Heather Gerken has posted A Third Way for the Voting Rights Act: Section 5 and the Opt-In Approach on SSRN. Here is the abstract: One of the most powerful and intrusive civil-rights provisions ever passed – Section 5 of the… Continue reading

Miriam Galston has a new draft paper on SSRN, 527 Groups and Campaign Finance: The Language, Logic, and Landscape of Campaign Finance Regulation. Here is the abstract: In 2004 the country witnessed the first presidential election since the passage… Continue reading

See here.

The Washington Post offers this report in its Maryland section.

I was in my car (again, such is life in Los Angeles), and I just heard an exchange between Senator Brownback and Judge Roberts. (I don’t have a transcript to link to yet.) The senator’s question was the familiar one… Continue reading

You can find the transcript of the exchange here. Judge Roberts apparently was not aware of cases upholding the constitutionality of section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, and I don’t read his comments as precluding a holding of… Continue reading

You can find the agenda for this conference at South Carolina Law School on October 21. I’ll be there talking about congressional power to renew section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

The Kansas City Star offers this report, which begins: “Tucked in the depths of a 438-page congressional appropriations bill lies the first major legislative threat to the campaign finance reform law that passed in 2002.”

A.P. offers this report, which begins: “A key supporter of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s redistricting measure announced plans Tuesday to form an independent, nonpartisan campaign supporting Proposition 77 – largely over fears the measure will fail if tied directly to… Continue reading

The Los Angeles Times offers this report.

See this report from Louisiana, which begins: “Hurricane Katrina has forced an indefinite postponement of the fall elections in Orleans and Jefferson parishes, the Louisiana secretary of state’s office said Tuesday.” Thanks to Political Wire for the pointer.

Ned Foley writes this commentary on the OSU Election Law website.

You can find details about the report, including how to read it online without charge, here at Election Updates (Alvarez and Hall).

You can find more of my thoughts on why Judge Roberts’ answers to the Senators on the Voting Rights Act were disappointing here and here (election law listserv).