Monthly Archives: November 2015

“How the Timing of Elections Shapes Turnout, Election Outcomes, and Public Policy”

November 10, 2015, 4:42 pmvotingRick Hasen

Sarah Anzia for SSN: Media coverage of elections focuses on candidate personalities, horserace polling, campaign ads and soundbites, and even, at times, the issues – but almost never considers the timing of elections. Most people probably have not given any… Continue reading

Interesting Statement from FEC Commissioner Goodman on Role of Press in Presidential Debates

November 10, 2015, 4:40 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

An extensive 17-page concurring statement, which begins: On July 16, 2015, the Commission voted not to open a new rulemaking proposing stricter mandates on corporate debate sponsorship as proposed in a petition submitted by an organization called Level the… Continue reading

“2016’s ‘Missing Voters’ Can Be Found with Automatic Voter Registration”

November 10, 2015, 4:37 pmvotingRick Hasen

Liz Kennedy blogs at Demos. This time next year, the election of 2016 will be over and America will have chosen its next president. But how many Americans will have actually participated in making this decision? In the 2012 presidential… Continue reading

“FEC: Notable conservatives tied to nonprofit scofflaw”

November 10, 2015, 4:36 pmcampaign finance, federal election commission, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

CPI: Three notable conservatives — including a top fundraiser for Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio — are linked to a now-defunct “dark money” nonprofit group that failed to disclose several million dollars spent on candidate-related TV ads, according to… Continue reading

“Poll Watch: Overseas Elections Offer Warnings for U.S. Pollsters”

November 10, 2015, 7:57 amcampaignsRick Hasen

NYT: Pre-election polls in numerous countries this year have widely missed their marks, often by underestimating support for candidates on the ideological fringes. The polling failures in countries like Britain, Poland and Israel point to technical issues that could… Continue reading

“Judge criticizes proposed changes to GAB; Bill opens politics to corruption, he says”

November 10, 2015, 7:51 amelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Leader-Telegram: After serving on Wisconsin’s nonpartisan elections board for 6½ years, retired judge Thomas Barland of Eau Claire was succinct and direct in summing up his disappointment with the state Senate’s vote early Saturday morning to abolish the panel.… Continue reading

“Capital One Defends Garrett Donation Amid Anti-Gay Controversy”

November 10, 2015, 7:48 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Bloomberg: Capital One Financial Corp. is defending a donation to a Republican congressman facing a backlash over alleged anti-gay remarks, saying it bases political giving on business interests rather than social issues. In a letter explaining its financial support… Continue reading

“Rethinking the ‘One Person, One Vote’ Principle”

November 9, 2015, 8:27 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Charles Kelbley column for the Legal Intelligencer.

“LDF Deeply Mourns the Passing of Former Associate Director-Counsel and Former EEOC Chair Jacqueline Berrien”

November 9, 2015, 8:24 pmelection law bizRick Hasen

Very sad news. President Obama’s statement.

“Shirley Abrahamson drops legal effort to regain chief justice post”

November 9, 2015, 8:20 pmjudicial electionsRick Hasen

No surprise.

“Lamar Alexander Seeks Path to Change in Senate”

November 9, 2015, 7:31 pmlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

NYT: Nothing touches off a political war in the Senate like proposals to tinker with the arcane rules that govern the often creaky chamber. Talk of eliminating the filibuster is called the nuclear option for a reason. But Senator… Continue reading

“Non-U.S. Citizen Indicted For Voter Fraud In North Texas”

November 9, 2015, 4:23 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

CBS DFW reports. This is the first usage I’ve seen of “one citizen, one vote.” So do children, felons, and the mentally incompetent have the vote under this standard because they are citizens?

“Christie Vetoes Measure to Expand Early Voting in New Jersey”

November 9, 2015, 9:50 amelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Bloomberg: Republican Governor Chris Christie vetoed an overhaul of New Jersey’s voting procedures that Democrats and the League of Women Voters said would have increased turnout, according to Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto. The measure, dubbed the “The Democracy Act,” would… Continue reading

CCP Statement on Cert Denial in CCP v. Harris

November 9, 2015, 8:48 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Here: The Center for Competitive Politics (CCP), America’s largest nonprofit working to promote and defend First Amendment rights to free political speech, assembly, and petition, released the following statement concerning the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to review the… Continue reading