A Trip Through the Archives: Catching Up On Some Recent Stories

[Image courtesy of songwritingscene]

Now that Election Day 2011 has come and gone I thought I’d take a quick trip back through the archives and see how various stories have turned out or progressed:

+ In Middletown, CT (“Election Officials as Grenade Catchers“, October 19) the referendum regarding the appointment of police chief Patrick McMahon stayed on the ballot (despite controversy about drinking on the job, for which he was demoted by Mayor Sebastian Giuliano, who had appointed him) but was defeated by 57 votes. McMahon has since filed suit against the city but says he still hopes to work with new mayor Dan Drew, who defeated Giuliano on November 8.

+ Four South Carolina counties who are fighting for full reimbursement of costs related to the January 2012 GOP presidential primary (“Thorny Issue – Or Briar Patch“, October 6) recently took their case to the state Supreme Court, where they said they cannot be forced to accept state funds for a primary that is essentially a “private contest”. The court’s chief justice, however, expressed concern from the bench that the dispute is a “political question” that she believes may not be a proper subject for “referee[ing]” by the court.

+ Madison, WI conducted another mock election – this time on November 8 – to get more data about the state’s new voter ID law (“Supposing is Good, But Finding Out is Better“, October 14). Last week’s test found that student IDs – which have become a source of controversy – were the second-most popular form of ID (after driver’s licenses) used as ID. In addition, the test determined that Madison will need to double the number of pollworkers in order to meet a commitment to keeping lines to no more than 15 minutes.

+ The dispute over whether New York State should move up its primary to comply with the federal MOVE Act (“Irresistible Force Meets ImMOVEable object“, September 27) was recently delayed again while state officials continue to negotiate (unsuccesfully) about how to resolve the issue.

+ Finally, the fight about access to voted ballots in Colorado (“Whose Election Is It Anyway“, September 9 and “Can You Collect Too Much Data?“, October 27 has also found its way to a state’s highest court, as Aspen recently asked the Colorado Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling making that information available if voters’ identities aren’t compromised. The case may take a month or more to resolve – though county clerks have indicated that they might seek legislation keeping ballots secret under all circumstances.

You, too, can keep track of all the latest news by following electionline.org – where stories like these and others are available every business day usually before 9am Eastern – or on the @HHHElections Twitter feed as part of of our #WorthWatching feature.