Category Archives: The Voting Wars

“Civil Rights Organizations and an Election Official File Challenge to Texas Anti-Voter Legislation”

September 3, 2021, 10:27 amelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Release: A voting bill that will make it harder for Texans, particularly voters of color, to cast their ballots is unconstitutional and violates federal voting rights law because it diminishes access to the ballot box, according to a lawsuit… Continue reading

“Republican bill tightening Texas election laws is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk”

August 31, 2021, 4:56 pmelection administration, fraudulent fraud squad, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Texas Tribune: A wave of changes to Texas elections, including new voting restrictions, is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.Three months after House Democrats first broke quorum to stymie a previous iteration of the legislation, Republicans in the House… Continue reading

“Democrats counter Republican-led voter restrictions with early, aggressive outreach”

August 31, 2021, 7:30 amThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

Reuters reports.

“The Obvious Voting-Rights Solution That No Democrat Will Propose”

August 30, 2021, 7:11 amThe Voting Wars, voter idRick Hasen

Russell Berman in the Alantic: Democrats in Congress are considering a policy that was long unthinkable: a federal requirement that every American show identification before casting a ballot. But as the party tries to pass voting-rights legislation before the next… Continue reading

Must-Read Michael Wines: “As Washington Stews, State Legislatures Increasingly Shape American Politics; From voting rights to the culture wars, state legislatures controlled by Republicans are playing a role well beyond their own state borders”

August 29, 2021, 1:57 pmlegislation and legislatures, redistricting, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

NYT: With the release of the 2020 census last month, the drawing of legislative districts that could in large part determine control of Congress for the next decade heads to the nation’s state legislatures, the heart of Republican political power.Increasingly,… Continue reading

“House Passes a Voting Rights Bill, but a G.O.P. Blockade Awaits in the Senate”

August 24, 2021, 5:08 pmThe Voting Wars, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

NYT: The House voted on Tuesday to restore federal oversight of state election laws under the 1965 Voting Rights Act and expand its reach, as Democrats moved to strengthen a crowning legislative achievement of the civil rights era amid a… Continue reading

“Judge strikes down part of Georgia voting law that banned photography”

August 22, 2021, 8:58 amelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

AJC: A federal judge ruled against a broad ban on photographing voted ballots Friday, throwing out a part of Georgia’s new election law while allowing the rest of it to stand.The decision is the first time a judge has invalidated… Continue reading

I Spoke with the Legal Talk Today Podcast About the Voting Rights Act and New Restrictive Voting Rules

August 22, 2021, 8:44 amThe Voting Wars, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

You can listen here.

“Texas GOP voting bill on fast track after standstill ends”

August 21, 2021, 7:52 amThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

AP: The sudden end of Texas Democrats’ 38-day walkout has put Republicans back on a fast track to pass a sweeping voting bill and is causing rifts among some Democrats who said Friday they felt “betrayed” by colleagues who returned… Continue reading

“Fight Over Voting Rights in Texas Nears End as Democrats Return”

August 19, 2021, 9:25 pmThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

NYT: A 38-day walkout by Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives effectively ended on Thursday as three previously absent members arrived in the Capitol, clearing the way for Republicans to establish a quorum and pass restrictive voting rules.Despite efforts… Continue reading

Georgia: “State Appoints Bipartisan Panel To Review Fulton Election Board’s Actions”

August 18, 2021, 7:54 amelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Stephen Fowler for GPB: The Georgia State Election Board has appointed a bipartisan three-member panel to initiate a performance review of Fulton County’s elections board, the latest step in a lengthy process allowed under a new GOP-backed state law… Continue reading

“Texas Supreme Court says House Democrats can be arrested and brought to the Capitol, siding with Republicans trying to secure a quorum”

August 18, 2021, 7:05 amThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

Texas Tribune: Texas House Democrats who refuse to show up to the state Capitol in their bid to prevent Republican lawmakers from passing a voting restrictions bill can be arrested and brought to the lower chamber, the Texas Supreme Court… Continue reading

“‘Center of the maelstrom’: Election officials grapple with 2020’s long shadow”

August 18, 2021, 7:00 amelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Zach Montellaro for Politico: The nation’s secretaries of state used to be little-known, wonky bureaucrats who operated in near-anonymity. But after the 2020 election, they are now on the frontlines of the battle over trust in American democracy.Since the last… Continue reading