RandySF
RandySF's JournalFresno County being sued over recent ballot measure to move elections for DA and Sheriff
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno County is being sued by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber over Measure A.
The ballot measure, which was approved by nearly 55 percent voters during the March 5th election, meant elections for District Attorney and Sheriff will take place during the gubernatorial election cycle instead of moving them to the presidential election cycle
A 2022 California law required charter counties, that did not specify when said elections would be held prior to January 2021, to move them to the presidential cycle. Presidential elections typically have the highest voter turnout.
The lawsuit was announced in a news release from Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz.
https://abc30.com/post/fresno-county-being-sued-recent-ballot-measure-move/15100710/
Sales Tax Hike On November Ballot In Novato
NOVATO, CA — Voters in the city of Novato will decide on a 0.75% sales tax increase in November after the City Council voted Tuesday to place the measure on the ballot.
The tax would increase the city's 8.5% sales tax to 9.25% and raise an estimated $10.3 million annually that would be dedicated to maintaining city services.
The city is facing growing budget deficits over the next five years that are projected to be between $3.3 million and $3.8 million annually, according to the staff report prepared by City Manager Amy Cunningham.
"Without immediate financial change, the city will have depleted all reserves to preserve the existing suppressed level of service in just two years," the report said.
https://patch.com/california/novato/sales-tax-hike-november-ballot-novato
California Suing Fresno County Over Recent Ballot Measure A - Elections for DA, Sheriff
Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber over Measure A.
The ballot measure, which was approved by nearly 55 percent voters during the March 5th election, meant elections for District Attorney and Sheriff will take place during the gubernatorial election cycle instead of moving them to the presidential election cycle
A 2022 California law required charter counties, that did not specify when said elections would be held prior to January 2021, to move them to the presidential cycle. Presidential elections typically have the highest voter turnout.
The lawsuit was announced in a news release from Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz.
https://www.kmjnow.com/2024/07/26/california-suing-fresno-county-over-recent-ballot-measure-a-elections-for-da-sheriff/
Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino confirms bid for third term; November ballot has slew of other races, bond measures
Incumbent Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino will seek a third term, she confirmed this week, running against Diana Perez, who recently resigned from her position as board president for the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District to make a bid for the seat.
Patino and Perez are the only candidates to-date who have confirmed they are running for the mayor's seat, a four-year term which is elected at-large.
Patino emphasized the importance of addressing local issues and tailoring solutions to the community's unique needs.
“I want to continue to represent the interests of communities in Santa Maria. It’s important for Santa Maria to have a voice at regional and state levels with issues that affect our daily lives," Patino said. "Those issues, of course, include housing, the homeless situation, and safety.
https://santamariatimes.com/news/local/santa-maria-mayor-alice-patino-confirms-bid-for-third-term-november-ballot-has-slew-of/article_83782b52-492e-11ef-90d2-a3720f3ef678.html
Kansas Secretary of State has concerns with mail in ballots getting to polls on time
WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE)- Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab wants people to stop casting their absentee ballots through the mail.
"This is not a new problem. We've been shouting this from the rooftops since 2019," he said.
He says ballots can sometimes get lost or delayed in the mail and you can't ensure yours will make it to the election office on time.
"Once it's in the post office it's probably gonna leave the state and go to a different processing center to maybe show up in time for the election," he said.
https://www.kake.com/news/kansas-secretary-of-state-has-concerns-with-mail-in-ballots-getting-to-polls-on-time/article_b5fcae82-4b8a-11ef-a2ac-7b24a5aa804e.html
US Voter Registrations Surge as Republicans Try to Limit Ballot Access
The group behind a popular get-out-the-vote technology platform said Friday that it's registered more than 100,000 new U.S. voters since President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race, a surge that came amid mounting Republican efforts to make it harder to register and vote.
Vote.org said that 84% of voters registered in the new wave are under age 35. Nearly 1 in 5 new registrees is 18 years old. Andrea Hailey, the group's CEO, said that "since 2020, we have led the largest voter registration drive in U.S. history," with more than 7.8 million people registered.
After dropping out, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to face former Republican President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) in the November election. The new presumptive Democratic candidate has already earned endorsements from many Democrats in Congress and groups advocating on issues including climate, labor, and reproductive rights.
Vote.org's success comes as Republicans at the federal level are proposing and passing legislation creating obstacles to the ballot box.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/u-s-voter-registration
Cullman man pleads guilty to threatening Arizona election workers
A Cullman man pleaded guilty on Friday to sending threatening messages to Arizona election workers in Maricopa County during the 2022 Arizona primary elections.
Brian Jerry Ogstad, 60, admitted to sending multiple threatening messages over social media, including explicit threats of violence and execution against election workers. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison on one count, with sentencing scheduled for October 21 in Phoenix.
A message seeking comment was left with Ogstad’s attorney on Friday.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement that the safety of public servants is essential to the functioning of democracy and said the Justice Department has zero tolerance for threats and violence against them.
https://alabamareflector.com/2024/07/26/cullman-man-pleads-guilty-to-threatening-to-arizona-election-workers/
Federal court grants final approval to new Michigan Senate districts
Final approval has been given to a new map for a half-dozen state Senate districts created by Michigan’s redistricting panel.
The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) was forced to redrew the metro Detroit districts after it was ordered to do so by a federal court late last year, The three-judge panel determined 13 state House and Senate maps were drawn unconstitutionally and improperly reduced Black voting percentages in legislative districts impacting the City of Detroit, which is 77% African American.
In an opinion issued Friday, the panel ruled that the Senate map, identified as Crane A1, was drawn race-blind.
“We have reviewed the record before us and agree that the new Senate map complies with this court’s December 21, 2023 order,” the opinion said. “Federal law provides us no basis to reject the Commission’s remedial Senate plan. The Secretary of State may proceed to implement the Commission’s remedial Senate plan for the next election cycle.”
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/07/26/federal-court-grants-final-approval-to-new-michigan-senate-districts/
AZ: In lawsuit to block abortion rights ballot measure, foes claim it is 'too confusing' for voters
An anti-abortion group filed a lawsuit to block voters from deciding whether the Arizona Constitution should be amended to protect abortion rights, claiming the ballot measure is too confusing and misleading.
On Wednesday, Arizona Right to Life launched a legal challenge against the Arizona Abortion Access Act in Maricopa County Superior Court.
The nonprofit is one of several groups that were part of a “Decline to Sign” campaign that sought to persuade Arizonans not to support the initiative’s effort to qualify for the November election. That campaign ultimately failed; backers of the abortion rights proposal submitted more than double the required number of signatures earlier this month.
Arizona Right for Life alleged that the initiative’s content is too confusing for voters to understand, and, in some cases, actively misleads Arizonans. The courts have the power to prevent ballot measures determined to be intentionally fraudulent or misleading from appearing on the ballot.
https://azmirror.com/2024/07/26/in-lawsuit-to-block-abortion-rights-ballot-measure-abortion-foes-claim-it-is-too-confusing-for-voters/
AZ: Judge: GOP use of 'unborn human being' is a biased way to describe abortion rights ballot measure
Republican lawmakers violated state law when they used the phrase “unborn human being” to describe the Arizona Abortion Access Act in a voter information pamphlet, a Maricopa County judge ruled on Friday.
“The only issue before the Court is whether the phrase ‘unborn human being’ as approved by the Legislative Council is ‘an impartial analysis of the provisions of (the subject) ballot proposal’ as required by (Arizona law). It is not,” Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Christopher Whitten wrote in his ruling.
State law mandates that lawmakers create “impartial” summaries of every ballot measure for a publicity pamphlet sent to voters before the November election. After a legislative panel of eight Republicans and six Democrats voted along party lines to approve a description of the abortion rights initiative that included “unborn human being” in the first sentence, the initiative’s campaign went to court.
Backers of the abortion rights proposal argued the phrase illegally injects political bias into the summary and should be replaced with “fetus” as the more medically accurate, neutral term. Attorneys for the eight GOP lawmakers sought to convince the court that, because the phrase is a direct quote from the state law limiting abortion to 15 weeks, it should be regarded as impartial and left in place.
https://azmirror.com/2024/07/26/judge-gop-use-of-unborn-human-being-is-a-biased-way-to-describe-abortion-rights-ballot-measure/
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