All posts by Spencer Overton

Bipartisan Voting Rights Act is Possible

January 16, 2014, 9:38 amVoting Rights ActSpencer Overton

I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to Rick’s blog, but I disagree with his skepticism about the Voting Rights Act update. My take is that Republicans and Democrats can come together to update the Voting Rights Act. Rick and… Continue reading

Subsidizing Democracy on C-Span 2

January 12, 2014, 10:56 pmcampaign financeSpencer Overton

As Rick mentioned in an earlier post, this morning at 9:30 am ET Professor Michael Miller is talking on his public financing book “Subsidizing Democracy” at the New America Foundation, and I’ll comment along with Michael Malbin… Continue reading

Professors of Color on Political Law

January 1, 2014, 2:19 pmUncategorizedSpencer Overton

Many scholars, conference organizers, and reporters who focus on our increasingly diverse democracy want to ensure their reading, citations, panels, and quotations reflect diverse perspectives. We’ve created a new tool to help. Professors of Color on Political Law features abstracts… Continue reading

NC Voting with MSNBC’s Karen Finney & Penda Hair

December 16, 2013, 5:29 amelection administration, The Voting Wars, Uncategorized, voter id, voter registrationSpencer Overton

The Advancement Project’s Penda Hair (who is representing the NC NAACP) and I were on Karen Finney’s most recent show to talk about NC’s new law (ID, cuts to early voting and same day registration, and more). Last week a… Continue reading

Voting Rights Disclosure

December 9, 2013, 7:30 pmElections Clause, Supreme Court, The Voting Wars, Voting Rights ActSpencer Overton

In my Harvard Law Review Forum piece Voting Rights Disclosure, I articulate my differences with NYU Professor Sam Issacharoff’s “non-civil rights” approach to voting rights (abstract below), and I propose detailed disclosure of voting changes for federal, state, and… Continue reading

How Aggregate Limits Prevent Quid Pro Quo Corruption

October 14, 2013, 6:15 amUncategorizedSpencer Overton

I discussed the U.S. Supreme Court’s McCutcheon case Saturday on Karen Finney’s MSNBC show Disrupt, and also last week in this HuffPo commentary. “Aggregate limits” seem technical, but the issue is simple. Invalidating aggregate limits would allow an… Continue reading

Million Dollar Contributions Corrupt Democracy

October 8, 2013, 1:21 pmUncategorizedSpencer Overton

I was at the U.S. Supreme Court’s campaign finance oral argument today. Please click here to find my latest on the front page of the Huffington Post, “Million Dollar Contributions Corrupt Democracy.” Based on my academic work and… Continue reading

Voting Rights this Afternoon at CBC Legislative Conference

September 20, 2013, 8:10 amUncategorizedSpencer Overton

Friday, Sept. 20, 2013 1:00 pm-3:00 pm: Protecting the Right to Vote Chairman John Conyers Judiciary Braintrust Advancing the Civil Rights Agenda Washington Convention Center: Room 143-A Moderator: Prof. Spencer Overton, George Washington University Law School Barbara R. Arnwine, Executive… Continue reading

Against a “Post-Racial” Voting Rights Act

August 21, 2013, 8:25 amUncategorizedSpencer Overton

Click here for my recent piece in The American Prospect, Against a “Post-Racial” Voting Rights Act. A summary: Some have used the debate about updating the Voting Rights Act as an opportunity to argue that Congress should “look beyond”… Continue reading

Unpacking NC Governor’s Talking Points

August 14, 2013, 9:10 amUncategorizedSpencer Overton

In defending North Carolina’s new photo ID requirement, Republican Governor Pat McCrory claims “[t]hirty-four states currently require some sort of identification, and so we’re doing what the majority of states are doing right now throughout the United States of America.” … Continue reading

Anti-VRA Rhetoric Used in 1965 and Today

August 13, 2013, 8:40 pmUncategorizedSpencer Overton

Here’s video of my spot on Karen Finney’s MSNBC show “Disrupt” with Nia-Malika Henderson. The anti-VRA arguments that transcend time: voting protections are unnecessary, promoting voting rights stokes racial division, voting protections infringe on the 10th Amendment, and… Continue reading

Texas shows Congress must update the Voting Rights Act

August 1, 2013, 4:00 pmDepartment of Justice, Voting Rights ActDepartment of Justice, preclearance, Section 3, Shelby County, Texas, Voting Rights ActSpencer Overton

Thanks to Rick for inviting me to serve as a regular contributor at the Election Law Blog! Click here for my latest at The Huffington Post. An excerpt: “A recent court action against Texas is important, but it should… Continue reading