Category Archives: chicanery

A WaPo article on a new Brennan Center report diving into how six states (Alabama, Arizona, Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania) used 2018 federal election security grants … and the need each has for much more.

“Court documents show close contact between Cohen and Trump during hush-money arrangements”

July 18, 2019, 11:17 amcampaign finance, chicaneryJustin Levitt

Unsealed copies of the Cohen search warrant materials were released today based on the close of the campaign finance investigation. Here’s the cover letter. Zoe Tillman’s got links to the docs. Phone records in the documents show Cohen… Continue reading

“House votes to hold Barr and Ross in criminal contempt of Congress”

July 17, 2019, 5:24 pmcensus litigation, chicanery, The Voting WarsJustin Levitt

AP, NYT, WaPo, WSJ, CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, CNN. The vote, 230-198 (4 Democrats voting with Republicans uniformly against, and Rep. Amash voting with the rest of the Democrats) was for… Continue reading

Microsoft and election security

July 17, 2019, 5:18 pmchicanery, The Voting Wars, voting technologyJustin Levitt

NBC reports on two Microsoft announcements, summarized in this blog post. The headline is that Microsoft is giving away free, open source ElectionGuard software to election machine suppliers. According to the site, it apparently “enables” voting using a touchscreen… Continue reading

“Feds end investigation into Trump Org and hush money payments”

July 17, 2019, 5:17 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryJustin Levitt

CNN, The Hill, NYT, WSJ have reports. Looks like the leaks were accurate after all.

LULAC v. PILF settle two different lawsuits

July 17, 2019, 5:17 pmchicanery, fraudulent fraud squad, voter registrationJustin Levitt

Well, one lawsuit, really, over publishing identifying information of individuals incorrectly accused of committing voter fraud. But you’d never know it was the same suit from reading the press releases. Plaintiffs here, defendants here. (Disclosure: I helped one… Continue reading

Census plaintiffs file blistering motion for sanctions

July 16, 2019, 3:30 pmcensus litigation, chicaneryJustin Levitt

The motion was filed in the SDNY case, mostly directed at Commerce officials. With 428 pp. of receipts. UPDATE: HuffPost has coverage.

“Some Fear Undercount As Texas Decides Not To Spend Money On 2020 Census”

July 16, 2019, 10:50 amcensus litigation, chicaneryJustin Levitt

Well, that’s an interesting strategy: You’ve got to spend money to make money. But that’s not the way Texas, and a handful of other states, are looking at the 2020 census. Officials in Texas have decided not to spend… Continue reading

“NC trial looks at partisan bias after US justices won’t”

July 16, 2019, 10:41 amchicanery, political parties, redistrictingJustin Levitt

A report from the opening days of the state court’s partisan gerrymandering trial in North Carolina.

Protecting the 2020 Election from Manipulation by the President

July 15, 2019, 10:56 amchicaneryJustin Levitt

Protect Democracy has a new white paper with suggestions for what to do when the call is coming from inside the house.

“How Trump can mitigate the damage of folding on the census”

July 14, 2019, 11:06 amcensus litigation, chicaneryJustin Levitt

Hugh Hewitt’s op-ed suggests that the president should have refused to quit on the census case, and calls for a motion for reconsideration in the Supreme Court. For perspective, it also claims that “the Supreme Court sat on the decision… Continue reading

“W.Va. Secretary of State: Russians Meddled in Social Media, Not Voting Machines”

July 14, 2019, 11:04 amchicanery, voting technologyJustin Levitt

Mac Warner’s point is absolutely right: in 2016, the most meaningful system hacked was us. Humans were the most vulnerable link. And as for securing the non-human component, election officials know that there’s been an enormous amount of work done.