Category Archives: The Voting Wars

“Kentucky Republicans quietly tighten voter restrictions as US focuses on Covid-19”

March 21, 2020, 1:03 pmelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Sam Levine: As states around the country enacted emergency measures to deal with the outbreak of coronavirus, Kentucky lawmakers quietly tightened and approved a new photo identification requirement that would make it harder to vote.Lawmakers eliminated a “catch-all” provision… Continue reading

“Lawsuit settled, giving Georgia voters time to fix rejected ballots”

March 7, 2020, 11:52 amabsentee ballots, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

AJC: Georgia voters must be quickly notified when election officials reject their absentee ballots, allowing them time to correct problems and have their ballots counted, according to a settlement with the Democratic Party announced Saturday. Under the settlement in… Continue reading

“Secretary of State Agrees to Settle Voter ID Lawsuits by Entering Into Consent Decree with North Dakota Tribes”

February 13, 2020, 8:36 amThe Voting Wars, voter idRick Hasen

CLC Release: [Click here to read a joint statement on the settlement by North Dakota Secretary of State Al Jaeger, Spirit Lake Nation, and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe]In the wake of the district court’s denial of the State’s motion… Continue reading

“South Dakota bars IDs and ‘disenfranchises’ tribal citizens”

February 12, 2020, 2:26 pmThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

AP: South Dakota Democrats called foul on Friday after the Republican-dominated House shot down their efforts to allow Native Americans use their tribal IDs to register to vote.The defeat Thursday evening prompted several Democrats to level accusations of voter suppression.… Continue reading

“Arizona Asks 9th Circuit To Stay Its ‘Ballot Harvesting’ Ban Decision Pending Appeal To Supreme Court”

February 2, 2020, 6:17 pmThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

AZ Law reports. I expect the Supreme Court to get involved in short order.

“Using only ‘a phone book,’ can you commit voter fraud in NC?”

February 1, 2020, 10:11 amelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Politifact on the dubious claim of a North Carolina gubernatorial candidate.

“The New Voter Suppression”

January 23, 2020, 2:36 pmThe Voting Wars, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

New Brennan Center report: On Election Day in 1960, four unanswerable questions awaited Clarence Gaskins, a Black voter in Georgia looking to cast his ballot for president. Upon arrival at his designated polling place, he was ushered into a room… Continue reading

Wisconsin: “After rejection, conservatives try again to get voter purge case to Supreme Court”

January 22, 2020, 7:23 amThe Voting Wars, voter registrationRick Hasen

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. Update: The Court of Appeals opinion explaining its putting the purge on hold is here. (h/t Sam Levine)

“In Texas and Other States, Voters Face a Variety of Barriers”

January 19, 2020, 9:05 amThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

AP reports.

“National Democrats jump into new lawsuit over Texas voter registration requirements”

January 7, 2020, 3:04 pmNVRA (motor voter), The Voting Wars, voter registrationJustin Levitt

The latest from the Marc Elias litigation machine is a challenge in Texas to the rejection of voter registration forms with digital pictures of signatures. The complaint notes that, among other things, when voters register to vote along with… Continue reading

Implementing a waiver program for fines and fees in Florida

January 6, 2020, 2:12 pmThe Voting WarsJustin Levitt

WUSF reports on the implementation of programs in the courts to reduce the fines and fees of formerly incarcerated individuals, in the continuing fight over the aftermath of Amendment 4 and SB 7066. The report indicates that the only four… Continue reading

“Democracy itself is literally on the ballot”

January 4, 2020, 9:44 amballot access, election law and constitutional law, The Voting WarsJustin Levitt

Marc Elias in WaPo about his lawsuits on the ballot-order statutes giving unilateral pole position to candidates of one party.

Election-related options still to come at AALS

January 3, 2020, 4:47 pmcensus litigation, election law and constitutional law, The Voting Wars, theory, votingJustin Levitt

Rick already mentioned a few of the exceptional election-related events at AALS so far. There are still several to come, including my stint tomorrow at 8:30 as least valuable player on a 2020 census panel with Dale Ho, Christina Mora,… Continue reading

Here come the latest purge demands

January 3, 2020, 4:42 pmThe Voting Wars, voter registrationJustin Levitt

Looks like Judicial Watch released another tranch of NVRA demand letters. Also looks like they’re still identifying allegedly non-compliant jurisdictions at least in part by comparing point-estimate registration data on legal domicile to trend-estimate ACS data on physical CVAP presence.… Continue reading