TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 8/4/10

OPEN PRIMARIES

• TOP TWO OPEN PRIMARY FACES FIRST LEGAL CHALLENGE (by Damon Eris, CAIVN) The lawsuit argues that SB6 is unconstitutional because, if implemented, candidates who “identify with a ‘minor’ party will be censored and discriminated against on the ballot,” and because votes cast for any “write-in candidate in the general election will not be counted.”  (Full copies of the complaint and brief can be found at Ballot Access News, a site authored by Richard Winger, who is one of the plaintiffs in the suit) 

BALLOT ACCESS

• Filing Fee Alternative to Primary Petitions in Illinois, New York (Ballot Access News)

COLORADO

• Kathleen Curry Will Sue Against Discriminatory Campaign Contribution Limits (Ballot Access News)

KANSAS

• Steady stream of voters turn out at polls (KSN) So far, there have been a few reports of problems at certain polling places. Several involve independent voters telling KSN they were turned away. Election workers told them the Republican Primary is closed and therefore they cannot vote. But according to state law, unaffiliated voters can cast a ballot as long as they’re willing to declare a party.
• Lots of independent voters switching to GOP for today’s primary (Wichita Eagle/Insider Dispatches)
• Record 25 percent vote in Sedgwick County (By STAN FINGER and BECCY TANNER, The Wichita Eagle) “Based off what we saw, at least 5 percent were unaffiliated voters,” he said. “That’s 2,500 or 3,000 unaffiliated voters, roughly three times the number we normally see in an August primary. That’s a pretty big increase.”

MICHIGAN

• Bernero has to tweak his fall message (BY STEPHEN HENDERSON, DETROIT FREE PRESS) And with Rick Snyder on the Republican ticket, that challenge looks even greater. Snyder won his primary by reaching out to independents and Democrats, luring them into the GOP primary to defeat much more conservative candidates.
• The Tea Party's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Night - Moderates rule a series of high-profile primaries (Newsweek)

KENTUCKY

• Rand Paul's Crucible - How does a radical libertarian win in deep-purple Kentucky? (Adam de Jong, The New Republic) It's often forgotten, but Kentucky's political environment is not tailor-made for Republican landslides. The state has roughly 600,000 more registered Democrats than members of the GOP, and only a small pool of independent voters, forcing Kentucky Republicans to make their careers out of winning a sizeable portion of the Democratic base.

NEW YORK

• Scandal-scarred state Sen. Pedro Espada demands federal probe of chief rival Gustavo Rivera (BY KENNETH LOVETT, DAILY NEWS ALBANY BUREAU CHIEF)

NYC CHARTER REVISION

• Charter Commission May Put Nonpartisan Elections on the Ballot (By Jill Colvin, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer)
• Citizens Union special report
• Williams: I want a pension (Gotham Gazette/Wonkster) Councilmember Jumaane Williams wants to extend term limits to to 3 terms...