Category Archives: political polarization

Persily, “The Internet’s Challenge to Democracy: Framing the Problem and Assessing Reforms”

March 4, 2019, 7:11 ampolitical polarizationDan Tokaji

Nate Persily has written this report for the Kofi Annan Commission on Elections and Democracy in the Digital Age. From the executive summary: In the span of just two years, the widely shared utopian vision of the internet’s impact… Continue reading

“G.O.P. Ready to ‘Nuke’ Senate Democrats Again Over Nominee Delays”

February 21, 2019, 7:35 amlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

NYT: Senate Republicans are preparing to detonate a mini-nuke.Angry over Democratic delaying tactics that have slowed the conveyor belt of Trump administration nominees plodding toward confirmation, the Senate majority is preparing to strong-arm a rules change that would reduce… Continue reading

Amanda Frost Comments on My Forthcoming “Polarization and the Judiciary” Paper

November 14, 2018, 7:22 ampolitical polarization, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Amanda Frost at SCOTUSBlog: Common sense tells us that increased political polarization affects the U.S. Supreme Court as well as the political branches, and now legal scholars have the data to prove it. In a forthcoming paper, “Polarization and … Continue reading

Revised Version of My Forthcoming Paper, “Polarization and the Judiciary,” Now Current Through Kavanaugh Nomination

October 17, 2018, 7:16 ampolitical parties, political polarization, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Updated version of the paper out in May in the Annual Review of Political Science. Abstract: The period of increased polarization in the United States among the political branches and citizenry affects the selection, work, perception, and relative power of… Continue reading

“What’s Good for Democracy Is Also Good for Democrats”

July 29, 2018, 9:39 ampolitical polarizationRick Hasen

Adam Bonica NYT oped: Once again, the nation is on the cusp of a generational revolution. As a group, millennials favor Democrats by nearly a 2 to 1 margin. Millennials are unlikely to trend Republican as they age… Continue reading

“The Increasingly United States: How and Why American Political Behavior Nationalized”

July 18, 2018, 12:26 pmpolitical polarizationRick Hasen

I just got a copy of what looks to be a very interesting new book by Daniel J. Hopkins: In a campaign for state or local office these days, you’re as likely today to hear accusations that an opponent advanced… Continue reading

“Judges Say Throw Out the Map. Lawmakers Say Throw Out the Judges.”

February 14, 2018, 1:49 pmjudicial elections, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

NYT: In Pennsylvania, a Republican lawmaker unhappy with a State Supreme Court ruling on gerrymandering wants to impeach the Democratic justices who authored it. In Iowa, a running dispute over allowing firearms in courthouses has prompted bills by Republican sponsors… Continue reading

“Filibusters are Not for Shutdowns”

January 28, 2018, 9:51 amlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Ned Foley blogs.

“’Civil Right No. 1:’ Dr. King’s Unfinished Voting Rights Revolution”

January 23, 2018, 7:45 amfelon voting, political polarization, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

I have posted this draft on SSRN, which is forthcoming in a special symposium issue of the University of Memphis Law Review commemorating the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. (More about that symposium here.) … Continue reading

“Alabama’s Disdain for Democrats Looms Over Its Senate Race”

December 4, 2017, 8:14 pmpolitical parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

NYT: “I don’t think the Lord Jesus could win as a Democrat in Alabama,” said Brad Chism, who runs a Democratic communications firm in Mississippi that has conducted surveys of female voters in Alabama in recent weeks. “They’re just waiting… Continue reading

“How to Reverse the Degradation of Our Politics”

November 10, 2017, 9:41 amalternative voting systems, political polarizationRick Hasen

Larry Diamond in The American Interest: The most promising change is ranked choice voting, sometimes called “the instant runoff.” Imagine that Arizona’s voters had serious options beyond a Democrat and a Republican, and that instead of voting for a single… Continue reading

ELB Podcast Episode 19. Tom Mann and Norm Ornstein: Trumpism, and America, After Trump

October 23, 2017, 8:05 amELB Podcast, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

What is the connection between Republican Party extremism before Trump and the rise of Trump? What kinds of economic and political reforms can best preserve American democracy? What will life after Trump, and Trumpism, look like in the United States?… Continue reading

“Has the Top Two Primary Elected More Moderates?”

September 19, 2017, 12:03 pmpolitical parties, political polarization, primaries, redistrictingRick Hasen

Eric McGhee and Bors Shor in Perspectives on Politics: Party polarization is perhaps the most significant political trend of the past several decades of American politics. Many observers have pinned hopes on institutional reforms to reinvigorate the political center. The… Continue reading