The ACLU, the League of Women Voters, and other groups have filed an amicus brief in support of the standing claim raised by candidate for Congress Michael Bost in Bost v. Illinois State Bd of Elections. Bost is seeking to… Continue reading
Release:
A landmark report to be released on June 18 by the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate finds that local election administrators consistently lack sustained funding, adequate… Continue reading
I’m back at the helm, except for next week, when Nick is on.
I so appreciate the work of my fellow bloggers, which frees me to do other writing and travel over the summer.
Thanks all!
I’ve been reading Lawless Republic: The Rise of Cicero and the Decline of Rome, by Josiah Osgood. I came across this striking passage on campaign finance issues in elections in 66 BCE, which shows that some of the same issues… Continue reading
This is from the WSJ, which is paywalled. To put this in a broader perspective, the combined “favorability” of both parties is -41% (Rs at -11%, Ds at -30%), which is the worst combined ratings for the two parties… Continue reading
It’s been nearly a month since the Court announced it would hear re-argument in this case and would issue a supplemental order with additional questions to be briefed. That’s a surprisingly long delay.
The Court rarely orders cases to be… Continue reading
This WSJ article confirms what I have been saying for a while now (see also here), that small donors tend to fuel the more ideological wings of the parties. That’s all the more true for out of state (or… Continue reading
Since Rucho, it’s been generally assumed that attempting to litigate against partisan gerrymanders in federal court is an utter nonstarter. I think this is largely correct, but it light of all the recent discussion over the efforts to make the… Continue reading
A new Common Ground Democracy post with this subtitle: “The upcoming U.S. Senate election in Texas perfectly illustrates the importance of this voting reform.” The post itself begins:
“The University of Chicago’s Center for Effective Government, as part of its… Continue reading
NYT: “President Trump reposted a fake video showing former President Barack Obama being arrested in the Oval Office, as Trump administration officials continue to accuse Mr. Obama of trying to harm Mr. Trump’s campaign during the 2016 election, and… Continue reading
Rice political scientist Bob Stein died yesterday. The Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, he served on the Rice faculty for 46 years. Bob was an expert in voting behavior and an active member of the election scholar… Continue reading
The Impoundment Act of 1974 was passed with strong bipartisan support in the pre-polarization era. It was designed to reassert congressional control over the budget, while ac acknowledging there might be circumstances in which Presidents had good reasons not to… Continue reading
This piece comments on the new lawsuit challenging Wisconsin’s congressional map on the ground that it’s an anti-competitive (not a partisan) gerrymander that artificially suppresses competition in most districts. HLS’s Election Law Clinic is working with Law Forward to represent… Continue reading
With mid-decade re-redistricting on the horizon in Ohio and Texas, I wanted to re-up this Slate column I wrote with Aaron Goldzimer a few years back. Over the last two elections, the U.S. House has been exceptionally fair, in aggregate.… Continue reading