Category Archives: election administration

“Lawsuit demands easier vote-by-mail process in NC”

May 5, 2020, 9:26 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

McClatchy: A group of voters backed by Democratic legal groups sued North Carolina on Monday seeking to loosen rules around absentee mail-in ballots amid predictions that the coronavirus pandemic will make voting by mail a widespread practice. They want… Continue reading

“Democrats drop lawsuit against planned all-mail primary election after Clark County agrees to more voting sites, other concessions”

May 5, 2020, 3:10 pmabsentee ballots, election administrationRick Hasen

The Nevada Independent reports.

Wisconsin: “GOP Mailer On Absentee Ballot Requests Confuses Voters, Putting Burden On Clerks To Explain”

May 5, 2020, 8:01 amelection administrationRick Hasen

WPR: A mailer from the Republican Party of Wisconsin claims voters can request an absentee ballot for the upcoming special election in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District with a pre-paid postcard. But there’s a problem: Most voters returning the postcards… Continue reading

“Western NC counties adjust 2nd primary plans due to pandemic”

May 3, 2020, 12:05 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

Carolina Public Press: Several Western North Carolina counties are sharply cutting the number of polling places for the June 23 second primary in Congressional District 11.The counties, as well as the state Board of Elections, are also seeking additional… Continue reading

Ohio: “9K local voters didn’t get requested ballots”

May 3, 2020, 11:46 amelection administrationRick Hasen

Dayton Daily News: Nearly 9,000 voters who requested absentee ballots to vote in last week’s primary election in six local counties didn’t get a ballot because their request was either mailed too late or improperly filled out, a Dayton Daily… Continue reading

New Lawsuit Over Tennessee Absentee Ballot Rules in Light of COVID-19

May 1, 2020, 3:43 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

Release via email: The state of Tennessee imposes strict limits on eligibility for voting absentee and uses criminal penalties to deter people from assisting voters with obtaining absentee ballots. In the midst of a global pandemic, the Lawyers’ Committee for … Continue reading

New Studies on Voter Attitudes About Vote-by-Mail in Light of COVID-19

April 30, 2020, 8:53 pmabsentee ballots, election administrationRick Hasen

Thad Kousser, Seth Hill, Mackenzie Lockhart (UC San Diego), Jennifer Merolla (UC Riverside), and Mindy Romero (USC) have now posted at the links below two working papers analyzing a survey of eligible American voters about their preferences for how they’d… Continue reading

“Looking for ‘A Few Good Clerks’”

April 30, 2020, 3:58 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

New memo from the Justice Foundation for Civil and Environmental Rights: During the coronavirus pandemic, defending the fundamental right to vote may require the brave actions of “A Few Good Clerks.”The push toward mail balloting for the November election has… Continue reading

“Whether the Ballot You Mail Is Counted May Depend on Where You Vote”

April 30, 2020, 7:23 amabsentee ballots, election administrationRick Hasen

ProPublica: Voting by mail has become a partisan flashpoint during the coronavirus outbreak, with Democrats pushing to expand it and President Donald Trump claiming, without evidence, that mail-in voting is “corrupt.” But, as Wisconsin illustrates, the impact of vote… Continue reading

Federal Court Slams Jill Stein’s Attempt to Decertify Certain Electronic Voting Machines for Use in Philadelphia in 2020 Elections

April 29, 2020, 6:20 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

You can read the opinion here. It begins: In moving to enforce the Agreement settling her 2016 lawsuit, failed presidential candidate Jill Stein asks me to bar the use of almost 4,000 voting machines, thus making it impossible for Philadelphia… Continue reading

May 6 U. Denver Event: Election Safety: A Panel Discussion

April 29, 2020, 9:46 amelection administrationRick Hasen

Looking forward to this: What do elections look like during a pandemic, and what do states and the federal government need to do to ensure safe elections this fall? A panel of experts discuss the latest evidence and the… Continue reading

“America’s Elections Won’t Be the Same After 2020 The chaos of this year could radically—and permanently—change how Americans vote.”

April 28, 2020, 12:28 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

The Atlantic reports.

Fair Elections During a Crisis: Bipartisan and Diverse Blue-Ribbon Group of Scholars and Thinkers Releases Report on Urgent Changes Needed for November U.S. Elections

April 28, 2020, 8:00 amabsentee ballots, election administration, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

Release from me: Fair Elections During a Crisis: Bipartisan and Diverse Blue-Ribbon Group of Scholars and Thinkers Releases Report on Urgent Changes Needed for November U.S. Elections Ad Hoc Committee for 2020 Election Fairness and Legitimacy Issues Recommendations in Law,… Continue reading