All posts by Tabatha Abu El-Haj

New Report on State Legislative Efforts to Politicize Election Administration

May 19, 2022, 2:34 pmUncategorizedTabatha Abu El-Haj

A new Report from Protect Democracy, States United Democracy Center, and Law Forward systematically surveys state legislative efforts introduced as of April 2022 to politicize election administration, including bills that attempt to give legislators more control over election… Continue reading

Jan. 6 Roundup

May 19, 2022, 1:14 pmUncategorizedTabatha Abu El-Haj

There have been a number of developments in the ongoing and separate investigations of the select committee and the Department of Justice this week. On the House side, new evidence indicates Representative Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), a member of the House … Continue reading

Kentucky Law Journal Inviting Proposals: Drawing the Lines: Redistricting After the 2020 Census

May 19, 2022, 12:43 pmredistrictingUpcoming SymposiumTabatha Abu El-Haj

The Kentucky Law Journal is pleased to invite proposals for its annual symposium, which will be held on October 14, 2022. The KLJ symposium is entitled Drawing the Lines: Redistricting After the 2020 Census and will focus on the legal… Continue reading

New Fox Poll Shows Kemp with Comfortable Lead in Polls

May 19, 2022, 5:20 amchicanery, Election Meltdown, election subversion riskTabatha Abu El-Haj

A new Fox News poll shows Republican primary voters supporting Brian Kemp by wide-margins. This strikes me as going to the point that it is easier to distrust “other” people’s election systems than one’s own. Even in a swing state,… Continue reading

Updated: “Trump urges Oz to ‘declare victory’ before vote tally complete in Pa.”

May 18, 2022, 7:45 pmUncategorizedTabatha Abu El-Haj

Washington Post (and others) reporting Trump’s posturing and anti-absentee ballot nonsense. But buried way down in the article is some actual interesting information on turnout (see quote below. For more on the state of the count and likelihood of a… Continue reading

Support for Reforms to Court on Rise

May 18, 2022, 7:35 pmSupreme CourtTabatha Abu El-Haj

New Quinnipiac Poll shows growing support for reforms to the Court as more Americans view the Supreme Court as politicized. The focus of the poll is on the direction the Court is going with Roe v. Wade. But the Court’s… Continue reading

Kansas Supreme Court Upholds Congressional Maps

May 18, 2022, 9:48 amredistricting2020 Redistricting CycleTabatha Abu El-Haj

The Kansas City Star reports that the Kansas Supreme Court, in a short opinion that will be issued soon, “has upheld a Republican-drawn congressional map that divides racially diverse Wyandotte County for the first time in 40 years,” having decided… Continue reading

“What to know about Pennsylvania’s election recount rules”

May 18, 2022, 7:59 amelection administrationPennsylvania Election LawsTabatha Abu El-Haj

For those that are curious, this short synopsis in the Philadelphia Inquirer is helpful. “Pennsylvania election law requires an automatic recount if the difference between the top two candidates for a statewide office is 0.5% of the vote or less.… Continue reading

VRA’s Effectiveness & Impact of Judicial Nullification of Preclearance

May 18, 2022, 6:03 amVoting Rights ActNew ResearchTabatha Abu El-Haj

New research exploring impact of 1965 Voting Rights Act finds it reduced income inequality between Blacks and Whites. Since Shelby County v. Holder (2013), counties previously covered by Section 5 the VRA saw a decrease in public sector wages for… Continue reading

Commentary–FEC v. Cruz

May 17, 2022, 3:41 pmUncategorizedTabatha Abu El-Haj

Ciara Torres-Spelliscy reacts to FEC v. Cruz at TPM Cafe: “Predictably, Roberts Supreme Court continues its deregulation of money in politics.”

“Printing error affects mailed ballots in Lancaster County”

May 17, 2022, 3:26 pmabsentee ballots, election administration2022 Election CycleTabatha Abu El-Haj

Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a printing error has caused problems with the processing of a not insignificant number of mail-in ballots in Lancaster County. Too bad, however, that this is being used as an excuse to oppose the 2019 expansion… Continue reading

Primary Roundup

May 17, 2022, 5:46 amUncategorizedTabatha Abu El-Haj

Primaries will be held today in several states, including a number with competitive Senate (Pennsylvania and North Carolina) and gubernatorial (Pennsylvania) races. All involve intra-party ideological fights. The following are useful roundups from Politico, Vox, Fox,… Continue reading

Tom Daschle and Trent Lott Advocate for Reforms to the Electoral Count Act of 1887

May 17, 2022, 5:41 amelection subversion risk, legislation and legislaturesTabatha Abu El-Haj

Former Senate majority leaders Tom Daschle (D) and Trent Lott (R) have published an Op Ed in the WSJ endorsing the need for swift bi-partisan action to reform the Electoral Count Act of 1887 in advance of the next presidential… Continue reading

FEC Deadlocks, Again

May 16, 2022, 4:14 pmcampaign finance, federal election commission2020 Election CycleTabatha Abu El-Haj

Dave Levinthal and C. Ryan Barber at Business Insider report that the Federal Election Commission has deadlocked over a “complaint that Donald Trump’s 2020 White House campaign laundered hundreds of millions of dollars in spending through corporate entities closely tied… Continue reading