Category Archives: Election Meltdown

“Facebook Braces Itself for Trump to Cast Doubt on Election Results; The world’s biggest social network is working out what steps to take should President Trump use its platform to dispute the vote.”

August 21, 2020, 7:31 amcheap speech, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

NYT: Facebook spent years preparing to ward off any tampering on its site ahead of November’s presidential election. Now the social network is getting ready in case President Trump interferes once the vote is over.Employees at the Silicon Valley company… Continue reading

New Yorker’s Eric Lach Deep Dive: “What Happens If Donald Trump Fights the Election Results?”

August 21, 2020, 5:44 amElection MeltdownRick Hasen

A chilling read.

Echoing Reasons for Issuance of 1981 Consent Decree Against the RNC, Trump Threatens to Send Law Enforcement to Watch Polls. What Happens Next?

August 20, 2020, 9:07 pmElection Meltdown, fraudulent fraud squad, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Back in 1981, the RNC agreed to a consent decree, which remained in place in various forms until 2017. It prevented the RNC from engaging in certain activities which intimidated minority voters. As I explained in this January 2019 Slate… Continue reading

“There won’t be official results on election night. There never have been.”

August 19, 2020, 3:04 pmElection MeltdownRick Hasen

Joanne Lipman and Ned Foley WaPo oped: President Trump is ramping up his attacks on mail-in voting by insisting election results “must” be known on election night. “No more big election night answers?” he tweeted last month. “Ridiculous! Just… Continue reading

“Trump Likes Only Certain Kinds of Voters; His relentless attacks on mail-in ballots are part of a larger strategy. There is still time to keep the presidential election fair.”

August 19, 2020, 7:36 amelection administration, Election Meltdown, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

I have written this oped for the New York Times. It begins: The threat to the 2020 election’s legitimacy finally broke through into everyday conversation last week. People who pay little attention to politics started talking about whether President Trump… Continue reading

“Trump warns of ‘rigged election’ as he uses conspiracy and fear to counter Biden’s convention week”

August 17, 2020, 8:18 pmElection MeltdownRick Hasen

CNN: President Donald Trump’s darkly portentous campaign message came into stark focus Monday as he launched his most intensive campaign swing since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, warning of “fascist” Democrats with a “Trojan horse” candidate during stops… Continue reading

“Biden Supporters More Likely Than Trump’s to Vote by Mail, Poll Shows; New Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey finds Democrats are more confident than Republicans that November results would be tallied accurately”

August 17, 2020, 10:37 amabsentee ballots, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

WSJ: Supporters of presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden are more likely than Trump supporters to say they will vote by mail and are more likely to trust the accuracy of November’s ballot count, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll… Continue reading

Mark Meadows Tries to Reverse the Burden of Proof on Widespread Voter Fraud

August 17, 2020, 6:55 amElection Meltdown, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Me at Twitter: This is a common, weak attempt to flip the burden of proof. Widespread voter fraud would be easy to detect. Kris Kobach told a federal court he had shown “tip of iceberg” of voter fraud. Court said… Continue reading

“State officials rush to shore up confidence in Nov. 3 election as voters express new fears about mail voting”

August 16, 2020, 4:59 pmabsentee ballots, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

WaPo: President Trump’s unprecedented attacks on the U.S. Postal Service amid widespread mail delays across the country are shaking voters’ faith that their ballots will be counted, prompting a rush among federal, state and local officials to protect the integrity… Continue reading

The list of COVID-19 election cases hits 200

August 16, 2020, 1:54 pmelection law and constitutional law, election law biz, Election MeltdownJustin Levitt

Justin here. I’m tracking the litigation over election issues related to COVID-19 … and the list of cases just hit 200. 202, actually. The number in each state isn’t necessarily a good indication of the contentiousness of the issues:… Continue reading

Ned Foley on CNN’s Smerconish Talking About “the Blue Shift” and 2020 Election Legitimacy

August 15, 2020, 12:03 pmelection administration, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

Watch here.

Today’s Must-Read in the LA Times: “TV coverage of Bush v. Gore is a scary reminder of what can go wrong on election night”

August 14, 2020, 8:09 amBush v. Gore reflections, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

Stephen Battaglio for the LAT: While it will be a challenge to turn the conventions into compelling television — broadcast networks ABC, CBS and NBC and cable news channels CNN, Fox News and MSNBC will carry live coverage in… Continue reading

“USPS says Pennsylvania mail ballots may not be delivered on time, and state warns of ‘overwhelming’ risk to voters”

August 13, 2020, 8:23 pmabsentee ballots, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

Philadelphia Inquirer: The U.S. Postal Service has warned Pennsylvania that some mail ballots might not be delivered on time because the state’s deadlines are too tight for its “delivery standards,” prompting election officials to ask the state Supreme Court to… Continue reading

“Vote Counts Change. Please Don’t Panic. The ‘blue shift’ is real. Take it seriously.”

August 11, 2020, 2:28 pmElection MeltdownRick Hasen

Jesse Wegman NYT column.

Election Law Blog

The law of politics and the politics of law