Ohio Supreme Court rules against secretary of state
Published June 16th 2008 in Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A divided Ohio Supreme Court is forcing the state's top elections official to install a Republican elections board member whose appointment she had blocked.

In a 4-3 decision Monday, the court ruled that Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner was outside her authority when she blocked the Summit County Republican Party's choice to fill a vacant elections board seat.

The court says Brunner, a Democrat, must appoint Brian Daley to the board. Brunner rejected Daley's appointment after Democratic officials raised concerns that his appointment would not correct an overly partisan atmosphere at the board.

Brunner had previously rejected the reappointment of Republican Alex Arshinkoff, who she deemed incompetent to serve.
IRV Soars in Twin Cities, FairVote Corrects the Pundits on Meaning of Election Night '09
Election Day '09 was a roller-coaster for election reformers.  Instant runoff voting had a great night in Minnesota, where St. Paul voters chose to implement IRV for its city elections, and Minneapolis voters used IRV for the first time—with local media touting it as a big success. As the Star-Tribune noted in endorsing IRV for St. Paul, Tuesday’s elections give the Twin Cities a chance to show the whole state of Minnesota the benefits of adopting IRV. There were disappointments in Lowell and Pierce County too, but high-profile multi-candidate races in New Jersey and New York keep policymakers focused on ways to reform elections;  the Baltimore Sun and Miami Herald were among many newspapers publishing commentary from FairVote board member and former presidential candidate John Anderson on how IRV can mitigate the problems of plurality elections.

And as pundits try to make hay out of the national implications of Tuesday’s gubernatorial elections, Rob Richie in the Huffington Post concludes that the gubernatorial elections have little bearing on federal elections.

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