections. The letter should be used as a case study in how a State can...

A better money-politics tool

Posted on March 21, 2010
From the MapLight.org website: MAPLight.org, the award-winning nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization dedicated to illuminating the connection between money and politics, has launched a new web site which shines the light of transparency and accountability in powerful ways as never before...

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