Lobbying

“Lobbyists try to save Roberts” by Alexander Bolton in The Hill.

“Facebook lobbyist chief promoted to global policy head” by Julian Hattem in The Hill.

Campaign Finance

“Rogue donors not ready for Hillary?” by Kenneth P. Vogel in Politico.

California: “CalPERS board member now facing $4,000 fine over campaign disclosure problems” by Dale Kasler in the Fresno Bee.

California: “Fine proposed for laundering contributions to Ed Lee’s campaign” by John Coté in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Maryland: “Md. candidate pays penalty over campaign funds” by The Associated Press on WHTM ABC News.

South Dakota: “Unlikely South Dakota Senate Race Attracts Big Money From Campaign Finance Reformers” by Paul Blumenthal and Sam Levine in The Huffington Post.

Wisconsin: “The Right Takes on WI Campaign-Finance Law” by Rose Bouboushian in Courthouse News Service.

Ethics

Missouri: “Gifts to Missouri lawmakers are not always easy to track” by Jason Hancock in The Kansas City Star.

Nevada: “NV Ethics Commission Director Resigns” by Jay Bartos on KNPR News.

North Carolina: “Kay Hagan, Thom Tillis file rival ethics complaints” by Burgess Everett in Politico.

Elections

“How Asian-Americans are Changing the South” by Jake Grovum in Stateline.

Kansas: “Sam Brownback Has Made Enemies, May Lose Election” by Alan Greenblatt in Governing.

State Legislatures

New Jersey: “N.J. lawmaker tries to limit new bills … by introducing a new bill” by Matt Friedman on NJ.com.

Redistricting

Alabama: “Supreme Court’s new session could bring decisions on huge issues” by Irin Carmon and Ned Resnikoff on MSNBC.

South Carolina: “Supreme Court Rejects Appeal On South Carolina Redistricting” by The Associated Press in The Huffington Post.

Tech and Social Media

West Virginia: “Statehouse Beat: New computer system experiencing turbulence” by Phil Kabler in The Charleston Gazette.

Lobbying

“The lobbying economy is twice as big as we think” by Andrew Prokop in Vox.

“Senate aide who helped save Export-Import Bank lands job at agency” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

Campaign Finance

“Citizens United: The political landscape almost five years later” by Marianne Hayes in Metro.

Arizona: “‘Dark money’ begins to sully campaigns” editorial in The Republic.

Pennsylvania: “Pittsburgh’s campaign finance law called flawed” by Chris Potter in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Wisconsin: “Why Wisconsin’s Attorney General Won’t Defend The State” by Jacob Stein in Governing.

Ethics

Oklahoma: “Ethics agency stirs anger with complaint moratorium” by Janelle Stecklein in the Muskogee Phoenix.

Palm Beach County, Florida: “Ethics Commission considers adding fines for frivolous complaints” by Andy Reid in the Sun Sentinel.

South Carolina: “2 York County lawmakers named to new SC ethics panel” by Bristow Marchant in the Charlotte Observer.

West Virginia: “Ethics commission to hold training for lobbyists” by The Associated Press in the Washington Times.

Elections

“NBC poll: Good news for Senate Dems” by James Hohmann in Politico.

“Which State Had the Longest Voting Lines in 2012?” by Scott Powers in Governing.

Tech and Social Media

“Social Advocacy and Politics: Social Media and ʹGotchaʹ Politics” by Alan Rosenblatt in Social Media Today.

West Virginia: “WV Supreme Court launching weekly trivia challenge on Twitter Oct. 6” by Linda Harris in The State Journal.

On October 2, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case concerning whether a state commission created to craft federal congressional districts violates the Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution. In Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, a voter initiative amended the state constitution to give the authority of redistricting to a commission rather than the state Legislature.

In February, a District Court held the Elections Clause does not prohibit Arizona from using a voter initiative to give congressional redistricting authority to a redistricting committee.

Lobbying

“Lobbying World” in The Hill.

“Cornerstone builds out from K Street” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

California: “California bans political fundraising parties at lobbyists’ homes” by Reuters on KFGO News.

Kentucky: “Ethics Reporter: Lobbying spending hits all-time high during first eight months of 2014” on KyForward.

Campaign Finance

“Final third-quarter fundraising emails: Doom, gloom and outrage” by Peter Sullivan in The Hill.

“Expand the ‘Super PAC Tax’” by Walter Shapiro in the Brennan Center for Justice Blog.

Maryland: “Montgomery Council approves plan for public finance of local campaigns” by Bill Turque in The Washington Post.

Ethics

“Ethics Office Finds Evidence Petri Violated House Rules” by Emma Dumain in Roll Call.

“Ethics panel: ‘Substantial reason’ to believe Rep. Petri broke rules” by Mario Trujillo in The Hill.

“Larry Craig fined for misuse of campaign funds” by John Bresnahan in Politico.

California: “Jerry Brown vetoes California political ethics bills” by David Siders in the Sacramento Bee.

Florida: “City hires new ethics officer” by TaMaryn Waters in the Tallahassee Democrat.

New York: “NY panel cites campaign limits on state workers” by The Associated Press in The Legislative Gazette.

New York: “Ethics panel now has two vacancies to fill” by Rick Karlin in the Albany Times Union.

Elections

“GOP sets sights on bigger House gains” by Alex Isenstadt in Politico.

“Democrats make risky bet against GOP Leader Mitch McConnell” by Alexander Bolton in The Hill.

“Incumbent governors fear wipeout” by James Hohmann in Politico.

California: “San Jose Election Tests Political Risk of Cutting Pensions” by J.B. Wogan in Governing.

Louisiana: “Gallup: Louisiana shifts Democratic” by Kendall Breitman in Politico.

Tech and Social Media

“Government, the Last Great Technology Skeptic” by Camille Tuutti in Nextgov.

“These maps show the Internet is getting faster in (almost) every state” by Niraj Chokshi in The Washington Post.

In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed a lower court order requiring the state to begin early voting on September 30, 2014.

The stay eliminates the period known as the “Golden Week,” when voters were able to register and vote on the same day.

The stay will remain in effect until the state formally appeals the lower court’s order and the Court acts upon that appeal.

Lobbying

“Lobbying World” in The Hill.

“Americans Are O.K. With Big Business. It’s Business Lobbying Power They Hate.” by Neil Irwin in The New York Times.

“TechAmerica Axes Top Government Representative” in Government Technology.

Campaign Finance

“Study: Major companies are increasingly disclosing their political spending” by Tom Hamburger in The Washington Post.

“Why the Billionaires Got Bupkus” by Michael Lind in Politico Magazine.

“D’Souza Avoids Prison in Campaign Finance Case” by Jonathan Mahler in The New York Times.

Maine: “Groups’ spending on Maine elections hits record $4.6 million” by Steve Mistler in the Portland Press Herald.

San Diego, California: “Leaders OK campaign crackdown” by David Garrick in The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Ethics

“Lawmakers push for new limits to political intelligence brokers” by Peter Schroeder in The Hill.

“QUIZ: Do You Know How to Be an Ethical Political Appointee?” by Eric Katz in Government Executive.

Georgia: “AG’s office pays $10,000 fine in ethics commission case” by Aaron Gould Sheinin in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Georgia: “DeKalb Commission releases money for ethics investigations” by Mark Niesse in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Political Advertising

“When NOT to Air Political Ads on TV” by Abby Livingston in Roll Call.

Minnesota: “Minnesota campaign regulators give social media advice, suggest online posts carry disclaimers” by The Associated Press in the Star Tribune.

Missouri: “Few 2014 campaign TV ads in Missouri” by The Associated Press in the Springfield News-Leader.

Elections

Florida: “Hillary Clinton to campaign for Charlie Crist” by Maggie Haberman in Politico.

North Carolina: “N.C. sees rise in unaffliated voters” by Benjamin Brown in the Charlotte Observer.

Legislative Sessions

Montana: “Legislative Update September 2014” by Sen. Matt Rosendale in The Roundup.

Utah: “2015 Legislature Could See Record Number of Bills” by Bob Bernick in Utah Policy.

Tech and Social Media

“Procurement: What if We’re Doing it Wrong?” by Mark Headd in Government Technology.

Lobbying

“Bottom Line” in The Hill.

Oklahoma: “State Capitol lobbyist Bart McSpadden dead at 46” by Mark Friedel in the Claremore Daily Progress.

Campaign Finance

“Democrats relying on big donors to win” by Kenneth P. Vogel and Tarini Parti in Politico.

“FEC Chairman Talks ‘Dark Money’ and the Fine Line Between Free Speech and Censorship” by Elizabeth Nolan Brown in Reason.com.

“Is there a right to contribute to out-of-state elections?” by William Baude in The Washington Post.

Massachusetts: “Massachusetts governor’s race has range of cash sources” by Steve Leblanc in the Portland Press Herald.

Massachusetts: “Pro-casino group ramping up campaign spending” by The Associated Press in the Boston Herald.

New Jersey: “N.J. assemblyman wants to end restrictions on campaign donations, lobbying: The Auditor” in NJ.com.

Winnipeg, Canada: “The money behind the politics: Winnipeg’s most generous political donors” by Joanne Levasseur and Sean Kavanagh in CBC News.

Ethics

Tallahassee, Florida: “City approves 2015 budget, more ethics standards” by TaMaryn Waters in the Tallahassee Democrat.

Elections

California: “A show of disunity at California GOP convention” by Michael Finnegan and Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times.

California: “AM Alert: Democrats’ legislative supermajority hinges on several key races” by Alexei Koseff in the Fresno Bee.

Michigan: “Michigan GOP Gov. Rick Snyder Has Created an Opening for His Opponent” by Alan Greenblatt in Governing.

Minnesota: “Unions will play key role in Dayton re-election bid” by Ricardo Lopez in the Star Tribune.

Legislative Sessions

Alaska: “Alaska legislative committee reviews progress on crime-reduction bill” by Jerzy Shedlock in the Alaska Dispatch News.

Lobbying

“Under Contract” in The Hill.

“Anthony Weiner and the Revolving Door” by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren in The Huffington Post.

“Eric Cantor’s out, Wall Street’s still in” by Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman in Politico.

“Lyft hires Gephardt’s K Street firm” by Julian Hattem in The Hill.

Ontario, Canada: “McGuinty’s gig as a lobbyist problematic” by Andrew Coyne in the Leader-Post.

Campaign Finance

“Dems Getting Stingier With Campaign Cash to Colleagues” by Lalita Clozel on Open Secrets Blog.

Colorado: “Citizens United wants press exemption from CO campaign finance disclosure” by Tess Cheek in The Colorado Independent.

Georgia: “Atlanta City Council weighs in on campaign finance issue” by Dave Williams in the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Rhode Island: “Law professors debate campaign finance reform” by Aliza Reisner in the Brown Daily Herald.

Ethics

Florida: “Florida Ethics Commission dismisses complaints against Mayor Brown and Clay County School Board officials, not so Rep. Fullwood case” by David Bauerlein in The Florida Times-Union.

Elections

“Bigger and Better Things: Staffers Who Run for Office” by Rebecca Gale in Roll Call.

“Dems, GOP hone messages for final campaign push” by Alexander Bolton in The Hill.

“5 States Put Voting Reform to the Voters” by J.B. Wogan in Governing.

Ohio: “John Kasich, Ed FitzGerald won’t debate, a first in Ohio gubernatorial contests since the late ’70s” by Robert Higgs in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

State Legislatures

California: “Governor signs much-debated ridesharing bill” by Allen Young in the Sacramento Business Journal.

Nevada: “Education called top priority for Nevada Legislature” by Laura Myers in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Nevada: “Tesla triumphs: Sandoval signs off on$1.3 billion untax package” by Dennis Myers in the Reno News & Review.

North Dakota: “Western ND lawmakers want $800 million for development” by Jessica Holdman in the Bismarck Tribune.

Virginia: “Va. House of Delegates plans to vote on Medicaid expansion” by Laura Vozella in The Washington Post.

Tech and Social Media

“Tweets made easy for bankers lobbying lawmakers” by Greg Edwards in the St. Louis Business Journal.

“Twitter’s new guide for campaigners” by Darren Samuelsohn in Politico.

Tennessee: “Chattanooga Launches Website to Track City Goals” by Joy Lukachick Smith in Government Technology.

A special election will be held on November 4 to fill the vacant state senate seat for District 17. Gov. Phil Bryant issued a Writ of Election after Sen. Terry Brown passed away earlier this month.

The deadline to qualify is October 6 and should a runoff election be necessary, it will be held November 25. The newly elected senator will complete Sen. Brown’s term ending January 2016.

State Rep. Ronnie Sabb won the Democratic special primary runoff for Senate District 32 by receiving 58.7 percent of the vote against Williamsburg County Councilman Sam Floyd. With no Republican challengers, Sabb’s name will be the only one to appear on the November ballot.

A special election will then be held in early 2015 to fill Sabb’s House seat, which Floyd may pursue. The Senate District 32 special election became necessary when Lt. Gov. Yancey McGill vacated the seat to take his current position from Glenn McConnell, who resigned as lieutenant governor to become president of the College of Charleston.

Photo of Rep. Ronnie Sabb courtesy of the South Carolina Legislature website.

Lobbying

“New regulatory lobby shop hangs shingle” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“NFL hires new top lobbyist amid Rice furor” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“K Street kicks into gear for GOP” by Anna Palmer in Politico.

“Herbalife fight hits D.C. trade association, as Avon withdraws from DSA” by Byron Tau in Politico.

“Dems give business a thorny embrace” by Bernie Becker and Peter Schroeder in The Hill.

“To Improve Decision-Making, Lighten Up on Lobbyists | Commentary” by Jason Grumet in Roll Call.

North Carolina: “Brubaker rated most influential NC lobbyist” by Sandy Selvy-Mullis in The Randolph Guide.

Campaign Finance

“Show me the money” by Jennifer Ginn in Capitol Ideas.

“Report: Congressional Candidate Fundraising Down in Midterms” by Emily Cahn in Roll Call.

“Unleash the convention beast” by James Windle in The Hill.

California: “AM Alert: Political Reform Act turns 40 amid burst of campaign finance changes” in the Sacramento Bee.

Louisiana: “Louisiana GOP Becomes First State Republican Party to Accept Bitcoin” by Tanaya Macheel in CoinDesk.

Wisconsin: “Gov. Scott Walker and Mary Burke on campaign finance rules” by Jason Stein in the Journal Sentinel.

Ethics

“Can Answering a Campaign Call Break the Law? | A Question of Ethics” by C. Simon Davidson in Roll Call.

Elections

Ohio: “Early voting schedule expanded by Secretary of State Jon Husted while court decision under appeal” by Jackie Borchardt in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Political Advertising

“Midterm Elections And Political Advertising” in ValueWalk.

“TV Still Dominates, But Most Political Agencies Will Use Programmatic With 2014 Midterms On Horizon” by Tyler Loechner in MediaPost.

Lobbying

“Lobbying World” in The Hill.

“Lobbyist Thomas H. Boggs Jr. Dies at Age 73” by Bridget Bowman in Roll Call.

“Tommy Boggs helped create modern world of D.C. lobbying” by Byron Tau and Anna Palmer in Politico.

“Franchise owners flock to DC in defense of McDonald’s” by Ben Goad in The Hill.

“Lobbyist Pawlenty Rankles Banks in Consumer Bureau Battle” by Carter Dougherty in Bloomberg.

“Health tracker Fitbit hires lobbying muscle” by Julian Hattem in The Hill.

Campaign Finance

“Senate candidates differ on overturning Citizens United ruling” by Peter Hancock in the Lawrence Journal-World.

Louisiana: “Ethics complaint filed against Sen. David Vitter, alleging improper campaign fund transfer” by The Associated Press in The Republic.

New York: “Hollywood moguls boosting Cuomo campaign coffers” by Martin Z. Braun (Bloomberg News) in the Chicago Tribune.

Ethics

“Ethics committee investigating Rep. Broun” by Scott Wong in The Hill.

California: “Convicted California Senator Resigns” by Patrick McGreevy and Jean Merl in Governing.

Elections

“Good election year for bad boys of Congress” by Alex Isenstadt in Politico.

“Rocking the vote, again” by Kevin Cirilli in The Hill.

Kentucky: “Battles for eight open seats could determine control of Kentucky House this fall” by Jack Brammer in the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Lobbying

“Lobbying on the ‘Internet of Things’” by Catherine Ho in The Washington Post.

Rhode Island: “R.I. Still Awaiting Decision on Alleged 38 Studios Lobbying Violations” by Adam Vaccaro in the Boston Globe.

Campaign Finance

“Judge mulls SEC limits on political donations” by Josh Gerstein in Politico.

“Begich votes for campaign finance measure” by The Associated Press in the Juneau Empire.

“The Future of Campaign Finance Reform May Rest With Silicon Valley” by Jamie Lovegrove in National Journal.

“Campaign-finance amendment not a voter passion” by James R. Carroll in The Courier-Journal.

Maryland: “Md. campaign finance complaints stack up as Election Day nears” by Lejla Sarcevic in The Star Democrat.

Maryland: “Political Donors Spend Big In Loophole’s Last Days” by Christopher Connelly in WYPR.

Massachusetts: “Casino cash floods campaign spending” by Gerry Tuoti on WCVB.

Ethics

“Landrieu pays back nearly $34K for charter flights” by Deborah Barfield Berry in USA Today.

Georgia: “Help wanted: Ethics commission needs a new chief” by Chris Joyner in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Georgia: “Monday ethics hearing canceled; Court of Appeals next step” by Aaron Gould Sheinin in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

New York: “Money in New York Politics: Despite Federal Indictments, State Senators Win Primaries” by Eric Petry in the Brennan Center for Justice Blog.

South Carolina: “Mayor’s Florida trip could add fuel to SC ethics reform” by Clif LeBlanc in The State.

Texas: “Campaigns, consultants disregard Ethics Commission resolution” by David Saleh Rauf in the San Antonio Express-News.

Elections

“50 days left until midterms, and Republicans keeping troops in line” by Scott Wong in The Hill.

Mississippi: “After close Senate race, Mississippi considers elections changes” by Reid Wilson in The Washington Post.

“North Dakota is the Best State in America” by Reid Wilson in The Washington Post.

Ohio: “Federal judge strikes down Ohio’s campaign statements law” by Kurtis Lee in the Los Angeles Times.

Legislative Sessions

Missouri: “The Missouri legislature’s veto session hands the state’s governor an historic defeat” in South County Mail.

Pennsylvania: “12 days left in session, and legislators are checking their lists” by Karen Shuey in Lancaster Online.

Changes to current election procedures are being considered following an extremely close Senate race. State Sen. Chris McDaniel narrowly lost to incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran in a June 24 runoff election. A legal battle is still underway after McDaniel claimed thousands of illegal crossover votes were cast for Cochran.

A 51 member panel of academics and community leaders, assembled by Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, will consider if changes to the way voters register for primaries are needed and whether early voting and online registration should be allowed. Currently, voters do not register with a party prior to a primary election and state law states that a voter should only vote in a primary if they intend to support a candidate later.

The panel will make its recommendations to the state legislature for consideration during next year’s session.