November 3, 2011 •
Georgia Special Election On Its Way
to fill House seat of Tim Beardon
GEORGIA: A special election to fill the state House District 68 seat of Tim Bearden will be held December 6, according to an announcement by Georgia’s Secretary of State.
Bearden resigned his seat last month after being appointed director of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center by Governor Nathan Deal.
If a runoff is needed, it will be held January 3, 2012.
October 27, 2011 •
Top Six News Posts Today
Government ethics, campaign finance, political campaign advertising, social media, and more.
NCSL has updated their 50 state chart of state ethics commission information, with its interactive map, list of contact information, and detailed profiles.
- Politico published “Political advertising data may go online” by Brooks Boliek. According to the article, “The Federal Communications Commission is expected to vote Thursday on a notice of proposed rule making that could require broadcasters to post information about political ads and other data on the Internet.”
- Arizona’s clean elections program made the news yet again. “The Arizona Legislature may have to go back to the drawing board if it wants voters in 2012 to kill the state’s public-funded Clean Elections campaign-finance program,” reports the Arizona Republic in “Judge rejects Arizona campaign finance measure” by Alia Beard Rau.
- Read what the feds are tweeting right this moment on “The Feed” by Nextgov.
- Politico offers today “Ex-FEC chief: Lift money limits” by Dave Levinthal, where he begins by quoting former Federal Election Commission Chairman Michael Toner: “The United States should take a cue from the Commonwealth of Virginia — or the Cayman Islands, for that matter — and simply do away with limits on campaign contributions.”
- Remember “We the People,” the White House’s new online channel to offer your own petitions for better government? TechPresident gives us an update on whether the platform is living up to its promise to be a true place of genuine communication with the White House. Here is the blog post: “White House Begins Responses to ‘We the People‘” by Nick Judd.
October 25, 2011 •
Montana, Political Campaigns, and Social Media
In response to complaints, the state prepares to define and regulate social media in politics.
Montana Commissioner of Political Practices David Gallik is now working on clarifying the rules for using social media in political campaigns. A few complaints have emerged in Montana over the use of email and social media in campaigns, and the commissioner recognizes the existing laws were crafted primarily for campaigns using print media, television, and radio.
In the Missoulian article “Montana political practices office to address social media campaign complaints,” journalist Keila Szpaller spoke with Gallik about what comes next for the state. The article also explores how the use of social media in political campaigns, and its regulation, can bring into focus the tension between personal privacy and the demands of an open democratic process.
October 25, 2011 •
Ohio Bill Signed to Create Multiple Primary Dates
Bill Deemed Necessary Due to Redistricting Issues
Governor John Kasich signed House Bill 318 into law the evening of Friday, October 21, 2011. House Bill 318 creates two separate primary elections in the state during 2012. The first primary election, for county partisan offices, the state legislature, and the available U.S. Senate seat, will be held on March 6, 2012, while the second primary date, for the President and U.S. House of Representatives, will be June 12, 2012.
The bill is intended to give state lawmakers more time to settle differences concerning Ohio’s recently passed map for legislative redistricting, as a Democrat-backed coalition seeks to place the redistricting measure before Ohio’s voters for a possible repeal in 2012 if a compromise cannot be reached.
October 21, 2011 •
The Power of Data in Political Campaigns
The power of micro-targeting
Yesterday, techPresident published “New Obama for America Page is a Jungle Gym for Donation Data” by Nick Judd.
Everyone has been talking about the new role social media is playing in the 2012 presidential campaigns. But I think Judd brings up an often missed point: The importance of social media’s role is not so much to be found in the social networks themselves, but in the vast amount of information the campaigns have about each of us, and how they are using that information on social media. Judd writes about campaigns “micro-targeting” potential political campaign donors with personalized messages geared toward attracting the most money.
The article showcases the Obama 2012 campaign website, which boasts its one million donors. The site allows you to drill down into a great deal of information about the contributions. The aim of the site is that the visitor will come to the conclusion that the donors are broad-based and grassroots.
Have any of our readers seen any similar examples on other campaign websites? Please share it on Lobby Comply!
October 17, 2011 •
News You Can Use Digest – October 17, 2011
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
Company Shops for Campaign Cash
Former Lobbyist Sent to Jail for a Few Hours for Taking Hill Aides to 2003 World Series Game
‘Scarlet L’ for K Street Returns as Obama Sharpens 2012 Rhetoric on Lobbyists
‘Super PAC’ American Crossroads Seeks Permission to Feature Candidates in Ads
The Outsized Returns from Lobbying
From the States and Municipalities:
California
California OKs Donations via Text
California
L.A. Ethics Commission Slaps Developer with Maximum Campaign Fine
California
Proposed California Regulations Spell Out Gift-Reporting Requirements for Elected Officials
Massachusetts
DiMasi Friend Admits Breaking Massachusetts Lobbying Law
New Mexico
GOP Files Lawsuit against Newly Imposed Campaign Contribution Limits in New Mexico
Tennessee
Tennessee Lawmaker Arrested on DUI, Gun Charges
Vermont
Judge: Republican Governors Association violated Vermont campaign finance laws
State and Federal Communications produces a weekly summary of national news, offering more than 80 articles per week focused on ethics, lobbying, and campaign finance.
News You Can Use is a news service provided at no charge only to clients of our online Executive Source Guides, or ALERTS™ consulting clients.
Jim Sedor is editor of News You Can Use.
October 12, 2011 •
No Presidential Primary in Missouri?
A vote is coming next Monday.
The Missouri Legislature will consider legislation to cancel the state’s 2012 presidential primary. Here is an Associated Press article that appeared in the Columbia Missourian announcing the possible action: “Missouri to consider abolishing presidential primary.”
According to the article: “Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer says his chamber will convene Monday to consider legislation canceling Missouri’s 2012 presidential primary … repealing that law could save the state from spending millions of dollars on a purely symbolic election.”
October 11, 2011 •
A Look at Facebook and the 2012 Presidential Election
TechPresident thinks about what Facebook’s role could be this time around
TechPresident’s article “How Campaigns’ Use of Facebook Data Might Change the 2012 Election” by Nick Judd explores the role Facebook may play in the 2012 presidential election.
The social media platform not only provides a good civic space for broadcasting political messages, but Judd discusses how services like NGP Van can use Facebook friend lists to find precisely targeted audiences for campaign messages.
October 11, 2011 •
Special Election Set for Georgia Senate District 28
Senator Seabaugh Resigns Seat to Accept Appointment
Governor Nathan Deal has issued a Writ of Election setting Tuesday, November 8, 2011 as the date for a special election to fill the vacant seat in state senate district 28.
The seat became available upon the resignation of Sen. Mitch Seabaugh, who resigned the seat in order to accept his appointment to the position of deputy state treasurer by Governor Deal.
The runoff election, if necessary, will be held December 6, 2011.
September 27, 2011 •
New Jersey Presidential Primary Moved
Bill Signed Into Law
New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno signed into law a bill moving the state’s presidential primary from February to June.
Assembly Bill 3777 eliminates separate presidential primary elections and provides for delegates and alternates to political party national conventions to be elected at regular June primary elections.
Lt. Governor Guadagno assumed the executive role of Governor Chris Christie while he was out of the state.
September 15, 2011 •
Social Media and Mobile Optimized Elections
With a big election year looming, Govtech.com talks about what will be new this time around.
GovTech.com has published an interesting read about the relationship between technology and the elections industry.
The article, “Perspective: 5 Tech Trends in the Elections Industry“by Nicole Ciotti, lists trends to expect in the upcoming elections. Mobile phone optimized websites, mobile apps, and social media platforms will be prominent in voter outreach and in educating the public prior to the elections. Those tools will be an advantage in offering news and updates during and after the elections as well.
Photo of the vote sign by Tom Arthur on Wikipedia.
July 5, 2011 •
Louisiana Presidential Primary Date Changed
Jindal Signs Into Law
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed House Bill 509 into law, changing the date of the state’s presidential primary. The primary moves to March on the first Saturday which follows the first Tuesday. Previously, the presidential primaries were held in February.
The change in law becomes effective immediately.
Primary Set for July 12, 2011
A special election has been scheduled for August 9, 2011 to fill a seat left vacant in Assembly District 48.
In an executive order, Governor Scott Walker ordered the special election to fill the seat left vacant after the resignation of Joe Parisi, who was elected Dane County Executive in April.
If a primary is necessary in the district, it will be held on Tuesday, July 12, 2011.
Photo of the Wisconsin Capitol by Dori on Wikipedia.
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