Governor Scott Walker announced the dates of the special elections for a state Senate seat that was recently vacated. Rich Zipperer resigned his seat in 33rd senate district, which represents the Milwaukee area, to serve as Walker’s chief of staff.

The special primary election will take place on November 6 and the general election will take place on December 4. The primary elections will only take place if there are two or more candidates from the same party who declare for the seat.

Two republican candidates have already announced their intentions to run for the Senate seat.

A judge has set October 2, 2012 as the date for a runoff election for a state House primary race.

Two recounts were conducted in the democratic primary for the 5th assembly district between Brandon McGee and Leo Canty.

The second recount resulted in a tie between the two candidates.

Campaign Finance

“Phone Company PAC Funds Campaigns Against Republicans With Customer Overpayments” by Janie Lorber in The Hill.

“Super PAC Influence Falls Short Of Aims” by Neil King, Jr. in The Wall Street Journal.

California: “Measure attacks corporate campaign funds” by Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Iowa: “Iowa sees $29.6 million TV ad inundation” by Jennifer Jacobs in the Austin Post-Bulletin.

Washington: “State watchdog says Owen violated campaign laws” by The Associated Press in The Seattle Times.

Lobbying

Alabama: “Probation sought for ex-lobbyist Jennifer Pouncy in bingo bribery trial” by Kim Chandler in the Birmingham News.

Canada:  “Feds respond to Lobbying Act review, but don’t scrap controversial 20 per cent rule” by Bea Vongdouangchanh in The Hill Times.

North Carolina: “Ethics guidance on legislative staffers and lobbyists” by Mark Binker in WRAL.com.

North Carolina:  “Tillis: Second staffer had relationship with lobbyist” by Mark Binker and Laura Leslie in WRAL.com.

Pennsylvania: “Lobbying.ph updated: which tech orgs spent the most lobbying in Philly so far this year?” by Juliana Reyes in Technically Philly.

Ethics

Michigan:  “Kwame Kilpatrick prosecutor: Bernard Kilpatrick acted to ‘cash in’ on son’s mayoral power” by Gus Burns in the Detroit News.

Political Campaigns

“Obama Campaign Adopts ‘Wet Signature’ to Entice New Voters” in Government Technology.

“Campaign expense list: Beer, limos, Chick-fil-A” by Tarini Parti in Politico.

Open Government and Gov 2.0

“One year later We the People petitioners have mixed reviews” by Joseph Marks in Nextgov.

“Open government partnership marks first anniversary” by Kedar Pavgi in Nextgov.

Canada:  “Alberta gets a ‘D’ in freedom of information audit” by Darcy Henton in the Edmonton Journal.

Lobbying

“Tim Pawlenty to head bank lobbying organization” by Dave Clarke and MJ Lee in Politco.

Florida: “A First For Fla. Lobbyist Conference: A Governor’s Top Aide Gives Input” by Sascha Cordner in WFSU.org.

Kansas:  “Lobbyist spending up nearly 9 percent” by The Associated Press in the Topeka Capital-Journal.

Ethics

Kansas: “Kansas ethics panel fines candidates for posts about fundraisers on Facebook during session” by John Hanna (Associated Press) in The Republic.

Maine:  “LePage and House Democratic leader Emily Cain announce plans to improve state ethics” by Naomi Schalit and John Christie in the Bangor Daily News.

Massachusetts: “Ethics board to inform agencies of nepotism law” by Erin Smith in the Boston Herald.

Oklahoma:“Executive director of Oklahoma state Ethics Commission retires after 25 years on job” by Megan Rolland in The Oklahoman.

Utah: “Legislature hires ethics commission director” by Lee Davidson in the Salt Lake Tribune.

West Virginia: “W.Va. court candidate advocates email disclosures” by Lawrence Messina in the Charleston Gazette.

Campaign Finance

“Money in Politics Never Looked So Pretty” by Miranda Neubauer in TechPresident.

“Campaign finance report cards due” by Dave Levinthal in Politico.

California: “New poll: Hope fades for measure barring political contributions; tax measures are touch-and-go” by Josh Richman in the Contra Costa Times.

Oregon: “Oregon Secretary of State candidates trade tough words over campaign spending limits” by Michelle Cole in The Oregonian.

Vermont: “Dems criticize GOP PAC official for denying, then acknowledging dinner meeting with Brock” by Sam Hemingway in the Burlington Free Press.

Government and Technology

“GovGirl Covers Best of the Web Awards” by Jessica Mulholland in Government Technology.

“Congress launches Congress.gov in beta, doesn’t open the data” by Alex Howard in O’Reilly Radar.

“New search engine offers better access to Congress” by Brett Zongker in The Associated Press.

Elections

“Online Voter Registration Launches in California” by McClatchy Newspapers in Governing.

“Supreme Court rejects LULAC suit seeking to postpone Texas elections” by Greg Stohr in the Star-Telegram.

It’s your voice, your country, your community – and change doesn’t just happen, it’s ignited by a single vote. So stop making excuses and start making changes.

Pledge today to VOTE on Nov. 6, 2012 and help “Keep US Strong.”

According to the latest U.S. Census Report, an average of only about 40 percent of the U.S. population votes during a non-presidential election year – while just over 60 percent vote during a presidential election.

Those statistics are too low for President and CEO Elizabeth Bartz of State and Federal Communications Inc., based out of Akron, Ohio.

So in recognition of Election Day 2012 and the need to get more voters to the polls, Bartz and her company are sponsoring a campaign to encourage voting. The campaign aims to not only encourage people to vote, but also to encourage voters to think about the impact their voice and efforts have on their community and their country.

Lobbying

“Street Talk: From K Street to School Corridors” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

“K Street abuzz over who will get the $1.8 million Roundtable job” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.

“Report: gambling interests spend heavy in Albany” by The Associated Press in the Wall Street Journal.

“Facebook, Google, Amazon join forces in D.C. lobby” by Cecilia Kang in the Washington Post.

“Twitter hires GOP congressional staffer” by Brendan Sasso in The Hill.

Campaign Finance

“Romney campaign took out $20-million loan, still owes $11 million” by Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times.

“FPPC Delays Vote on Paid Political Blogger Regulations” by Ben Adler in Capital Public Radio.

Electoral Maps

“2012 Swing States Map” in Politico 2012 Live.

“The Electoral Map: Building a Path to Victory” in the New York Times.

State Legislatures

“Too Much Information: Enemy # 1 for New Member Orientation” by Bruce Feustel in NCSL’s The Thicket.

Social Media

“Gov Website Evolution: Changes in 2013” by Sarah Rich Government Technology.

“The time of the ‘social media’ candidate is nigh” by Jen Doll on TechPresident.

For the first time in three months, the Obama campaign and the DNC outraised Gov. Romney and the RNC. The President’s campaign reported a monthly total of $114 million raised in August, narrowly beating the Romney campaign’s $111.6 million in total fundraising. The last time President Obama won the fundraising race was in April of this year when his campaign raised $43.6 million to Gov. Romney’s $40.1 million. August is also the first time this election cycle that the President has raised over $100 million; Gov. Romney previously raised over $100 million in June, July and August. The Romney campaign also reported a cash on hand total of $168.5 million while the Obama campaign has not yet released that figure.

The Obama campaign has petitioned supporters for the past few months to help close the fundraising gap with numerous emails and phone calls. Obama campaign spokesman Jim Messina said the campaign received contributions, “from more than 1.1 million Americans, donating an average of $58 per person – more than 317,000 who had never donated to the campaign before.” Gov. Romney’s campaign did not release a total number of donor’s but said that 94% of donations were for $250 or less.

The new fundraising totals come at a good time for President Obama as the President has started to open a bit of a lead in daily tracking polls following the completion of the national conventions. The Rasmussen Tracking Poll gives Obama a slight advantage at 46% to 45% over Romney and a Reuters/Ipsos poll gives Obama a 48% to 45% edge. Additionally, a Gallup daily tracking poll shows Obama with a 50% to 43% advantage.

Other notes from the trail…

• Roll Call has released its annual study of the 50 richest members of congress. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) tops the list for the second straight year with a net worth over $300 million. Senator John Kerry once again topped the list of richest senators and is the second richest overall member of Congress with a net worth of $198.65 million. Both McCaul and Kerry benefit from the sizable assets of their spouses. McCaul’s wife is the daughter of Clear Channel Communications founder and CEO Lowry Mays, and Kerry’s wife is the widow of the late Senator John Heinz of Heinz Ketchup fame.
• Freshman Rhode Island Representative David Cicilline (D-1st) won a challenging primary Tuesday amid concerns about his tenure as the mayor of Providence. At issue were Cicilline’s statements and reports as mayor regarding the financial state of the city including his decision to tap into the city’s rainy day fund. Cicilline released a series of apologies in April regarding a lack of transparency in city finances and his efforts to balance the budget. Cicilline will now face Brendan Doherty, a retired police colonel for the heavily democratic district.
• On Sunday, the New York Times Magazine profiles Joseph Kennedy III (D-Massachusetts) who is running for the seat being vacated by retiring Congressman Barney Frank. Kennedy is the grandson of the late Robert F. Kennedy and son of six-term congressman Joseph Kennedy II. If Kennedy wins the seat in the heavily democratic district, it will mark a return to Washington for the Kennedy family for the first time since Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) retired from his Congressional seat in 2011. Prior to Patrick’s retirement, a member of the Kennedy family had served in national elected office every year since 1947.

“Swing-State Stations Are Election Winners” by Amy Schatz and Suzanne Vranica in the Wall Street Journal.

“Political Spending on Television Media Projected to Reach $5.2 billion” by Cirina Catania in Technorati.

“Political Ad Season Has Really Begun” by Elspeth Reeve in The Atlantic.

“Political Perceptions: Ad Burnout Ahead?” by Gerald F. Seib in the Wall Street Journal.

“Ind. political ads suspended on 9/11” by The Associated Press in WISH TV.

“Ads: A state-by-state breakdown of who’s spending where” by Domenico Montanaro on NBC News.

Governor Brown has ordered a special election resulting from the resignation of Senator Doug LaMalfa.

The special election for the 4th Senate District will be held on January 8, 2013. The special election’s primary will be held on November 6, 2012.

Photo of the California State Capitol by Henri Sivonen on Wikipedia.

Q. Are there any additional compliance requirements of which to be aware because this is a Presidential election year?

 A. In a word, no. However, given the substantial increase in federal, state, and local contributions, it is important to keep in mind some compliance basics during an election year:

• Be aware of what restrictions exist in a specific jurisdiction regarding pre-election contributions and/or communications. Several states have laws restricting contributions within a certain time period of an election. Federally, there are time-period restrictions associated with election communications;
• Track reportable contributions that may only come into play during an election year. For instance, at the federal level, contributions made to an inaugural committee are reportable on the LD-203;
• The same gift laws apply leading up to an election as the rest of the year. Understand the definition of a gift as it relates to a “covered official” from any given jurisdiction and don’t violate it because you happen to be attending an election-related activity, including conventions;
• Most jurisdictions have personal, corporate and/or PAC contribution limits. Be diligent in monitoring contributions so as not to surpass those limits;
• Don’t rely on a “covered official” from any jurisdiction to know his/her jurisdiction’s limits or restrictions. Be proactive in determining restrictions ahead of time; and
• Consider implementing “Election Year” guidelines within your organization to keep everyone on the same page.

In an election year, the increase in activity coupled with jurisdictional differences can make compliance a little trickier. By following these fundamental guidelines, you are more likely to ensure that at the end of the day you can say, “I Comply.” As always, should you have any questions regarding your compliance efforts, don’t hesitate to refer to State and Federal Communication’s on-line source books or contact us directly.

You can directly submit questions for this feature, and we will select those most appropriate and answer them here. Send your questions to: marketing@stateandfed.com.

(We are always available to answer questions from clients that are specific to your needs, and we encourage you to continue to call or e-mail us with questions about your particular company or organization. As always, we will confidentially and directly provide answers or information you need.) Our replies to your questions are not legal advice. Instead, these replies represent our analysis of laws, rules, and regulations.

As the United States continues to follow the 2012 presidential candidates down the campaign trail, social media is playing an ever growing role in both campaigns.

During the 2008 election, the use of social media by President Obama was considered innovative and a significant contributing factor to his success. While he is still hard at work to keep his title as the most social media savvy politician (even having a 50-state Twitter campaign), Republicans are catching up.

There now seems to be an ever-present competition going on between Republicans and Democrats, each trying to get the most traffic and largest response to their continuously updated social media platforms.

Although, the Democratic National Convention is still going on, it is already very apparent that this competition has extended with full force to both parties’ respective national conventions.

According to this article provided on Mashable, social media was dominated by GOP related traffic during their convention. There were over 4 million tweets and over 2.5 million YouTube views, as well as 300,000 streaming video hours.

Not to be outdone, an app created by ABC will provide a continuous news flow this week of the Democratic National Convention, including three live streams for mobile and desktop.

An interesting consequential outcome to the rising importance of social media in political campaigns is the rising competition among social media platforms to be the most innovative and utilized source.

It will be interesting to see which party comes out as the social media winner after all the statistics are tallied up for the DNC.

A St. Louis County judge ordered a new election between state Representative Stacey Newman and Susan Carlson for the 87th House District. The new Democratic primary election is scheduled to be held on Monday, September 24, 2012.

Initial results of the August 7, 2012 primary showed Newman had won the election by a single vote, but the St. Louis County Board of Election found irregularities soon after the results were announced. The mistakes occurred at a polling place in Brentwood, where poll workers accidentally handed voters ballots with the 83rd District race between James Trout and Gina Mitten.

During the court hearing, it was revealed that 100 voters in the 83rd District received ballots to vote in the 87th District, while two 87th District residents received ballots for the 83rd District. Judge Michael Jamison cited Revised Missouri Statute section 115.593, which allows the court to order a new election if the evidence provided demonstrates irregularities were sufficient to cast doubt on the outcome of the election.

Governor Robert Bentley has set the special election timeline for the House District 30 seat. The seat was vacated by Representative Blaine Galliher, who resigned to become the governor’s legislative director.

The primary will be held October 23, 2012, and the special general election held December 11, 2012 if no runoff is needed. If a runoff election is required, it will be held December 11, 2012, and the special general election held January 29, 2013.

The governor said in a statement that the timeline will allow the new lawmaker to be in place for the legislative session beginning February 5, 2013.

Governor Bob McDonnell has set September 4, 2012 as the date of a special election to fill the seats for Senate District 5 and House District 45. The District 5 seat was previously held by the late Senator Yvonne Miller, who passed away July 3, 2012. The District 45 seat is currently held by Delegate David Englin, who announced his resignation effective August 31, 2012.

Governor McDonnell stated in his press release that the timing of the special election will allow the new senator and delegate adequate time to prepare for the 2013 legislative session, as well as allow time to hold a subsequent special election if needed.