All posts by Rick Hasen

April 10 Safeguarding Democracy Project Webinar: “Partisan Primaries, Polarization, and the Risks of Extremism”

March 31, 2025, 4:59 pmalternative voting systems, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Join us for the final SDP webinar of the spring semester, April 10 at 12:15 pm PT (free registration required): Thursday, April 10 Partisan Primaries, Polarization, and the Risks of Extremism Register for the webinar here.Thursday, April… Continue reading

Michael Rosin: “In VRA1970 Congress Intended Election Day to Be a Floor, Not a Ceiling, for Receipt of Mail In Ballots”

March 31, 2025, 1:33 pmacademic freedom, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

The following is a guest post from Michael Rosin: Rick Hasen recently criticized Trump’s March 25 Executive Order for attempting to end the counting of mail in ballots received after election day. He noted that “the EO would try… Continue reading

The Yale Journal Has Just Published My New Feature Article: “The Stagnation, Retrogression, and Potential Pro-Voter Transformation of U.S. Election Law”

March 31, 2025, 7:38 amelection subversion risk, Supreme Court, The Voting Wars, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

I am delighted that the Yale Law Journal has published my new Feature, The Stagnation, Retrogression, and Potential Pro-Voter Transformation of U.S. Election Law, 134 Yale L.J. 1673 (2025). I consider this among the most important work I’ve… Continue reading

“The Trump admin cut election security funds. Now officials fear future elections may be ‘less secure.’”

March 31, 2025, 7:33 amchicanery, voting technologyRick Hasen

Politico: The Trump administration’s recent efforts to gut funding and personnel that support state and local election security efforts have left officials deeply concerned about their ability to guarantee physical and cyber security during the voting process. This swift overhauling… Continue reading

“Fire at New Mexico Republican Party Headquarters Being Investigated as Arson”

March 31, 2025, 7:30 amchicaneryRick Hasen

Awful: The headquarters of the Republican Party of New Mexico in Albuquerque was damaged early Sunday morning in what the party described as a “deliberate act of arson.” Albuquerque Fire Rescue confirmed that it had been dispatched to the party’s… Continue reading

“Justice Department instructed to dismiss legal challenge to Georgia election law”

March 31, 2025, 7:26 amDepartment of Justice, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

AP: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday instructed the Justice Department to dismiss a lawsuit challenging a sweeping election overhaul that Georgia Republican lawmakers passed in the wake of President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss in the state. The… Continue reading

“Analyzing the Benefits of Artificial Intelligence to Racially Inclusive Democracy”

March 31, 2025, 7:18 amcheap speech, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Spencer Overton has posted this draft (which I can’t wait to read) on SSRN (forthcoming, Utah Law Review). Here is the abstract: Over the past two decades—as the United States has grown more ethnically diverse—the U.S. Supreme Court has dismantled… Continue reading

Travis Crum Joining as ELB Contributor

March 31, 2025, 7:14 amelection law bizRick Hasen

I’m very pleased to announced that Travis Crum of Wash. U. is joining ELB as a contributor. Travis has written frequent guest posts already for ELB, so he should be familiar to many of you. He’s recently tenured, and his… Continue reading

Dan Balz: “Trump seeks takeover of elections in a bid for more presidential power”

March 30, 2025, 5:07 pmauthoritarian threats in US, Election Assistance CommissionRick Hasen

WaPo Dan Balz column: Almost no part of government is immune from President Donald Trump’s thirst for power and control. Last week he signed executive orders aimed at the Smithsonian Institution, the District of Columbia and the administration of … Continue reading

“Trump won’t rule out seeking a third term in the White House, tells NBC News ‘there are methods’ for doing so”

March 30, 2025, 5:04 pmauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

NBC News: President Donald Trump did not rule out the possibility of seeking a third term in the White House, which is prohibited by the Constitution under the 22nd Amendment, saying in an exclusive interview with NBC News that there… Continue reading

“Wisconsin Supreme Court refuses to take case challenging Elon Musk’s $1 million payments”

March 30, 2025, 5:01 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

AP: A unanimous Wisconsin Supreme Court on Sunday refused to hear a last-minute attempt by the state’s Democratic attorney general to stop billionaire Elon Musk from handing over $1 million checks to two voters, a ruling that came just minutes… Continue reading

“Trump’s Not-So-Subtle Purpose in Fighting Big Law Firms”

March 29, 2025, 8:09 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

NYT: Regardless, Mr. Trump’s moves have the potential — and perhaps the goal — to undermine people’s ability to challenge their government. “It is the president’s deliberate intent to chill the nation’s largest law firms from representing cases that he… Continue reading

“Trump Suffers Day of Losses in His Retribution Campaign Against Law Firms”

March 29, 2025, 5:22 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

NYT: Federal judges dealt twin blows to President Trump’s retaliation campaign on Friday by issuing temporary restraining orders blocking much of his executive orders targeting two major law firms that participated in investigations of him, Jenner & Block and… Continue reading

“Wisconsin AG seeks to block Elon Musk’s million-dollar giveaways ahead of state Supreme Court race”

March 28, 2025, 1:18 pmvote buyingRick Hasen

NBC News: Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said Friday he would seek a court order to block tech billionaire and White House adviser Elon Musk from awarding million-dollar prizes to people at a weekend event ahead of next week’s… Continue reading

Election Law Blog

The law of politics and the politics of law