Monthly Archives: August 2012

“As Republican convention emphasizes diversity, racial incidents intrude”

August 29, 2012, 9:43 pmpolitical parties, voting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

WaPo reports. An important snippet: A new Post poll put the difference between the two parties’ perception of minority voters on stark display. Respondents were asked an open-ended question: Why do most black voters so consistently support Democrats? Though… Continue reading

“Military absentee voting looks weak this year”

August 29, 2012, 5:07 pmabsentee ballots, election administration, The Voting Wars, voter registrationRick Hasen

CNN reports. While there is some dispute between military voting rights groups and the Pentagon over the precise numbers, there is no question that voter registration among overseas military voters is abysmally low, and (as I write in Chapter 6… Continue reading

President Obama Answers Question on Campaign Finance

August 29, 2012, 2:37 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

via Reddit: QUESTION: What are you going to do to end the corrupting influence of money in politics during your second term? OBAMA: Money has always been a factor in politics, but we are seeing something new in the… Continue reading

About that Absentee Ballot Fraud Down in Florida…

August 29, 2012, 2:24 pmabsentee ballots, election administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Paul Gronke cautions us to be careful with our terminology and to take at close look a the facts.

“High Above Tampa, Foley & Lardner Honors Election Lawyer Mitchell”

August 29, 2012, 1:45 pmelection law bizRick Hasen

BLT reports.

“Latest Court Disclosure Challenge Opposed by Campaign Legal Center”

August 29, 2012, 1:19 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Press release: “The Campaign Legal Center today submitted an amicus brief in opposition to the latest attempt by outside groups to gut existing disclosure laws in a case brought by the Hispanic Leadership Fund (HLF) against the Federal Election… Continue reading

Judge Posner Tour De Force Takes Down Justice Scalia’s Textualism

August 29, 2012, 12:53 pmlegislation and legislatures, statutory interpretationRick Hasen

If you read one response to Justice Scalia’s new book (with Bryan Garner), read this devastating review in The New Republic. Aside from the merits of the review, it seems to escalate an increasing public tension between Judge Posner and… Continue reading

CNN Documentary, “Voters in America: Who Counts?,” to Air Oct. 14

August 29, 2012, 12:23 pmelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

You can watch the trailer here. Very much looking forward to this.

“Suspected Ineligible Colo. Voters to Learn Status”

August 29, 2012, 12:14 pmelection administration, The Voting Wars, voter registrationRick Hasen

AP: “People who received letters questioning their citizenship and right to vote will learn Wednesday what steps Colorado election officials plan next in the battleground state where every vote can be critical in close races. Some of the nearly… Continue reading

“Wisconsin To Allow Electronic Documents For Election Day Voter Registration”

August 29, 2012, 12:12 pmelection administration, The Voting Wars, voter registrationRick Hasen

AlterNet reports. And there’s this: Also noteworthy were remarks by GAB Executive Director Kevin Kennedy saying that partisan poll watchers would not be allowed to look at the documents being presented. “Observers are there to observe the process,” he… Continue reading

“Romney Party Yacht Flies Cayman Islands Flag”

August 29, 2012, 11:47 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

ABC News: “Gov. Mitt Romney’s campaign toasted its top donors Wednesday aboard a 150-foot yacht flying the flag of the Cayman Islands. The floating party, hosted by a Florida developer on his yacht ‘Cracker Bay,’ was one of a dozen… Continue reading

“Process Failure and Transparency Reform in Local Redistricting: Harnessing the Power of 21st-Century Technologies to Fix 19th-Century Democracies”

August 29, 2012, 11:35 amcitizen commissions, redistrictingRick Hasen

Michael Halberstam has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, Election Law Journal). Here is the abstract: Redistricting reform during this cycle has pushed for greater transparency in redistricting, more public participation, the removal of redistricting from the hands of legislatures,… Continue reading

“GOP Platform Calls for Nuking What’s Left of McCain-Feingold Law”

August 29, 2012, 11:30 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Andy Kroll reports for Mother Jones.

The Most Important FL Law Which Could Impact Democratic Voter Turnout is Now Permanently Gone

August 29, 2012, 11:16 amelection administration, The Voting Wars, voter registrationRick Hasen

I have been telling reporters for months that the law I thought was having the biggest impact on voter turnout is Florida’s new law curtailing voter registration drives by third party groups like the League of Women Voters. However, this … Continue reading