All posts by Tabatha Abu El-Haj

Ground Game 2024

August 5, 2024, 7:54 amvoter initiatives, voter registration2024 Election Cycle, voter turnoutTabatha Abu El-Haj

Harris just picked up a big endorsement. The AP reports that UNITE HERE has endorsed Harris, promising “to have its members knock on more than 3.3 million doors for Harris in swing states that include Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, Arizona and… Continue reading

“With voting under attack, Arizona schools don’t want to be polling locations”

August 5, 2024, 6:24 amUncategorizedvoter turnoutTabatha Abu El-Haj

This Washington Post article should be read in light of all we know about the social nature of voting and the importance of fun and festivity to turnout (think Souls to the Polls) and the data on how important it… Continue reading

“Elon Musk PAC being investigated by Michigan secretary of state for potential violations”

August 5, 2024, 6:12 amvoter registration2024 election cyle, Misinformation, voter suppressionTabatha Abu El-Haj

New development in the story Spencer Overton posted about how Musk’s pro-Trump PAC is funding efforts to redirect voters in swing states away from official voter registration sites, while leaving them with the false impression that they have registered to… Continue reading

“Secretaries of state urge Musk to fix AI chatbot spreading false election info”

August 5, 2024, 5:57 amcheap speechAI, election misinformationTabatha Abu El-Haj

Washington Post reports that several Secretaries of State are sending an open letter to Elon Musk, urging him to rein in his “anti-woke’ chatbot, Grok, which has already generated serious election misinformation. ” The letter . . . urges Musk… Continue reading

“‘We’ll See You at Your House:’ How Fear and Menace Are Transforming Politics”

May 19, 2024, 5:58 amUncategorizedpolitical violenceTabatha Abu El-Haj

NY Times. From Jamie Raskin to Chief Justice Roberts to a variety of election officials you have never heard of, these few quotes say it all. “Public officials from Congress to City Hall are now regularly subjected to threats… Continue reading

“Arizona Republicans Set Up a Ballot Measure to Squash Future Ballot Measures”

May 18, 2024, 7:45 amdirect democracydemocratic backslidingTabatha Abu El-Haj

Bolts Magazine: One more Republican legislative attack on ballot measures. The Arizona legislature seeks to make the process more difficult through a constitutional amendment imposing strict geographic requirements. These measures are highly problematic because ballot initiatives are one of… Continue reading

“Historians and the Strange, Fluid World of Nineteenth-Century Politics”

May 18, 2024, 7:26 amthird partieshistory, New ScholarshipTabatha Abu El-Haj

ERIK B. ALEXANDER AND RACHEL A. SHELDEN have published a blog post reflecting on the significance of their recent article, which I mentioned a few weeks back in a post on the history of third parties in the United States.… Continue reading

“RFK Jr. uses major cash infusion from his running mate to fund ballot access efforts”

May 18, 2024, 7:05 amcampaign finance, third partiesTabatha Abu El-Haj

Politico. RFK, Jr.’s campaign currently depends on money from his VP, Nicole Shanahan. In April, she contributed $ 8 million. Independent presidential candidate + wealthy donor as VP is a well-established pattern to avoid campaign contribution limits. In 1980,… Continue reading

Pelosi’s Husband’s Attacker Gets 30 Years

May 18, 2024, 6:56 amUncategorizedTabatha Abu El-Haj

AP News: “Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley sentenced DePape to 20 years for attempted kidnapping and 30 years for the assault, the maximum for both counts. The sentences will run concurrently. He also was given credit for the 18 months… Continue reading

Democracy Fund Investing Early to Support Grassroots Mobilization

May 17, 2024, 7:45 amUncategorizedmobilization, money in politics, Political OrganizingTabatha Abu El-Haj

Not all money in politics is bad. This was my conclusion after writing Beyond Campaign Finance Reform. A singular focus on the ways money “amplifies the voices of the super-wealthy few” ignores that it takes money to support the… Continue reading

SCOTUS Recognizes Congress’ Powers to Govern

May 16, 2024, 8:30 amUncategorizedTabatha Abu El-Haj

The Supreme Court has decided Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Community Financial Services Assn. of America, Ltd., recognizing Congress has constitutional prerogatives to govern and structure the federal government as it sees fit. The case will no doubt mostly… Continue reading

A Justice’s Perspective on Moore v. Harper

May 16, 2024, 7:46 amguest blogging election law scholarshipIndependent State Legislature Doctrine, Moore v. Harper, New Scholarship, state supreme courtsTabatha Abu El-Haj

Justice Scott Kafker of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and his co-author Simon Jacobs have published a new article, The Supreme Court Summons the Ghosts of Bush v. Gore: How Moore v. Harper Haunts State and Federal Constitutional Interpretation of … Continue reading

“Secret Service appears unlikely to move RNC protest zone despite pressure from Republicans”

May 16, 2024, 7:36 amUncategorizedProtests, RNCTabatha Abu El-Haj

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Once again, the emphasis is entirely on risks of disruption with absolutely no consideration of the contribution of assembly and protest to democracy. Everyone should read Tim Zick’s wonderful forthcoming. chapter, Assembly Within ‘Sight and Sound’ … Continue reading

New Index for California Campaign Finance Reformers

May 16, 2024, 6:13 amcampaign financeCalifornia, State and local lawTabatha Abu El-Haj

California Common Cause has released a first-of-its-kind index and report on campaign finance laws in all California cities. The report, Local Dollars and Local Democracy, is an analysis of all campaign finance reforms in California cities, as of December 2022.… Continue reading