All posts by Justin Levitt
“Mini Madoff” gets 18 months for fake Super PAC (and credit card fraud)
Christopher Richardson was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty in March in the Americans for Progressive Action affair.
Sentences for campaign finance fraud charges seem to be of interest lately.
Credulous coverage of probable vaporware
The AP’s lede:
The Republican National Committee on Friday launched a swing state initiative to mobilize thousands of polling place monitors, poll workers and attorneys to serve as “election integrity” watchdogs in November — an effort that immediately drew… Continue reading
“En Banc Court Hears First Amendment Challenge to Campaign Finance Restriction”
Trane Robinson reviews arguments in the Sixth Circuit’s National Republican Senatorial Committee v. FEC case, about limits on political party expenditures coordinated with particular candidates. It’s an issue that’s been in the deregulatory community’s sights for a while now, and… Continue reading
“Changes sought in Florida felon voting process”
Unfortunately, even the changes contemplated are small – modifications in how individuals with convictions can apply for an advisory opinion on whether they’ve managed to figure out how much they owe the state in fines and fees.
This Year’s Clearies
Federal News Network has a feature on the EAC’s Clearinghouse awards from this past year, for innovation and best practices in election administration.
It’s important to lift up successes and best practices – and there’s an impressive diversity of… Continue reading
“The Stanford Internet Observatory is being dismantled”
Stanford disputes the characterization, but if this report is true, that’s a disturbing and unfortunate loss to the study of online communications ecosystems.
UPDATE: Looks like there’s at least a radical downsizing. WaPo with more.
“Georgia requires police training on election intimidation and interference”
The AJC says that this makes Georgia the first state in the country to train police in protections against election threats as part of the basic statewide training.
Police response to alleged incidents of interference has to be reeeeeeeeeeeeally carefully… Continue reading
“Arizona lawmakers agree to let voters decide on retention rules for state Supreme Court justices”
The ballot initiative – in the wake of controversy over the state Supreme Court ruling on abortion, affecting two Justices currently on the ballot in November — would apparently end terms for state justices and judges entirely.
“Attorney charged in voting machine tampering case announces run for Michigan Supreme Court”
Welp.
“Harlan Crow Provided Clarence Thomas at Least 3 Previously Undisclosed Private Jet Trips, Senate Probe Finds”
These flights were revealed by the Senate Judiciary Committee based on disclosure by Crow, not Justice Thomas.
Justice Thomas has maintained (including in response to the latest) that he was told that these flights fall under an exception in… Continue reading
“Top Wisconsin lawmaker has new plan to find non-citizens on voter rolls”
Sigh. The new plan is an old plan: compare DMV information to the rolls, but without any apparent plan to ensure the rigor of the matching protocol or to assess whether people who were noncitizens when they got their… Continue reading
“Participation in Las Vegas city elections has nearly doubled since 2019 change”
Moving municipal elections to even-numbered years matters.
“Texas election laws allow certain ballots to be traced back to voters, official says”
CBS report noting what purport to be decoded ballots of some prominent Texas officials, though I’m not sure whether the culprit is Texas “election laws” or the outer limits of the scope of public records responses. The controversy seems to… Continue reading