Jon Grinspan NYT oped: One hundred and fifty years ago this month, ex-slaves lined up across the South, clutching their ballots, joining the first elections in which large numbers of black Southerners participated. One year ago, on Nov. 8, Americans… Continue reading

Dan Tokaji has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming Yale Law Journal Forum). Here is the abstract: The most recent presidential election highlighted deep seated problems in American democracy that existing voting rights law cannot fix. This Essay employs the… Continue reading

There have been a few pieces recently on migration after Hurricane Maria.  Some compare these political shifts to migration after Hurricane Katrina.

Stephen Mortellaro has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming Loyola Law Review).  Here is the abstract: Congress strikes at the core of state sovereignty when it disenfranchises voters. Yet demands for national disenfranchisement laws have become pervasive since the 2016… Continue reading

Courthouse News Service: U.S. Circuit Judge David Hamilton asked whether the differences in absentee voting rights between the territories could be due to their unique political histories. After all, “there are unique, one-of-a-kind, custom deals with each territory,” Hamilton said.… Continue reading

Charles: One of the big stories to come out of Tuesday’s hearing of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity (PACEI) is about the divisions that have begun to show among commissioners over how alarmed we should be about stories… Continue reading

Josh Gerstein: A New Hampshire judge has blocked recent changes to the state’s voting laws that would have exposed some first-time voters to a fine or jail time if they failed to submit residence paperwork within 10 days of registering.… Continue reading

Boston Globe: The League of Women Voters of New Hampshire and three New Hampshire voters are suing state officials to block a new law that toughens voter registration requirements, rules that civil rights advocates say amount to intimidation designed to… Continue reading

Josh Douglas WaPo oped.  

Joe Mathews column.  

NYT: However, two recent initiatives have channeled the deep feeling of underrepresentation. In May, a loose coalition of northern activists and residents, including an Indian tribe and the small northern city of Fort Jones, joined forces to file a federal… Continue reading

Release: California’s low voter turnout has two elements: a decline in the voter registration rate relative to other states and a decline in turnout in midterm elections. Each has a different origin in the state’s demographics, according to a report … Continue reading