Election officials were pleasantly surprised during Tuesday’s primary with how voters are handling the changes brought on by the new Voter ID law, which took effect for the first time.
link here.

Los Angeles is wading through a messy redistricting.  LA Observed:

“The redistricting commission plan, Ochoa said, would reduce Latino representation and “will directly put Latino and African American communities in electoral conflict throughout the coming decade.” If Latino representation is reduced, the city could conceivably be found in violation of the Voting Rights Act, which is designed to assure equal representation for minorities.”

The story presents a battle between the black and Hispanic “minority” in LA.  No word on how the plans affect other minorities.

Link here.

Right now, Nebraska doesn’t have any voting requirement. Voters can use a paycheck, bill, or bank statement.  (State Senator Charlie) Janssen wants that changed to a government issued ID, such as a drivers license. “There’s just no valid reason as to why somebody at the polls not wanting to show their ID, other than they want to commit fraud.”

story here.

 This is going to be fun.  PDF here.

Why not?  Charlie Savage got one for doing the same thing, but not as well or a thoroughly.  Here’s more.

Correction officers at Rensselaer County Jail pushed to register inmates to vote in last fall’s primary and general election as part of an effort to unseat Sheriff Jack Mahar.

State and federal law enforcement agencies have launched broad investigations into the activities of the correction officers, including whether their initiative to garner inmates’ votes violated state or federal laws. The probes are part of a broader investigation that began when a group of correction officers accused their labor leaders of fraud and looting union dues for personal use. 

Story here.

Voter ID has been a hot topic for debate over the past year in
Minnesota. Now, it looks like it might have the legs to get on the
ballot in November.  Story here.

Nearly 60 witnesses, many of them disenfranchised voters, have
testified in the absentee ballot fraud trial so far before acting Supreme Court Judge George J. Pulver.  Special Prosecutor Trey Smith has entered about 190 items of evidence, and still has DNA and
handwriting experts on deck who are expected to testify going into the
trial’s fifth week.

Democratic elections Commissioner Edward McDonough and former City Councilman Michael LoPorto
have been on trial since Jan. 24 on numerous counts of forgery and
filing false documents for allegedly entering nearly 50 fraudulent
absentee ballots in the 2009 Working Families Party primary.  Democrats wanted to secure that line that year, a line that before usually went to the Republicans.

Story here.

Tuesday’s Spring Primary
Election will be relatively small, with voters in approximately 520 of
Wisconsin’s 1,850 cities, villages and towns going to the polls. These
primary elections typically have turnouts of less than 10 percent of
eligible voters. As a result, the G.A.B. does not anticipate major
problems with implementation of the new law at this election.

“We learned a great deal during soft implementation
of the Voter Photo ID Law last summer and fall,” said Nathaniel E.
Robinson, elections division administrator for the G.A.B. In those
elections, voters were asked for an ID, but were not required to show
one. “We have been training local election officials about the changes
in the law, and we have been educating and doing outreach to voters
across the state.”

In January, the G.A.B. launched its “Bring It to the
Ballot” campaign of public service announcements on TV, radio,
newspapers, billboards and the Internet. All of the videos and other
materials are available on the campaign’s website:
bringit.wisconsin.gov.

full story here