All posts by Tabatha Abu El-Haj

Young Voters Disillusioned

December 1, 2021, 5:02 pmUncategorizedmobilization, voting, young votersTabatha Abu El-Haj

Harvard Public Opinion Project “A national poll of America’s 18- to 29-year-olds released today by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School indicates that a majority of young Americans believe that our democracy is “in trouble” or “failing.” While… Continue reading

“How the GOP threatens harm to red state residents, as revealed in a new study”

December 1, 2021, 4:47 pmpolitical parties, political polarizationdemocracy deficit, governance, policy responsivenessTabatha Abu El-Haj

This new Op Ed by Greg Sargent in the Washington Post, highlights, once more, deficits in policy responsiveness that arises out of hyper-polarization, among other things. Sargent highlights a new study from the Third Way–a centrist Democratic-leaning group–that analyzes the… Continue reading

“Dark Money Group Sought Trump Pardons”

December 1, 2021, 2:52 pmcampaign financeAlleged Campaign Finance ViolationsTabatha Abu El-Haj

Political Wire flags this story from the Daily Beast. “Former Trump acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker earned $400,000 last year by helping a conservative dark money group secure pardons from his former boss . . . Neither Whitaker nor the… Continue reading

“GOP targets Wisconsin elections system, nonpartisan director”

December 1, 2021, 7:49 amchicanery, election administration, election subversion riskTabatha Abu El-Haj

Political Wire notes this news item from NBC News. ” Wisconsin Republicans are working to discredit the bipartisan system they created to run elections in the state after President Joe Biden narrowly won last year’s presidential race, making the… Continue reading

Ohio’s Maps Challenged in State Court

December 1, 2021, 7:42 amredistrictingTabatha Abu El-Haj

The ACLU, the League of Women Voters of Ohio, and the A. Philip Randolph Institute are challenging Ohio’s new Republican-drawn congressional map as an illegal gerrymander. The suit filed with the Ohio Supreme Court yesterday argues that the adopted maps… Continue reading

Joe Manchin–Our Democratic Deficit Goes Deeper than Uncompetitive Gerrymandered Districts

November 30, 2021, 7:33 pmUncategorizedcataloguing democracy deficits, democratic responsiveness, governanceTabatha Abu El-Haj

Manchin’s seat is not safe. And still, his version of moderation stands at odds with the views of his own constituents (not just his base). Why would voters believe their votes matter? The Hill is reporting a new poll that… Continue reading

“Prosecutors demanded records of Sidney Powell’s fundraising groups as part of criminal probe”

November 30, 2021, 7:05 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryAlleged Campaign Finance ViolationsTabatha Abu El-Haj

Washington Post “Federal prosecutors have demanded the financial records of multiple fundraising organizations launched by attorney Sidney Powell after the 2020 election as part of a criminal investigation, according to a subpoena reviewed by The Washington Post. The grand jury… Continue reading

Update Breaking News–Wisconsin Redistricting

November 30, 2021, 2:57 pmredistrictingTabatha Abu El-Haj

J.R. Ross, Editor of WisPolitics.com, reports on Twitter that the Wisconsin Supreme Court has rule “it will NOT consider partisan balance in drawing new lines for the Legislature, Congress and will make the ‘minimum changes necessary’ to the current… Continue reading

“As its revenue dropped, the NRA took millions of dollars from its charities and funded political groups”

November 30, 2021, 9:12 amcampaign financeAlleged Campaign Finance Violations, NRATabatha Abu El-Haj

Open Secrets Anna Massoglia reports on NRA’s financial difficulties at Open Secrets. “The NRA faces a lawsuit from the New York attorney general to dissolve its main 501(c)(4) lobbying arm following the attorney general’s investigation of corruption charges that unearthed “inappropriate spending,”… Continue reading

“Politics is still local. When incumbents face off in redrawn districts, community ties make a big difference.”

November 30, 2021, 6:33 ampolitical partiesTabatha Abu El-Haj

Charles Hunt shares on Monkey Cage his new research arguing that “Yes, party matters. But so do incumbents’ deep ties to their districts.” The article resonates with my experience listening to voters at public meetings here in Pennsylvania talk about… Continue reading

“With eye to Tuesday and next year, Atlanta Democrats worry about voter turnout”

November 29, 2021, 6:48 pmUncategorizedpolicy responsiveness, political parties, voter turnoutTabatha Abu El-Haj

Washington Post The Article’s primary focus is on the partisan stakes, but the big picture here is the vicious cycle of low voter turnout, policy responsiveness, apathy, and machine politics. Across Atlanta, . . . [Just a] year after residents … Continue reading

“Trump allies work to place supporters in key election posts across the country, spurring fears about future vote challenges”

November 29, 2021, 6:12 pmelection administration, election subversion riskTabatha Abu El-Haj

Washington Post takes a deep dive into the Trump team’s efforts to replace election administrators in swing states and its particular focus on Michigan. “This is a great big flashing red warning sign,” said Jeff Timmer, former chair of the… Continue reading

Georgia’s new voting law drives rejections of absentee ballots way up

November 29, 2021, 2:23 pmvotingabsentee ballotsTabatha Abu El-Haj

Mark Niesse, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Georgia’s Republican legislature tightened absentee ballot access, including by imposing an earlier deadline for requests for absentee ballots, after a record 1.3 million Georgians voted remotely in last year’s presidential election. New data show “Missed… Continue reading

“2021 CPA-Zicklin Index Finds Companies Tightening Oversight of Political Spending”

November 29, 2021, 2:14 pmUncategorizedCampaign finance, corporate political spending, disclosureTabatha Abu El-Haj

Center for Political Accountability and the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research, The Wharton School. The report finds that U.S. companies are adapting to hyper-polarization and the threats to democracy by expanding board oversight of potentially controversial political spending. The… Continue reading