Category Archives: chicanery

“Justice Dept. Discloses Pa. Ballot Inquiry, Prompting Fears of Politicization”

September 24, 2020, 8:35 pmchicanery, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

NYT: The Justice Department on Thursday released details about an investigation into nine discarded mailed-in ballots in Pennsylvania, an unusual step that stoked new fears that President Trump’s political appointees were using the levers of law enforcement to sow doubt… Continue reading

Senator Rick Scott Wants to Disenfranchise Military and Other Voters Voting by Mail By Stopping Counting After 24 Hours

September 24, 2020, 3:12 pmchicaneryRick Hasen

Jeremy Stahl for Slate: On Thursday, Florida Sen. Rick Scott proposed a bill that would change election laws with less than six weeks to go until November’s election, causing complete mayhem and ensuring that untold number of otherwise valid votes… Continue reading

“White House touts unusual Justice Department announcement about ‘discarded’ Trump ballots in Pennsylvania”

September 24, 2020, 2:54 pmchicanery, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

Marshall Cohen for CNN: The Justice Department said Thursday that it is investigating “potential issues with mail-in ballots” in the swing state of Pennsylvania and, in a highly unusual disclosure, revealed that several ballots marked for President Donald Trump… Continue reading

Justin Levitt (Who Was a Voting Official at DOJ) on the Bizarre DOJ Press Release on an Investigation Into 9 Potentially Mishandled Ballots

September 24, 2020, 12:48 pmchicanery, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

Thread starts here: An investigation here may be reasonable. But there is NO legit reason for:1) a DOJ press release on a pending investigation, that2) announces a partial list of unconfirmed facts, including3) the identity of one of the… Continue reading

“Foreign Hackers Cripple Texas County’s Email System, Raising Election Security Concerns”

September 24, 2020, 8:36 amchicanery, election administrationRick Hasen

ProPublica: The previously unreported attack on Hamilton illustrates an overlooked security weakness that could hamper the November election: the vulnerability of email systems in county offices that handle the voting process from registration to casting and counting ballots. Although experts… Continue reading

“Facebook Takes Down Fake Pages Created in China Aimed at Influencing U.S. Election”

September 23, 2020, 7:45 amcampaigns, cheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: Facebook has detected limited Chinese operations intended to both help and hurt President Trump’s re-election chances, the company announced on Tuesday, the first public disclosure of Chinese efforts to influence the presidential election in November.The Chinese activity, while modest… Continue reading

“How Republicans Are Trying to Use the Green Party to Their Advantage”

September 22, 2020, 9:51 pmballot access, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: With Mr. Trump trailing Joseph R. Biden Jr. in most national and swing-state polls, Republicans are again trying to help third parties that may appeal to Democratic voters and siphon off votes from Mr. Biden. This is taking place… Continue reading

“FBI warns against foreign disinformation regarding election results”

September 22, 2020, 5:15 pmchicanery, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

CNN: The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency warned the public Tuesday that foreign actors might spread disinformation about the results of the 2020 election and encouraged voters to be patient with delayed results.”The increased use of mail-in… Continue reading

“In secret recording, trainer for Unlock Michigan advises on unlawful tactics”

September 22, 2020, 7:46 amchicanery, direct democracyRick Hasen

Detroit Free Press: The company collecting signatures to strip Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of her emergency powers coached paid petition circulators on giving voters false information, illegally collecting signatures without witnessing them, trespassing on private property, and even lying under oath,… Continue reading

“Secret CIA assessment: Putin ‘probably directing’ influence operation to denigrate Biden”

September 22, 2020, 7:05 amchicaneryRick Hasen

Josh Rogin WaPo column: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his top aides are “probably directing” a Russian foreign influence operation to interfere in the 2020 presidential election against former vice president Joe Biden, which involves a prominent Ukrainian lawmaker connected… Continue reading

“Trump Supporters Disrupt Early Voting in Virginia” (And the Virginia GOP Troublingly Gloats About It in a Tweet)

September 20, 2020, 9:15 pmchicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: A group of Trump supporters waving campaign flags disrupted the second day of early voting in Fairfax, Va., on Saturday, chanting “four more years” as voters entered a polling location and, at one point, forming a line that… Continue reading

“Prepare for the Worst and Fight for the Best: A Citizen’s Guide to 2020 Electoral Interference”

September 18, 2020, 11:46 amchicanery, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

Just Security.

“Wisconsin Elections Commission: 19 Reported Cases Of Possible Voter Fraud Over Nearly 2 Years”

September 16, 2020, 8:05 pmchicanery, election administrationRick Hasen

WPR: The violations were: Seven reports of an undeliverable Election Day registration confirmation postcard.Four reports of an individual attempting to vote twice in the same election by trying to cast a ballot in two different municipalities.Three reports of an… Continue reading

“Pro-Trump youth group enlists teens in secretive campaign likened to a ‘troll farm,’ prompting rebuke by Facebook and Twitter”

September 15, 2020, 5:44 pmcampaigns, cheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

Washington Post: One tweet claimed coronavirus numbers were intentionally inflated, adding, “It’s hard to know what to believe.” Another warned, “Don’t trust Dr. Fauci.”A Facebook comment argued that mail-in ballots “will lead to fraud for this election,” while an Instagram… Continue reading

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The law of politics and the politics of law