All posts by Justin Levitt

Implementing a waiver program for fines and fees in Florida

January 6, 2020, 2:12 pmThe Voting WarsJustin Levitt

WUSF reports on the implementation of programs in the courts to reduce the fines and fees of formerly incarcerated individuals, in the continuing fight over the aftermath of Amendment 4 and SB 7066. The report indicates that the only four… Continue reading

The Electoral College

January 6, 2020, 2:12 pmelectoral collegeJustin Levitt

The latest issue of The Canvass leads off with a primer on some of the policy options for choosing electors (and the pending litigation on whether the choices of “faithless electors” can be punished or superseded).

“Where do inmates fall in Census count? NJ moves to end ‘prison gerrymandering'”

January 6, 2020, 2:11 pmpolitical equality, redistrictingJustin Levitt

A bill has passed the state Senate, and is working its way through the state Assembly. If it gets signed into law, that would make New Jersey the seventh state to change where incarcerated individuals are counted for representational… Continue reading

“Justices Urged to Nix Donor Disclosure Law”

January 6, 2020, 2:11 pmcampaign finance, election law and constitutional law, tax law and election lawJustin Levitt

Bloomberg: An unusually large number of amicus briefs filed by friends of a charity tied to the Koch brothers have flooded the U.S. Supreme Court, urging the justices to nix a California law requiring charities to disclose their largest… Continue reading

“Under siege, McSally pleads for outside help on the airwaves”

January 6, 2020, 2:10 pmcampaign financeJustin Levitt

I missed this a few days ago. The money quote: McSally suggested last month that outside groups should pitch in to help. “We need close air support to show up. There’s outside groups. We can’t talk to them. We can’t… Continue reading

Techniques for Grassroots Campaign Volunteer Mobilization

January 6, 2020, 2:07 pmpetition signature gathering, redistrictingJustin Levitt

Joe Spaulding, lead field strategist for the Voters Not Politicians Michigan independent redistricting campaign that got 440,000 signatures in 4 months without paying any signature gatherers, reveals some follicular (and data-supported) tactics for fighting diminishing returns out in canvass-land. Thread… Continue reading

Informational Incentives for Campaign Mobilization

January 6, 2020, 2:06 pmcampaigns, political equality, political partiesJustin Levitt

Bertrall Ross and Doug Spencer have a new paper out in the Northwestern Law Review: “Passive Voter Suppression: Campaign Mobilization and the Effective Disfranchisement of the Poor.” The abstract: A recent spate of election laws tightened registration rules,… Continue reading

‘Diminished’ NRA at crossroads ahead of 2020 election

January 6, 2020, 2:04 pmcampaigns, lobbyingJustin Levitt

Speaking of mobilization, the Washington Times has questions: The National Rifle Association, after shedding its president and top lobbyist this year amid a string of internal disputes and legal battles, finds itself at a crossroads with Republican politicos wondering… Continue reading

Campaign finance compliance hits the WWE with steel-chair-like force

January 6, 2020, 2:03 pmcampaign finance, campaignsJustin Levitt

Former WWE star Rhino was a 2016 candidate for Congress … and seems to think that the rigors of campaign finance compliance may have impacted his last run in the WWE.

“Fresh Cambridge Analytica leak ‘shows global manipulation is out of control’”

January 5, 2020, 1:05 pmcampaigns, Election MeltdownJustin Levitt

From The Guardian: An explosive leak of tens of thousands of documents from the defunct data firm Cambridge Analytica is set to expose the inner workings of the company that collapsed after the Observer revealed it had misappropriated 87… Continue reading

“Deceased GOP Strategist’s Daughter Makes Files Public That Republicans Wanted Sealed”

January 5, 2020, 1:02 pmelection law biz, redistrictingJustin Levitt

As Hansi notes, Stephanie Hofeller just dropped the first full tranch of documents on The Hofeller Files. Enjoy.

“Paperwork problem blocks Andrew Yang from Ohio’s Democratic presidential primary ballot, campaign to launch write-in effort”

January 5, 2020, 1:02 pmballot access, political parties, primariesJustin Levitt

Ballot access is not for the faint of heart.

“What it means to participate in the Iowa caucuses”

January 5, 2020, 1:01 pmpolitical parties, primariesJustin Levitt

Lyz Lenz offers a wry view in The Gazette. But past the humor, her overall point is spot-on: few Americans understand how the Iowa caucuses actually work — and it looks a lot more like a town meeting than a… Continue reading

“To Produce Citizenship Data, Homeland Security To Share Records With Census”

January 5, 2020, 1:00 pmUncategorizedJustin Levitt

Hansi Lo Wang reports on the latest federal data-sharing agreement to capture citizenship data for the 2020 census: not on the questionnaire, but through administrative records.