Category Archives: political equality

Why Governing is Also a Path to Restoring Our Democracy

September 14, 2021, 8:56 amlegislation and legislatures, political equality, Voting Rights ActTabatha Abu El-Haj

Senator Klobuchar summarized the Build Back Better plan on Twitter, “Millions of good-paying jobs. New roads and bridges. Broadband access for everyone. Lower costs for childcare, elder care, and community college. We’re going to get this bill to the… Continue reading

Newsom recall lawsuit

August 17, 2021, 6:42 amcourt decisions, political equality, recall elections, Supreme Court, theoryNed Foley

Politico has a story on a new federal lawsuit raising a constitutional challenge to the procedures that California uses for its gubernatorial recall. The lawsuit follows upon a NY Times op-ed from last week by Erwin Chemerinsky and Aaron Edlin,… Continue reading

“Kim Reynolds promises to review backlog of felon voting rights applications by the Iowa caucuses”

January 7, 2020, 3:04 pmpolitical equality, primariesJustin Levitt

The latest on the restoration of voting rights in Iowa.

“The Real Power of Bloomberg’s Money”

January 7, 2020, 3:00 pmcampaign finance, lobbying, political equalityJustin Levitt

A piece in the Atlantic on the governance options available to billionaires: When people think about the political relevance of Michael Bloomberg’s money, they tend to think about how his massive spending helps his campaigns: the record $261 million he… Continue reading

Census hearing on hard-to-count communities at same time as voting systems security hearing

January 7, 2020, 2:57 pmpolitical equality, redistrictingJustin Levitt

At the same time as the Thursday hearing on voting system security that I’d mentioned, House Oversight will be holding a hearing on “Reaching Hard-to-Count Communities in the 2020 Census.” The witness list is still TBD, as… Continue reading

“Where do inmates fall in Census count? NJ moves to end ‘prison gerrymandering'”

January 6, 2020, 2:11 pmpolitical equality, redistrictingJustin Levitt

A bill has passed the state Senate, and is working its way through the state Assembly. If it gets signed into law, that would make New Jersey the seventh state to change where incarcerated individuals are counted for representational… Continue reading

Informational Incentives for Campaign Mobilization

January 6, 2020, 2:06 pmcampaigns, political equality, political partiesJustin Levitt

Bertrall Ross and Doug Spencer have a new paper out in the Northwestern Law Review: “Passive Voter Suppression: Campaign Mobilization and the Effective Disfranchisement of the Poor.” The abstract: A recent spate of election laws tightened registration rules,… Continue reading

“Voting Rights Restoration Gives Felons a Voice in More States”

January 3, 2020, 4:38 pmpolitical equalityJustin Levitt

A recap of recent action on the enfranchisement of people with convictions, from Stateline.

“Lowering the Voting Age to 16: Learning from Real Experiences Worldwide”

January 3, 2020, 4:38 pmpolitical equality, votingJustin Levitt

The new year brings another new book on electoral mechanics, edited by Jan Eichhorn and Johannes Bergh. The abstract: This book explores the consequences of lowering the voting age to 16 from a global perspective, bringing together empirical research… Continue reading

“A Century of Votes for Women”

January 2, 2020, 1:30 pm19th Amendment, political equalityJustin Levitt

Christina Wolbrecht and J. Kevin Corder with a new book on the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. The abstract: How have American women voted in the first 100 years since the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment? How have popular… Continue reading

Quantitative election administration studies: early voting and polling place location

January 2, 2020, 1:30 pmelection administration, legislation and legislatures, political equality, The Voting WarsJustin Levitt

Two studies newly published in the latest issue of the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics series: Ethan Kaplan and Haishan Yuan, Early Voting Laws, Voter Turnout, and Partisan Vote Composition: Evidence from Ohio We estimate effects of early voting on… Continue reading

“Suit on ex-offender voting filed in close-divided N Carolina”

December 30, 2019, 1:03 pmpolitical equalityJustin Levitt

The AP covers a lawsuit, filed in November under the state constitution, challenging disenfranchisement after incarceration, for terms of probation or parole or until payment of fines and fees. The case documents are here (the early-December amended complaint is… Continue reading

The long arm of Gill

July 19, 2019, 10:38 amelection law and constitutional law, political equality, redistrictingJustin Levitt

Mississippi cites Gill v. Whitford in contesting challengers’ standing to contest the requirement that statewide candidates win both a majority of the state and a majority of state house districts. And the Court’s refusal to recognize that redistricting problems are … Continue reading

“Can a racially gerrymandered legislature amend the N.C. constitution?”

July 19, 2019, 10:37 ampolitical equality, redistrictingJustin Levitt

Facing South on the lawsuits challenging the validity of amendments to the state constitution because they were passed by a legislature elected via unlawful district lines.