Category Archives: The Voting Wars

“Texas legal battles highlight how the 2020 election is being fought in the courts”

October 30, 2020, 6:58 amThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

Guy Charles NBC oped: We turn to courts to help us address deficiencies in voting rules that are really not designed to stand up under any type of pressure, whether it is the pressure of close elections or the… Continue reading

“With All Eyes on Wisconsin, Partisan Gridlock at State Elections Commission Frustrates Voters and Local Officials”

October 27, 2020, 12:06 pmThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

ProPublica: As ballots began pouring in by mail after Wisconsin’s April 7 primary, local election officials became increasingly perplexed over which ones to count.A federal judge had ordered that ballots arriving as many as six days after the election should… Continue reading

“‘There is a voter-suppression wing’: An ugly American tradition clouds the 2020 presidential race”

October 24, 2020, 3:42 pmThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

L.A. Times: A Memphis, Tenn., poll worker turned away people wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts, saying they couldn’t vote. Robocalls warned thousands of Michigan residents that mail-in voting could put their personal information in the hands of debt collectors and… Continue reading

I Talked with Ari Shapiro of NPR’s All Things Considered About the Current Election Litigation Environment, and the Supreme Court PA Voting Ruling

October 20, 2020, 4:57 pmThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

You can listen here.

“In a 4-4 Split, the Supreme Court Lets Pennsylvania Make Voting Easier—For Now; The decision signals that Amy Coney Barrett will cast the deciding vote in any upcoming election disputes.”

October 19, 2020, 5:11 pmElection Meltdown, Supreme Court, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

I have written this piece for Slate. It begins: After a very long delay in an emergency election case, the shorthanded United States Supreme Court came to a 4-4 tie in an election law case out of Pennsylvania on Monday… Continue reading

“Federal Appeals Courts Emerge as Crucial for Trump in Voting Cases”

October 17, 2020, 1:19 pmSupreme Court, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

NYT: The Texas case is one of at least eight major election disputes around the country in which Federal District Court judges sided with civil rights groups and Democrats in voting cases only to be stayed by the federal appeals… Continue reading

“The Cybersecurity 202: The Supreme Court could decide the fate of mail voting in two swing states”

October 9, 2020, 8:03 amThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

WaPo reports.

“Most voters confident their vote will be counted, poll finds. But partisans disagree on election threats.”

October 9, 2020, 7:41 amThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

Nate Persily and Charles Stewart at The Monkey Cage: Americans are worried about this election. And who can blame them? Each day, a new story, whether true, false or overblown, creates fresh anxiety about mail-in voting or polling places.A battleground-state … Continue reading

“Both parties prepare for possibility of contested election as chaotic White House race hurtles to a close”

October 8, 2020, 7:56 pmElection Meltdown, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

WaPo deep dive: Even as a coronavirus outbreak has upended the White House, Democrats and Republicans have been gaming out another potential crisis that experts agree could plunge the country into unprecedented turmoil — a contested election in the weeks… Continue reading

Breaking and Analysis: 7th Circuit, on 2-1 Vote, Rejects District Court Extension of Wisconsin Deadline for Receipt of Absentee Ballots, Relying Heavily on Supreme Court’s Earlier Ruling in South Carolina Case

October 8, 2020, 11:03 amabsentee ballots, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

As I noted in this Slate piece earlier this week, “Generally, though, the Republican side may be far more successful in blocking lower court orders sought by Democrats and voting rights groups seeking to expand voting by mail. Although Democrats… Continue reading

“Key Legal Fights Over Voting Remain Unresolved As Election Day Draws Close”

October 8, 2020, 8:04 amSupreme Court, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Pam Fessler for NPR: With so many cases still up in the air, legal experts say it’s difficult to tell whether Democrats or Republicans are coming out ahead. Democrats have won numerous victories — including fending off a Republican effort… Continue reading

“After early victories, Democrats’ voting lawsuits face tougher terrain in conservative-leaning appeals courts”

October 6, 2020, 7:29 amThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

Marshall Cohen for CNN: After a string of early legal victories in voting rights cases, Democrats are now fighting on more challenging terrain in federal appeals courts across the country, and have seen some of their hard-fought victories wiped off… Continue reading

“This Will Be a Critical Week for Pandemic Voting Cases at the Supreme Court”

October 5, 2020, 1:05 pmElection Meltdown, Supreme Court, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

I have written this piece for Slate. It begins: While the nation’s attention has been focused on the president’s COVID-19 diagnosis and the ensuing questions surrounding that, it’s important to remember there will still be an election in one month.… Continue reading

“Think the Constitution lets voters pick the president? Better read it again.”

October 5, 2020, 10:32 amThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

Ned Foley WaPo oped: In other words, although voters might be under the impression that they get to choose the president, in fact, the Constitution does not mandate that role. Ordinary voters have a say in the process only as… Continue reading

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