All posts by Ned Foley

Arizona “audit” update: GOP go-between quits

July 28, 2021, 1:41 pmelection subversion riskNed Foley

NBC: Arizona’s former Secretary of State, Ken Bennett, is resigning his role in supervising the Cyber Ninjas on behalf of the state senate. Having been shut out of the process, he announced: “I cannot put a rubber stamp on… Continue reading

Georgia may not be done revising its election laws

July 28, 2021, 1:28 pmelection administration, election subversion riskNed Foley

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports. The Georgia legislature is thinking of new ways to strip power from the Secretary of State’s office, another apparent rebuke to Brad Raffensperger. To be fair, the whole idea of elected partisans running elections… Continue reading

S1 v2: Senate revisits electoral reform

July 28, 2021, 11:55 amelection administration, political polarization, redistricting, voting, Voting Rights ActNed Foley

Washington Post reports on today’s meeting among Senate Democrats to bring forward new version of S1, the For the People Act, building upon Senator Manchin’s compromise proposal. There’s also the possibility of new provisions aimed at election subversion. But there’s… Continue reading

New DOJ warning on pseudo-audits & voting laws

July 28, 2021, 10:07 amDepartment of Justice, Voting Rights ActNed Foley

The Department of Justice issued two documents today: one on federal laws applicable to the kind of outsourced “audit” that Maricopa County, Arizona has been conducting; the other providing “guidance” on various federal laws potentially applicable to the changes in… Continue reading

Wrangling over info in NC continues

July 28, 2021, 8:05 amcourt decisions, Department of Justice, The Voting WarsNed Foley

Raleigh News & Observer on the latest court ruling in the tug-of-war between federal and state officials, as well as the press, over voting records in North Carolina.

An important post for an important initiative

July 28, 2021, 8:00 amtheoryNed Foley

The Ash Center at Harvard is seeking a Research Fellow to help guide a new initiative on Reimagining Democracy. Details here.

Two excellent podcasts on yesterday’s 1/6 hearing

July 28, 2021, 7:54 amelection subversion riskNed Foley

Luke Broadwater of the NY Times was on the Daily podcast and provided a superb overview and analysis of the political dynamics leading up to and surrounding yesterday’s hearing. The Lawfare podcast went even deeper into details, with Quinta… Continue reading

Eloquence

July 27, 2021, 7:28 pmvoting, Voting Rights ActNed Foley

On voting rights from Norman Lear.

DOJ Refuses to Defend Rep. Brooks

July 27, 2021, 6:44 pmelection subversion riskJanuary 6Ned Foley

Significant development in litigation over the Big Lie and its consequences.

1/6/21 versus 1/6/25?

July 27, 2021, 12:28 pmelection subversion riskThe Big LieNed Foley

As reports of today’s select committee hearing are starting to roll in (from The NY Times, The Washington Post, Politico, The Hill, and elsewhere), I’m struck by the fact that the ongoing threat to democracy is… Continue reading

“The Limited Power of Trump’s Endorsements”

July 27, 2021, 11:49 amcampaigns, political polarizationThe Big LieNed Foley

Mischiefs of Faction has new analysis of 2018 data. Their assessment: “Republican candidates looking for electoral success may want to think carefully before welcoming Trump’s endorsement.”

January 6 Select Committee Gets Started

July 27, 2021, 9:37 amelection subversion riskNed Foley

As the committee’s hearings begin with riveting testimony of the horrific violence at the Capitol on January 6, and with much discussion about the need for the committee to figure out what caused the breach of the Capitol that day… Continue reading

Breaking round-robin ties

July 27, 2021, 8:53 amalternative voting systems, theoryranked choice votingNed Foley

The USA women’s soccer team is advancing out of the preliminary round-robin stage of competition based on a “goal differential” tiebreaker used to differentiate teams with the same win-loss records. “The United States finished second in Group G on the… Continue reading

The GOP & the VRA: Frenemies?

July 26, 2021, 7:08 pmDepartment of Justice, redistricting, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActNed Foley

A reader of the blog sent along a link to this article: How to Win a “Long Game”: The Voting Rights Act, the Republican Party, and the Politics of Counter‐Enforcement. Here’s the abstract: ADRIENNE JONES and ANDREW POLSKY examine… Continue reading