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.

Lobbying

“Under Contract” in The Hill.

Illinois: “Lobbyists banned from doing business at county board meetings” by Brian Slodysko in the Chicago Sun-Times.

Campaign Finance

“Campaign-Finance Amendment Drives Wedge Between ACLU, Public Citizen” by Daniel Fisher in Forbes.

“Campaign Money Debate Won’t Help Hill’s Reputation” by David Hawkins in Roll Call.

“Too strong for McConnell to resist” by Robert Weissman in The Hill.

“State of political consulting: Rapid growth, long hours, new approaches” by Tarini Parti in Politico.

“How campaigns are losing the mobile war” by Daniel Lippman and Darren Samuelsohn in Politico.

“Former Connecticut governor secretly paid to advise congressional campaign, staff testify” by Richard Weizel in Reuters.

New Jersey: “NJEA Spent Nearly $60M on Campaigns and Lobbying in Past 15 Years” in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

South Carolina: “S.C. House Speaker Indicted on Campaign Finance Violations” by Valerie Bauerlein in The Wall Street Journal.

Ethics

Arkansas: “Why Some Say Arkansas’ Ethics Reform Is a Trojan Horse” by J.B. Wogan in Governing.

Elections

Massachusetts: “Baker, Coakley to square off for control of Corner Office” by Matt Stout in the Boston Herald.

New Hampshire: “Tech-Funded Mayday PAC’s Candidate Loses Big in New Hampshire” by Amy Schatz in Re/code.

New York: “Cuomo survives revolt” by Matthew Hamilton in the Times Union.

Ohio: “Early voting hours should be set by counties, Democrats say” by Jackie Borchardt in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

State Legislatures

Nevada: “Tesla-related bills argued in Nevada Legislature” by Charles Fleming in the Los Angeles Times.

Lobbying

“Accepting Resumes! AGRP Executive Director Position” from the Association of Government Relations Professionals Blog.

“Bottom Line” in The Hill.

Rhode Island: “GOP Candidates Wants Tougher Lobbying and Ethics Law in RI” by Mark Curtis on WLNE TV News.

Virginia: “Va. hospital group spends $400,000 on lobbying” by Alan Suderman (Associated Press) on WTOP.

Campaign Finance

“House Democrats to unveil campaign finance amendment” by Lauren French in Politico.

“How to Raise $5 Million Online For Campaign Finance Reform: Why MayDay PAC Succeeded” by Ben Winkler in TechPresident.

“DeMint rakes in Heritage cash” by Alexander Bolton in The Hill.

New York: “Rolling updates: NYC Campaign Finance Board filings” by Celeste Katz on NY Daily News.

Ohio: “Ben Suarez asks federal judge to throw out obstruction of justice conviction or grant new trial” by James F. McCarty in The Plain Dealer.

South Carolina: “House Speaker Harrell uses campaign funds to pay Charleston attorneys” by Jeremy Borden in The Post and Courier.

Ethics

“Partisan Activities of Lerner Co-Worker at FEC” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.

Elections

North Carolina: “NC voters see runoff primaries in 37 counties” by The Associated Press on WSOC TV.

Redistricting

“Interactive: Understanding congressional redistricting” by The Associated Press in the Wisconsin State Journal.

New Jersey: “Top Assembly Republican wants redistricting do-over” by Matt Friedman in The Star Ledger.

Texas: “Texas accused of purposely excluding minorities in redistricting” by Will Weissert (Associated Press) in The Dallas Morning News.

Texas: “The Source: Texas Redistricting Back In San Antonio Federal Court” by Paul Flahive on Texas Public Radio.

Paula Sophia, the first openly transgender officer in Oklahoma City Police Department history, is vying to become the state’s first openly transgender legislator. Sophia received enough votes in Tuesday’s primary to force a runoff for the Democratic nomination to represent Oklahoma House District 88.

Sophia will face former pastor Jason Dunnington in an August 26 runoff. There is no Republican challenger; the winner will bypass the general election as a member of the state legislature.

Lobbying

“From Milwaukee to Milan, Uber’s Battles Are Mostly Local” by Tom Curry in Roll Call.

Texas: “State regulators set for conservative activist’s lobbying trial” by David Saleh Rauf in the Houston Chronicle.

Campaign Finance

“Senate Dems float campaign finance bill” by Byron Tau in Politico.

“Democrats Reintroduce DISCLOSE Act” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.

“Kenneth Vogel on Campaign Finance” video on C-SPAN.

“Millionaires Keep Shoveling Money Into Politics” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.

“California Lawmakers Back Amendment Overturning Citizens United” by Mollie Reilly in The Huffington Post.

North Carolina: “House OKs bill allowing more electronic filings” by The Associated Press in WWAY ABC News.

Wisconsin: “State lawmakers collect most money from outside spenders” by Adam Rodewald in the Green Bay Press Gazette.

Ethics

California: “California Senate panel shelves GOP ethics bill” by Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times.

Elections

“Live election results: June 24” in The Washington Post.

“Election night: Key House primaries” by Steven Shepard, Elizabeth Titus and Tarini Parti in Politico.

Colorado: “2014 Colorado primary election results” on ABC News Denver.

Maryland: “Brown, Hogan win gubernatorial nominations; Democrat Frosh wins attorney general contest” by John Wagner and Jenna Johnson in The Washington Post.

“2014 Maryland Primary Election results” on WBAL TV News.

Mississippi: “Inside the Thad Cochran comeback” by Alexander Burns in Politico.

New York: “Charles Rangel leads; Adriano Espaillat won’t concede” by A;ex Isenstadt in Politico.

New York: “Tea Party doesn’t sway New York GOP voters in primary” by David Robinson in the Albany Business Review.

Oklahoma: “Tuesday’s Election Results” in Tulsa World.

Government Tech and Social Media

“NCSL Launches Elections Administration Research Database” by Michael D. Hernandez on The NCSL Blog.

Lobbying

“Under Contract” in The Hill.

“MPAA’s Michael O’Leary steps down – Big 12 hires a lobbying firm” by Byron Tau in Politico.

Missouri: “Lobbyists’ gifts to Missouri lawmakers exceed $500,000” by Angela Mueller in the St. Louis Business Journal.

Campaign Finance

“BitPay, CoinVox Team Up to Allow Politicians to Accept Bitcoin” by Eric Calouro in NewsBTC.

Delaware: “Campaign finance reform bills languish in legislature” by Jonathan Starkey in The News Journal.

Massachusetts: “Bill would increase PAC disclosures” by Frank Phillips in the Boston Globe.

New York: “Blame Game After Push to Revamp Campaign Financing Ends” by Mike Vilensky in The Wall Street Journal.

North Carolina: “N.C. election laws ‘stuck in pre-computer age’” by Jim Morrill in the Charlotte Observer.

Vermont: “Advocacy group turns sights to money in politics” by Neal P. Goswami in the Rutland Herald.

Ethics

“Prosecutor asks court: Reinstate DeLay convictions” by Juan A. Lozano (Associated Press) in the Houston Chronicle.

“Grand Jury Probes Capitol Knowledge & Stock Trading” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.

Hawaii: “Ethics Commission Tells Lawmakers How They Should Spend Allowances” by Nathan Eagle in the Honolulu Civil Beat.

Elections

New York: “This is what happens when a campaign finance scholar runs for governor” by Max Ehrenfreund in The Washington Post.

Wisconsin: “Jon Erpenbach drops appeal in email open records case” in the Journal Sentinel.

State Legislatures

South Carolina: “SC House OKs $12,000 pay raise for lawmakers, overriding Gov. Haley’s veto” by Cassie Cope in The State.

Lobbying

“Bottom Line” in The Hill.

Campaign Finance

California: “Senate approves campaign fundraising blackout during budget negotiations and end of session” by The Associated Press in the Daily Journal.

Ethics

“Watchdog urges bribery probe of congressman” by Mario Trujillo in The Hill.

New Mexico: “NM governor’s ex-aide pleads guilty to hacking charges” by Julian Hattem in The Hill.

Ohio: “Ohio Rep. Dale Mallory Named In Ethics Probe” by The Associated Press on WBNS TV News.

Rhode Island: “House panel passes revised ethics bill” by The Associated Press in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Elections

“Supreme Court: Groups Can Sue over Campaign Lies” by Julie Rovner in Governing.

Lobbying

“Lobbying World” in The Hill.

“Sallie Mae spin-off registers to lobby” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“Amplifyd: Crowd-Sourced Lobbying Launches Website” by Annie Spiegelman in The Huffington Post.

“Politico: Wall Street Loses an Ally With Cantor’s Defeat” by Drew MacKenzie in Newsmax.

North Carolina: “Senate honors longtime lawmaker, lobbyist Alley” by Tara Jeffries in WRAL.

Campaign Finance

“Campaign Finance Hearings Showcase Extremes | Rules of the Game” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.

“A Reporter Crashes the Super PAC Party” by Walter Shapiro in the Brennan Center for Justice Blog.

“Bitcoin bulks up lobbying power” by Julian Hattem in The Hill.

Connecticut: “Democratic governors lose challenge to Connecticut campaign finance law” by Nate Raymond in Reuters.

Kansas: “Panel looking into ethics of Facebook post seeking contributions to Schodorf campaign” by Brian Lowry in The Wichita Eagle.

North Carolina: “Legislators call for constitutional convention” in The Times-News.

Ohio: “Former executive testifies in campaign finance trial of northeast Ohio businessman” by The Associated Press in The Republic.

Elections

“5 takeaways from Eric Cantor shocker” by James Hohmann in Politico.

Lobbying

“Caterpillar hires Ray LaHood as a consultant” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

Campaign Finance

“Stephen Colbert exults in Colbert-crowning study” by Erik Wemple in The Washington Post.

California: “The Election’s Over, Where Does The Money Go?” by Grant Scott-Goforth in The North Coast Journal.

Missouri: “Kansas City Council panel supports campaign contribution limits” by Lynn Horsley in The Kansas City Star.

Ohio: “Daughter testifies against Benjamin Suarez in campaign finance scheme trial” by Ed Meyer in the Akron Beacon Journal.

Texas: “Texas Ethics Commission fines state Rep. Linda Harper-Brown $5,000 for obscuring campaign loans” by Gromer Jeffersd, Jr. in The Dallas Morning News.

Ethics

South Carolina: “SC lawmakers agree on ethics reform but ‘most important part … not getting done’” by Jamie Self in The State.

West Virginia: “West Virginia Ethics Commission fires executive director, gives no reason for her termination” by Jonathan Mattise (Associated Press) in The Republic.

Elections

Alabama: “Alabama voter turnout lower than 2010” by The Associated Press in the Montgomery Advertiser.

California: “Top-two primary imperils some legislative comebacks as Democrats seek to hold supermajorities” by Don Thompson (Associated Press) in the Daily Journal.

Missouri: “Missouri moving presidential primary to March” by David E. Lieb (Associated Press) in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Virginia: “Glance of candidates in Va. congressional race” by The Associated Press in the Miami Herald.

Redistricting

Florida: “Redistricting trial wraps up with no decision for weeks” by Aaron Deslatte in the Orlando Sentinel.

Lobbying

“Bottom Line” in The Hill.

“Big Business’ Summer Agenda | K Street Files” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

“States and Localities Are Losing Their Influence in Washington” by J. B. Wogan in Governing.

Campaign Finance

“Campaigns Ignore State Law at Their Peril | A Question of Ethics” by C. Simon Davidson in Roll Call.

California: “L.A. County requires electronic filings of campaign finance reports” by Abby Sewell in the Los Angeles Times.

Massachusetts: “Campaign finance bill is now law” by Douglas Moser in the Eagle-Tribune.

Wisconsin: “Judge who stopped Wisconsin campaign finance probe tied to Koch-funded junkets” by Chris Young in The Center for Public Integrity.

Ethics

North Carolina: “North Carolina elections board hiring longtime FBI agent to work on investigation team” by The Associated Press in The Republic.

South Carolina: “SC Senate votes against House ethics plan” by The Associated Press in The State.

Elections

“Oldest lawmaker kicked out” by Cameron Joseph in The Hill.

“An Update on the 2014 State Legislators to Watch” by Louis Jacobson in Governing.

“A Guide to the 36 Governors’ Races” by Louis Jacobson in Governing.

Texas: “Tea Party Conservatives Win Top GOP Runoff Contests” by Brandi Grissom in The Texas Tribune.

Veteran state Sen. Don Balfour lost re-election in the primary on Tuesday, May 20, 2014.

Balfour is the longest-serving Senate Republican and was acquitted last year of charges he improperly billed the state for travel expenses.

Former Gwinnett County Commissioner Mike Beaudreau and former Lawrenceville City Councilman P.K. Martin both finished ahead of Balfour, setting up a runoff between the two candidates on July 22, 2014.

Today the Chief Electoral Officer for Ontario, Canada, Greg Essensa, announced the province will hold general elections on June 12, 2014. According to the Elections Ontario’s press release, the candidate nomination period runs from May 15 to May 22. The two blackout periods on political advertising run from May 7 to May 20 and June 10 to Election Day.

The last provincial general election was held on October 6, 2011.

Lobbying

“Bottom Line” in The Hill.

“Ex-lawmaker registers to lobby for Ukrainian businessmen” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“Ethics panel won’t move forward on Luis Gutierrez” by John Bresnahan in Politico.

Missouri: “Former governor Matt Blunt now a registered lobbyist” by Kelly Moffitt in the St. Louis Business Journal.

Campaign Finance

California: “Scaled-back campaign finance disclosure bill clears Assembly” by Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times.

New Jersey: “Bill would extend campaign funding” by Maddie Hanna in The Inquirer.

North Carolina: “Big money targets NC elections” by Jon Ostendorff in the Citizen-Times.

Elections

“6 Things to Watch in Tuesday’s Primaries” by Alexis Levinson and Emily Cahn in Roll Call.

“10 Maps That Explain the 2014 Midterms” by Kyle Kondik in Politico Magazine.

“A singer, a speaker: House races to watch” by Alex Isenstadt in Politico.

“The 10 Most Vulnerable Members of 2014” by Shira T. Center, Abby Livingston, and Emily Cahn in Roll Call.

Ethics

“Members of Congress Open Wallets and Pocketbooks” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.

Government Transparency

New York: “After Pledge of Sunlight, Gov. Cuomo Officials Keep Their Email in the Shadows” by Justin Elliott in ProPublica.

Lobbying

“Bottom Line” in The Hill.

Ottawa, Canada: “City rules allow lobbyists to donate to councillors’ campaigns” by Joanne Chianello in the Ottawa Citizen.

Campaign Finance

“FEC Publishes New Contribution Limits for 2013-2014” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.

Delaware: “Del. lawmakers eye campaign finance bill” by The Associated Press in The Washington Times.

Maine: “Maine rethinking campaign contribution limits after Supreme Court ruling” by Reid Wilson (Washington Post) in the Bangor Daily News.

New York: “NY ethics board tells 4 advocacy groups it won’t shield names of their financial backers” by The Associated Press in The Republic.

Ethics

California: “California lawmakers propose reforms to regain public trust after series of scandals” by Fenit Nirappil (Associated Press) in the Daily Bulletin.

Georgia: “Deal proposes overhaul of Ga. ethics commission” by Phillip Lucas (Associated Press) in The Telegraph.

Georgia: “Another lawsuit from ex-ethics staffer is in the works” by Greg Bluestein in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Pennsylvania: “Pa. Senate committee approves ban on cash gifts” by Amy Worden in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

From the State Legislatures

California: “State lawmakers’ per diem claims topped $1.1M in 2013” by Nick Heynen and Matthew Defour in the Wisconsin State Journal.

Elections

“Report finds states cutting wait times for voters” by Martha T. Moore in USA Today.