Category Archives: political parties

“How the Trump Campaign Took Over the GOP”

March 9, 2020, 12:35 pmpolitical partiesRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump’s campaign manager and a circle of allies have seized control of the Republican Party’s voter data and fund-raising apparatus, using a network of private businesses whose operations and ownership are cloaked in secrecy, largely exempt from… Continue reading

“Primary Day: Why Presidential Nominees Should Be Chosen on a Single Day”

March 3, 2020, 11:57 ampolitical parties, primariesRick Hasen

Eugene Mazo has posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Why do we have an Election Day but not a Primary Day? No aspect of the presidential nomination process causes as much controversy as the primary calendar. The… Continue reading

“After the meltdown at the Iowa caucuses, Democrats fear a repeat in Nevada”

February 9, 2020, 8:38 pmelection administration, political parties, primariesRick Hasen

WaPo reports.

“Winnowing and Endorsing: Separating the Two Distinct Functions of Party Primaries”

February 1, 2020, 10:00 ampolitical parties, primariesRick Hasen

Ned Foley has posted this timely draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: This chapter of an edited volume on presidential primaries focuses on the relationship of the primaries to the general election. It does not suffice that the rules… Continue reading

“Our Presidential Primary System Is An Accident”

January 9, 2020, 7:05 pmpolitical parties, primariesDan Tokaji

538 podcast, the first in its Primaries Project series. Great drive-time listening!

“How A Raucous Convention Revolutionized Our Primary System”

January 9, 2020, 3:56 ampolitical parties, primariesDan Tokaji

A 538 video, with more to come: By casting a ballot in a primary or caucus, voters in the U.S. have the chance to decide who will vie to lead the free world. But that wasn’t always the case.… Continue reading

Informational Incentives for Campaign Mobilization

January 6, 2020, 2:06 pmcampaigns, political equality, political partiesJustin Levitt

Bertrall Ross and Doug Spencer have a new paper out in the Northwestern Law Review: “Passive Voter Suppression: Campaign Mobilization and the Effective Disfranchisement of the Poor.” The abstract: A recent spate of election laws tightened registration rules,… Continue reading

“Paperwork problem blocks Andrew Yang from Ohio’s Democratic presidential primary ballot, campaign to launch write-in effort”

January 5, 2020, 1:02 pmballot access, political parties, primariesJustin Levitt

Ballot access is not for the faint of heart.

“What it means to participate in the Iowa caucuses”

January 5, 2020, 1:01 pmpolitical parties, primariesJustin Levitt

Lyz Lenz offers a wry view in The Gazette. But past the humor, her overall point is spot-on: few Americans understand how the Iowa caucuses actually work — and it looks a lot more like a town meeting than a… Continue reading

“New law makes voters’ primary party choice public”

January 5, 2020, 12:57 pmpolitical parties, primariesJustin Levitt

The Pioneer Press reviews an interesting new facet of Minnesota’s law. As in many states, voters have to declare a party preference before voting in a primary, but apparently, the voters’ choice of party is “secret, just like your actual… Continue reading

“Census will mean new ways for politicians to keep power despite earning fewer votes”

January 5, 2020, 12:49 pmpolitical parties, redistrictingJustin Levitt

Bill Leonard weighs in on new opportunities for partisan gerrymandering after the Census.

California Democratic Party settles lawsuits alleging harassment and discrimination by former leader

January 3, 2020, 4:35 pmpolitical partiesJustin Levitt

The LA Times has the latest on the continuing fallout from the scandal involving the former chair.

“Top DFLers, state party defend law that permits Trump-only GOP primary ballots”

January 3, 2020, 4:34 pmelection law and constitutional law, political parties, The Voting WarsJustin Levitt

The real story isn’t that state party officials are defending state party associational rights under the First Amendmetn (even if they also benefit opposing parties). The real story is the practical recognition that litigation now begins to creep up on… Continue reading

“Leaked Trump Camp Tape Reignites Concerns Over GOP ‘Ballot Security’ Plans”

January 3, 2020, 4:33 pmchicanery, political partiesJustin Levitt

Tierney Sneed at TPM highlights the audio Rick blogged before the holidays, about the lapse of the consent decree between the DNC and RNC governing “ballot security” efforts.