All posts by Dan Tokaji

State Democracy Initiative at Wisconsin Law

September 17, 2021, 7:12 amelection law bizDan Tokaji

The University of Wisconsin Law School is delighted to announce the launch of the State Democracy Research Initiative, co-directed by Professors Miriam Seifter and Robert Yablon. The Initiative will shine a spotlight on state democratic processes and institutions, which… Continue reading

Over to You, Ned

July 18, 2021, 9:06 pmelection law bizDan Tokaji

Thanks to Rick for inviting me to blog for the past two weeks. There’s never a dull moment in the world of election law, and it’s helped me catch up on the many things I missed during my first year… Continue reading

“Pennsylvania election audit gets GOP campaign trail embrace”

July 18, 2021, 6:40 amelection subversion riskDan Tokaji

AP: A Republican state lawmaker, bolstered by support from top Republican candidates, has launched a push for a “forensic investigation” of the presidential election results, a review modeled on the widely discredited process underway in Arizona….The audit has fast… Continue reading

“The next voting rights battleground is Michigan”

July 18, 2021, 6:34 amlegislation and legislatures, referendumDan Tokaji

Vox: Michigan Republicans want to pass a blitz of legislation that restricts the right to vote in the key battleground state — and they have an audacious plan to get their ideas enacted, even though they have to contend… Continue reading

Recall Application Against Alaska Governor Can Proceed, Says State Supreme Court

July 18, 2021, 6:02 amrecall electionsDan Tokaji

Reuters: “Political foes of Alaska’s Republican governor have legally sufficient grounds to pursue their campaign to oust him from office through a recall election, the state’s highest court ruled on Friday.” You can find the opinion here. Update:… Continue reading

“California has 41 candidates for September recall election”

July 18, 2021, 5:52 amrecall electionsDan Tokaji

Politico: “Forty-one candidates have met the qualifications to run in the California gubernatorial recall election, less than a third of the number who ran in the state’s memorable 2003 contest and well below what some political experts months ago… Continue reading

“Postponed Weddings, Stockpiled Insulin and Covid: The Bizarre Life of Texas Democrats in Exile”

July 18, 2021, 5:41 amlegislation and legislatures, Voting Rights ActDan Tokaji

Politico Magazine: [O]ver 50 state House Democrats … fled Texas on Monday to deny Republicans a quorum for a major new elections bill that has stirred backlash: axing pandemic-era practices to expand voting access adopted in a large Democratic-leaning… Continue reading

“Democrats are making headlines on voting rights, but little more to counter restrictive efforts by Republicans”

July 18, 2021, 5:36 amlegislation and legislatures, Voting Rights ActDan Tokaji

Dan Balz: “[U]ntil Sens. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) agree to change the filibuster rules, Democrats are stuck, and the president’s rhetoric is mostly that, a call to action without the prospect of immediate action”

Senate Rules Committee Hearing on Voting Rights in Georgia

July 18, 2021, 5:30 amlegislation and legislatures, Voting Rights ActDan Tokaji

The U.S. Senate Rules Committee will hold a field hearing in Atlanta tomorrow, on Protecting the Freedom to Vote: Recent changes to Georgia voting laws and the need for basic federal standards to make sure all Americans can vote in … Continue reading

“A second federal judge castigates attorneys who filed a lawsuit challenging the 2020 results”

July 17, 2021, 7:27 amelection subversion riskDan Tokaji

Covering proceedings in Colorado on Friday, WaPo has the quote of the day: “Did that ever occur to you? That, possibly, [you’re] just repeating stuff the president is lying about?” Federal Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter asked the two lawyers,… Continue reading

“Wisconsin Supreme Court for now reinstates redistricting lawyers for Republican legislators”

July 17, 2021, 6:28 amredistrictingDan Tokaji

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, on opening salvos in the long battles to come: The Wisconsin Supreme Court for the time being reinstated the redistricting attorneys for Republican state lawmakers late Thursday in a decision that divided the justices… Continue reading

“What The Latest Debate Over Voting Rights Means For American Democracy”

July 17, 2021, 6:16 amelection subversion riskDan Tokaji

538 Podcast, discussing a new survey from Bright Line Watch on “constitutional hardball” and threats to democracy.

“5 takeaways from the new House and Senate fundraising reports”

July 17, 2021, 6:10 amcampaign financeDan Tokaji

From WaPo. From the first takeaway on the hauls of pro-Trump and anti-Trump Republicans facing off in primaries: Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who has emerged as perhaps the most passionate Trump critic …. raised a whopping $1.9 million.… Continue reading

“How The Roberts Court Laid The Groundwork For 2021’s All-Out Assault On Voting Rights”

July 17, 2021, 6:00 amSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActDan Tokaji

In TPM, an excerpt from Orville Vernon Burton and Armand Derfner’s new book Justice Deferred: Race and the Supreme Court. Here’s the last paragraph of the excerpt: In 1989, in a dissenting opinion, Justice Blackmun made an observation that has… Continue reading