Category Archives: election administration

“Election-denying clerk ousted in recall: ‘Make Adams Township Boring Again’”

May 3, 2023, 7:20 amchicanery, election administration, election subversion risk, recall electionsJustin Levitt

Bridge Michigan has the unofficial results on yesterday’s recall election of a Michigan town clerk: Voters in deeply conservative Adams Township on Tuesday night rejected elections clerk Stephanie Scott, ousting the Republican official who questioned the accuracy of her own… Continue reading

“Voter Registration in 2022 Highest in 20 Years for Congressional Elections”

May 2, 2023, 4:07 pmelection administration, voter registration, votingJustin Levitt

The Census Bureau released voting and registration toplines from the Current Population Survey today. [Serious data nerd voice] I’ll confess to a longstanding pet peeve with the way that these results are inevitably reported, including by the Bureau itself in… Continue reading

“Texas Republicans want power to overturn Harris County elections over mishaps at the polls”

May 2, 2023, 4:03 pmelection administration, election subversion risk, legislation and legislaturesJustin Levitt

The Houston Chronicle reports on the 6th of 7 bills targeting Harris County to pass the Texas Senate. This one allows the appointed secretary of state to order a new election in a county with more than 2.7 million people… Continue reading

“Voting has gotten harder in Wisconsin. Organizers have found ways to help.”

May 2, 2023, 4:03 pmelection administration, The Voting WarsJustin Levitt

Wisconsin Watch deploying the Cost of Voting Index to track changes over the past few decades.

“Military voting access boosted with new Michigan election law”

May 1, 2023, 7:40 pmabsentee ballots, election administration, military votingJustin Levitt

Michigan Live notes the new grace period for receiving military and overseas absentee ballots – the first part of an effort to implement Prop 2 from last year.

“Presidential battleground states weigh more election funding”

May 1, 2023, 7:39 amelection administrationJustin Levitt

YES. Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes. Please. And not only in battleground states. Congress, you could help here.

“GOP election officials walking fine line on fraud, integrity”

April 30, 2023, 8:57 amelection administration, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

AP: The Republican secretaries of state in Ohio, West Virginia and Missouri have promoted their states’ elections as fair and secure. Yet each also is navigating a fine line on how to address election fraud conspiracies as they gear up… Continue reading

Election Litigation Fell Almost 25 Percent in 2021-22 Compared to Last Midterm Election Season (2017-18), But Slump May Not Last [Corrected]

April 26, 2023, 7:01 amelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

My latest data crunching of a sample of election law cases shows a steep drop in the rate of election litigation, with litigation averaging 257 .5 cases per year in the 2021-22 midterm election period, down almost 19 percent compared… Continue reading

“Massive turnover in local election officials likely before 2024, says new survey; A new survey suggests that more than 1 in 5 local election officials will have never worked a presidential election next year.”

April 25, 2023, 7:15 amelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

NBC News: A new survey from the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law predicts huge turnover in local election officials before the 2024 election. According to the survey, 12% of local officials began working in… Continue reading

Mitchell on gov’t agencies at the RNC donor retreat

April 24, 2023, 7:38 amelection administration, NVRA (motor voter), redistricting, voter registrationJustin Levitt

As this blog noted, Cleta Mitchell was invited to give a “special legal presentation” to a recent RNC donor retreat — either because of or despite her role in proceedings attempting to overturn the 2020 election. There has already… Continue reading

“Another Texas Election Official Quits After Threats From Trump Supporters”

April 19, 2023, 7:39 amelection administration, election subversion riskRick Hasen

NYT: Heider Garcia, the head of elections in Tarrant County, Texas, announced this week that he would resign after facing death threats, joining other beleaguered election officials across the nation who have quit under similar circumstances. Mr. Garcia oversees elections… Continue reading

Texas: “Tarrant County’s celebrated elections chief resigns, citing differences with new county executive”

April 18, 2023, 8:07 amelection administrationRick Hasen

Votebeat: A North Texas elections official who was lauded by top state officials — and his critics — as one of the best administrators in the field has submitted his resignation. Heider Garcia, who has been the elections director in… Continue reading

“How A Rural California County Became A Petri Dish For the Big Lie”

April 14, 2023, 7:05 amelection administration, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Kaila Philo for TPM: A deep red enclave in rural Northern California has recently seen the balance of its local governing body shift to the far right. Now it’s about to embark on an experiment tried in few other jurisdictions… Continue reading

“These state officials praised ERIC for years before suddenly pulling out of the program”

April 11, 2023, 5:57 pmchicanery, election administration, voter registrationRick Hasen

Jessica Huseman for Votebeat: When newly elected Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis kicked off a series of election security reforms in 2019, he said, “protecting the integrity of Florida’s elections” was one of his “top priorities.” In addition to giving $2… Continue reading