Monthly Archives: March 2016
“Republicans Have a Stake in Making a Deal on a Supreme Court Justice”
James Stewart NYT column:
So the question for the Republican Senate leadership now and over the next few months, as the likely outcome becomes even clearer, is stark: Would they prefer an Obama nominee who is expected to be… Continue reading
“L.A. County D.A.’s corruption case against three Irwindale officials is dismissed”
LAT:
The D.A.’s Public Integrity Division has racked up big wins in its 15-year history, including convictions of seven officials in the Bell salary scandal and Los Angeles City Commissioner Leland Wong for bribery. But last week’s dismissal marked… Continue reading
“Corporate Political Spending Becomes Compliance Issue”
“Secretary Pate Applauds Iowa Senate on Passage of Voting Age Bill, Encourages House Members to Support”
News from Iowa: “Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate supports the Iowa Senate bill that would allow 17-year-olds to participate in primary elections, if they will be 18 by the date of that year’s general election. Pate, Iowa’s Commissioner of… Continue reading
“Is This The End of Big-Money Politics?”
No, says Jane Mayer in the New Yorker.
Congrats to Liz Kennedy
She’s moving from Demos to the Center for American Progress, to work on democracy issues.
“The History of Voter ID Laws and the Story of Crawford v. Marion County Election Board”
Josh Douglas has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, Election Law Stories). Here is the abstract:
Voter ID has become one of the biggest hot-button issues in American politics. Everyone accepts that this issue is a major battleground. Yet where… Continue reading
Lede of the Day
Benjy Sarlin:
Donald Trump’s rivals and Fox News’ debate moderators laid out a clear and factual case on Thursday that Trump’s policies were unworkable; that he regularly shifted his positions; and that he had engaged in business practices he… Continue reading
“California voters could finally weigh in on ‘Citizens United’ in November”
LAT:
California voters will likely weigh in this November on the explosion of money in politics, through an advisory measure that the Legislature now has legal permission to place on the statewide ballot.
A quartet of state senators submitted language… Continue reading
“Cleveland seeking to buy riot gear for Republican National Convention”
Are they more likely to need it outside or inside the arena?
“Election Officials Help North Carolina Voters Tackle Confusing Voter ID Laws”
“Fewer Democrats Are Voting This Year In (Surprise!) States With Strict New Voter Laws”
HuffPost reports.
I’d be VERY wary of drawing conclusions from differentials in Democratic turnout in these states. Consider Texas, for example: Democratic turnout could be down because Clinton and Sanders did not put a lot of resources into that state… Continue reading
“Quadratic Election Law”
Eric Posner and Nick Stephanopoulos have posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract:
The standard form of electoral system in the United States—plurality voting with one person, one vote—suffers from countless defects, most of which stem from its… Continue reading