Please Lord let it happen.

For the second time in four years, a faction of Manhattan Democrats is attempting to oust the longtime leader of the county party.

During a party meeting last week, a group of 18 of the Manhattan Democrats’ 70 district leaders — volunteer hyperlocal officials elected to, among other duties, run county political parties — delivered a letter to leadership proposing a ban on working in lobbying while holding the party’s top position. Good government groups see the proposal as an important, commonsense measure to promote ethical politics.

But the policy has a target: The current county leader, former state Assemblymember Keith Wright, directs strategy for the government relations arm of a powerful lobbying firm, where he has worked since 2017. The change would likely force him from his seat — and open up a battle between two Manhattan mini-machines.

Those gunning for the current county leader include Washington Heights heavyweight US Representative Adriano Espaillat, who has jostled with Wright for influence since before he defeated Wright’s congressional bid in the 2016 primary. Espaillat’s office did not respond to an interview request.



https://www.thecity.nyc/manhattan/2023/9/21/23882960/manhattan-democratic-party-boss-has-a-target-on-his-back-again

The League of Women Voters Huntington has invited candidates for both the Town of Huntington positions and the Suffolk County Legislature to debate.

The first debate is set for Oct. 18, and the League has invited town council candidates to come. The Town of Huntington has four candidates running for Town Council this year, and two of the four will be elected. It also has a receiver of taxes race and a town clerk race.

According to the League of Women Voters, candidates Jen Herbert and Don McKay, both running for Huntington Town Council, have agreed to attend the debate. Jillian Guthman, a candidate for Huntington’s receiver of taxes position, has also agreed to attend.

Both candidates for Huntington’s town clerk race, Andrew Raia and Linda Davis-Valdez, have agreed to attend.




https://www.longislandpress.com/2023/09/21/huntington-and-suffolk-political-candidates-invited-to-debate-on-oct-18-24/

A judge has told Delaware County to count ballots cast in person by voters whose mail ballots were rejected during the primary, a ruling the county, even though it lost the case, says it welcomes.

Following the May 16 primary, Delaware County’s Board of Elections decided not to accept provisional ballots cast in person by voters who had already been told their mail ballots were rejected due to technical defects. That means that these voters were twice rejected, after trying to remedy their mail ballot mistake by voting provisionally at their nearby polling places, and ultimately were disenfranchised.

One provision in the state’s election codes suggests the ballots should not be counted, while a separate provision reads differently, in favor of counting such a ballot.

Delaware County Court of Common Pleas Judge John Whelan ruled that such ballots must be counted, writing that the law must be “liberally construed” so as to “protect the elective franchise.” His ruling applies only to Delaware County.



https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2023/09/pennsylvania-mail-provisional-ballot-delaware-county-lawsuit/

Governor Josh Shapiro followed through on a campaign promise to ensure free, fair and secure elections when he announced Tuesday that Pennsylvania will now have automatic voter registration. Residents of the Commonwealth who qualify to vote and are in the process of obtaining new or renewed driver licenses and ID cards will be automatically guided through the voter registration application process.

Bucks County State Representative Tim Brennan (D-29) fully supports Shapiro’s actions for automatic voter registration.

“I think it’s symbolic of what we need. We need actively engaged citizens more than ever in an era with a rampant amount of disinformation on websites,” he said.

Brennan also mentioned that one of the first bills he co-sponsored after being elected in 2022 was HB403, introduced by his colleague, Representative Brandon Markosek (D-25). The legislation would provide for the pre-registration of eligible 16-year-old high school students to encourage future participation in elections. “More than ever, we need young people engaged and paying attention,” he added.

Open primaries is another concept that Brennan hopes will be enacted. “A huge percentage of the independent voters are often veterans, and you know we’re not letting these folks vote in primaries. Voting is a hallmark of democracy. It’s a stamp of citizenship.”


https://buckscountybeacon.com/2023/09/registering-to-vote-in-pennsylvania-has-never-been-easier-thanks-to-governor-josh-shapiro/

Sara Innamorato, the Democratic nominee for Allegheny County executive, is attacking her Republican opponent Joe Rockey, claiming he isn’t being upfront about his conservative support.

Rockey, who has billed himself as a moderate and garnered some labor support, said Innamorato is lying and Innamorato is hiding her far left-wing history.

Innamorato, a former state representative from Lawrenceville, held a news conference Wednesday in Downtown Pittsburgh to celebrate the Democrats’ special election victory this week in a state House race. She said Rockey will fight against Democratic priorities such as housing, health care, public transportation and abortion access.

“These are things that matter most to people, and Democrats are the ones that are talking about how to make these things a reality throughout the county and throughout the commonwealth,” Innamorato, 37, said.

She said Rockey hasn’t been upfront about his donations to conservative politicians, some of them aligned with former President Donald Trump.



https://triblive.com/news/politics-election/innamorato-rockey-accuse-each-other-of-extreme-politics/

Trevor Southerland, the executive director of the Pennsylvania House Democratic Campaign Committee, was dismissed this week after it was discovered during audits that proper financial procedures had not been followed.

He had served in that post with the caucus’ fundraising organization since May 2021. Southerland helped lead the House Democrats’ effort to capture majority control of that chamber for the first time more than a decade by flipping 12 seats that had been under Republican control.

Adam Bonin, lawyer for the HDCC, said in a statement, “For several months, HDCC leadership has worked to tighten internal controls and improve record keeping to ensure full and complete compliance with all applicable campaign finance laws. A comprehensive campaign compliance audit is underway to ensure that all reports of the committee are accurate, complete, and in full compliance.”

Bonin declined to say if law enforcement has been contacted about the situation or how much money was involved.



https://www.politicspa.com/southerland-dismissed-as-pa-hdcc-chair/125681/

Republican Joe Rockey has picked up another endorsement in his quest to become Allegheny County Executive.

The Forward Party, an emerging centrist political group led by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, backed the former PNC executive for the position on Thursday.

The group has also endorsed District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr., a lifelong Democrat who is running as the GOP nominee, for reelection.

“Joe Rockey’s platform focuses on real solutions to pressing problems in Allegheny County, including public safety, jobs, and tax reform, and aligns with the ethos at the heart of the Forward Party,” Yang said. “He’s a voice of moderation in a county that has seen increasing problems driven by politicians who are more interested in scoring partisan points than serving the people of Pennsylvania’s second largest county.”

The Forward Party, launched in 2021, is the latest third-party group meant to offer an alternative to voters. Some of the group’s main priorities include election reforms like nonpartisan primaries and creating independent redistricting commissions. Despite the group’s interest in multiple Allegheny County races, it has not met the state’s requirements to be an official political party.


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https://www.politicspa.com/rockey-endorsed-by-forward-party-for-allegheny-county-executive/125701/

Starting today, voters across Virginia can begin casting ballots in pivotal General Assembly elections that will decide which party controls the closely divided state legislature.

The start of the 45-day early voting window — during which Virginians can cast ballots in person at their local election office or send an absentee ballot through the mail — is shifting campaign season into higher gear as both parties stage rallies and other events to energize supporters.

The 2023 legislative races are the first being held in new General Assembly districts drawn in 2021 to account for a decade’s worth of population shifts. The redrawn maps and a wave of retirements by longtime legislators means many voters will be seeing new names on the ballot this year in an election cycle that will dramatically reshape Virginia’s legislature no matter which party wins majority control.

Anyone unsure of their voting status can check their registration and find their polling place through the online Citizen Portal offered by the Virginia Department of Elections. The nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project also has an online tool that lets users look up what’s on their ballot by entering their home address. For more detailed questions, would-be voters can contact their local voter registration office.



https://www.virginiamercury.com/2023/09/22/with-start-of-early-voting-virginia-begins-high-stakes-election-season/

One of the nation’s largest pro-choice political groups endorsed Marucci Guzmán in a state House Special Election.

EMILY’s List, a group dedicated to electing Democratic women who support abortion rights, endorsed Guzmán’s candidacy for House District 35. The support comes at a time when Democrats expect access to abortion to drive election turnout.

“As Florida Republicans work overtime to restrict our freedoms and take away our rights, it is more important than ever to elect dedicated, Democratic pro-choice champions like Marucci Guzmán,” said EMILY’s List President Laphonza Butler.

Gov. Ron DeSantis this year signed a law prohibiting abortions six weeks into pregnancy.

Guzmán is one of three Democrats vying for the open HD 35 seat. She faces two male candidates in the Primary, attorney Rishi Bagga and businessman Tom Keen.



https://floridapolitics.com/archives/635765-emilys-list-endorses-marucci-guzman-in-closely-watched-hd-35-race/