Category Archives: political parties

“How to Police Gerrymanders? Some Judges Say the Courts Can’t.”

May 5, 2023, 9:48 amelection law and constitutional law, political parties, redistrictingJustin Levitt

The NYT “teaches the controversy” about policing partisan gerrymandering. I have to say, I agree with some of the line-drawing concerns when it comes to deciding how much is too much. Which is why I’ve argued for a… Continue reading

No Labels co-founder warns against No Labels’ impact on presidential race

May 5, 2023, 9:47 ampolitical parties, third partiesJustin Levitt

William Galston with an op-ed in the WSJ.

“A Critical and Historical Analysis of Ohio’s Post-Millennium Regression to Major-Party Monopoly”

May 5, 2023, 9:46 amballot access, political equality, political parties, third partiesJustin Levitt

New in the Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly, from Capital’s Mark Brown: a review of recent ballot access battles in Ohio. I suspect there’s even more to add to the “major-party monopoly” argument if you add the legislature’s all-out gerrymandering… Continue reading

“Party affiliation can be misleading in local Pa. elections. Here’s why”

May 3, 2023, 3:59 pmpolitical parties, primaries, third partiesJustin Levitt

Spotlight PA has a feature on Pennsylvania school board elections with closed primaries (you’ve got to be a member of the party to vote in that party’s primary) and cross-filing (in which candidates can appear on multiple parties’ ballots). I’m… Continue reading

Ranked choice on the menu

May 2, 2023, 4:00 pmalternative voting systems, political parties, political polarization, primariesJustin Levitt

There must be something in the water today. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s editorial board decries a “two-party system in a one-party town,” in advocating a switch from splintered partisan primaries to a nonpartisan primary with ranked-choice voting. Illinois state Rep. Kam… Continue reading

“For Saner Politics, Try Stronger Parties; Well-intended reforms have made the national parties weak and ineffective—and unable to resist their most extreme elements”

April 24, 2023, 7:33 ampolitical parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Gerald Seib WSJ column.

“Montana shelves GOP proposal to alter US Senate primary”

April 19, 2023, 11:33 ampolitical parties, primaries, third partiesRick Hasen

AP: A proposed change to next year’s Montana U.S. Senate primary that could have hurt Democratic Sen. Jon Tester’s reelection chances is likely dead after a state legislative committee shelved the GOP-backed measure Wednesday. Some Republican lawmakers urged on… Continue reading

Better Parties? Are they possible and how will SCOTUS shape that project?

April 16, 2023, 6:36 ampolitical parties, primariespolitical partiesTabatha Abu El-Haj

I recently had the pleasure of talking about both of these questions with Lee Drutman on Politics in Question. As I have been spending more time talking to others about prospects for party reform–including this past week at More … Continue reading

NY trial court finds constitutional right to cast primary write-in for candidate who’s not a member of the party

April 9, 2023, 2:59 pmelection law and constitutional law, political parties, primariesJustin Levitt

Friday’s decision is here, with a little more illumination from the earlier hearing transcript here.

“N.C. lawmaker flips parties, handing state GOP a veto-proof majority”

April 5, 2023, 1:42 pmlegislation and legislatures, political partiesJustin Levitt

Rep. Tricia Cotham becomes a Republican, in a district that apparently went 61-38 for Biden.

“Redistricting could leave Va. with more partisan lawmakers”

April 5, 2023, 1:41 pmpolitical parties, redistrictingJustin Levitt

Mark Rozell discusses the impact of a redistricting map that pairs incumbents in five Virginia state legislative districts.

“Arkansas Bill Easing Ballot Access for Newly-Qualifying Parties Passes Legislature”

April 3, 2023, 10:49 amballot access, political parties, third partiesJustin Levitt

Hat tip to Richard Winger, of course, on the news. I’d be intrigued to see if there’s any correlation between the major-party vote margin and the permissiveness of a state’s minor-party ballot access structure.

“Democrats Overhaul Party’s Primary Calendar, Upending a Political Tradition”

February 4, 2023, 9:02 pmpolitical parties, primariesRick Hasen

NYT: Upending decades of political tradition, the Democratic National Committee on Saturday approved a sweeping overhaul of the Democratic primary process, a critical step in President Biden’s effort to transform the way the party picks its presidential nominees. For years,… Continue reading

“Do We Need to Party Better to Fix U.S. Democracy?”

February 4, 2023, 7:58 ampolitical parties, political polarizationNew ScholarshipTabatha Abu El-Haj

Didi Kuo and I recently spoke with Daniel Stid, Executive Director of Lyceum Labs about our recent article, Associational Party Building: A Path to Rebuilding Democracy. Daniel pushed us on the questions such as whether we are calling… Continue reading