Monthly Archives: January 2014

“Anonymous pre-election hit piece on Horne was legal, attorneys argue”

January 22, 2014, 11:25 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Arizona Daily Star: “A lawyer for the Democratic Attorneys General Association told the state Court of Appeals Tuesday that organizations have a constitutional right to run what amounts to anonymous “hit pieces” on candidates right before the election.” (h/t… Continue reading

“Should politicians have the right to lie? U.S. Supreme Court could decide in Ohio case”

January 22, 2014, 10:05 amcampaignsRick Hasen

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Put Jonathan Bernstein in the “Naysayer” Category on Bauer-Ginsberg

January 22, 2014, 10:02 amelection administration, PCEA (Bauer-Ginsberg Commission), The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Do we really want to make elections better? I remain a pessimist about this. To the extent that states want to make it easy for everyone to vote and are willing to devote the resources to achieve that, it’s great… Continue reading

“Voter Fraud Is ‘Rare,’ Presidential Election Commission Finds”

January 22, 2014, 9:14 amPCEA (Bauer-Ginsberg Commission), The Voting WarsRick Hasen

TPM reports.

“Inside the ‘Lines Commission,’ an Answer for Elections?”

January 22, 2014, 9:12 amPCEA (Bauer-Ginsberg Commission)Rick Hasen

Jeff Toobin inside the Bauer-Ginsberg Commission.

“The Forgotten Law of Lobbying”

January 22, 2014, 9:11 amlobbyingRick Hasen

Zephyr Teachout has posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: For most of American history, until the 1950s, courts treated paid lobbying as a civic wrong, not a protected First Amendment right. Lobbying was presumptively against public policy,… Continue reading

“Cornyn opposes bipartisan plan to revive Voting Rights Act”

January 22, 2014, 9:10 amVRAARick Hasen

This is a big deal. I have not yet heard of a single Republican Senator who has so far endorsed the VRAA (never mind the problems in the House).

Seven of the Most Important Achievements of the Presidential Commission on Election Reform

January 22, 2014, 8:33 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

The Commission’s report is one of the most effective and credible documents on meaningful voting reform issued in many years. I attribute much of that effectiveness to the original decision of how to design the Commission itself. It was not… Continue reading

At GW Today: Briefing by Presidential Commission Co-Chairs

January 22, 2014, 8:27 amelection administration, PCEA (Bauer-Ginsberg Commission), UncategorizedSpencer Overton

Moments ago, the Presidential Commission on Election Administration released its report, which is here. We’ve already got thoughts from Rick Hasen, Heather Gerken, and Rick Pildes. At 2:30 pm ET today, immediately after meeting with President… Continue reading

Don’t Listen to the Naysayers – This Report is Important, and It’s Going to Matter

January 22, 2014, 8:04 amPCEA (Bauer-Ginsberg Commission)Heather Gerken

The President’s Commission on Election Administration just released its report, and it offers something we don’t often see in policymaking circles these days: sanity. The report provides a knowledgeable, balanced overview of what ails our system, and its recommendations are… Continue reading

Presidential Commission on Election Administration (Bauer-Ginsberg) Releases Its Report: Some Initial Thoughts

January 22, 2014, 7:45 amelection administration, PCEA (Bauer-Ginsberg Commission), The Voting Wars, votingRick Hasen

The Presidential Commission on Election Administration, headed by Democratic lawyer Bob Bauer and Republican lawyer Ben Ginsberg, and staffed by senior research director Stanford’s Nate Persily, is meeting with President Obama today and releasing its report to… Continue reading

“Rumors of Our Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated: EAC Responds on Proof-of-Citizenship Issue”

January 22, 2014, 7:19 amelection administration, Election Assistance Commission, NVRA (motor voter), The Voting Wars, voter registrationRick Hasen

Doug Chapin blogs.

“Fraud, voter ID part of GOP candidate’s focus”

January 21, 2014, 8:41 pmelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Quad City Times: “Paul Pate, a Republican candidate for Iowa secretary of state, said Tuesday he plans to keep the focus on combating voter fraud and working for a bipartisan solution for beefing up voter ID efforts at the… Continue reading