All posts by Richard Pildes
Fewer “Skinny Ballots” in Philly Than Feared
These are comments from City Commission Chairwoman Lisa Deeley. She is the one who wrote the letter to state officials worrying that there could be 100,000 of these ballots statewide:
Tuesday, she was here to tell you, was an utter… Continue reading
“Pennsylvania could be a center of chaos this election. It didn’t have to be this way.”
The Washington Post has published this new op-ed of mine. As readers here know, I made my efforts to change this situation, now all that’s left is to assign blame:
Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor and Republican legislature will both deserve blame… Continue reading
“How to Use (or Not Use) Social Media During the 2020 Election”
From the WSJ’s excellent technology writer, Johanna Stern:
The first rule of election social media is: You do not use election social media. We should all take the occasional social-media break in our lives—right now’s a great time.
My… Continue reading
Number of Rejected Absentees so Far in NC: 7,675
North Carolina has a lower percentage of votes being cast absentee than many states. According to the most recent data, about 21% of the votes cast thus far have been by absentee ballot, with the rest coming from early in-person… Continue reading
County Election Administrators, the Unsung Heroes of This Election
See this story in the NYT, focusing on one official in a small county in PA.
Misleading Headlines With Bad Political Consequences
In advance of a possible Susan Collins loss in Maine, the headline writers at the New York Times and Washington Post are blaming Maine’s ranked-choice voting system (don’t blame the authors of these stories, they do not control the headlines).… Continue reading
#2DaysOut My Closing Perspective, in the WSJ, on Voting and the Election (Rick Pildes)
I’ve published closing reflections on where we are now, compared to the enormous concerns we had over the spring and summer, with running an election amidst the virus. The essay, entitled Amid Voting Fights, a Huge Expansion, is the WSJ’s… Continue reading
Why Maine’s Senate Race Will Likely Not Be Officially Resolved Until A Week or so After Nov. 3rd
Maine’s Senate race is considered close, and if so, there’s an additional reason it could take longer — maybe several days — to determine who has won. The reason is that Maine now uses ranked-choice voting (RCV), and there… Continue reading
Correcting Misunderstandings about the Dec. 8th “Safe Harbor” Date in Federal Law
We are going to see mistakes about this, as in this recent story from an otherwise good Politico journalist.
Normally I would not call something like this out, but this is important and we need journalists and others to get… Continue reading
“While it is unlikely you’ll get coronavirus from your polling place, experts have a few tips to avoid transmission”
Important Salon article, glad to see one of my co-authors quoted:
“I do think it’s safe to vote in person,” Dean Blumberg, an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California–Davis, told Salon. “I think for… Continue reading
“Why there’s so much legal uncertainty about resolving a disputed presidential election”
I’ve published this essay, which steps back from all the specific legal issues surrounding the election to bring to the surface an underlying question about why our legal system leaves us so much uncertainty about such vital questions.
From The … Continue reading
When Voters Request Absentee Ballots, What Percentage are Typically Actually Used?
Short answer: around 80%.
As we discuss the numbers that are emerging each day of absentee ballots that have been returned already in various states, I went back to look at the final tallies on this issue from 2016. From… Continue reading
“How Delayed Is Your Mail-In Ballot?”
From the WSJ, which is closely tracking this issue:
That puts critical votes at risk in an election that, more than any before, will hang on mail-in ballots. To find choke points for those ballots, the Journal is tracking… Continue reading