Monthly Archives: December 2016

CORRECTED: 4th Circuit Unanimously Rejects Challenge to VA Voter ID Law

December 14, 2016, 6:57 amelection administration, The Voting Wars, voter id, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

You can find the 37-page opinion at this link. It concludes: At bottom, just as Congress in HAVA found it beneficial to the voting process and the public perception of the voting process to require photo IDs, and just… Continue reading

“Menendez asks Supreme Court to hear case”

December 13, 2016, 8:44 pmbribery, chicanery, Speech or Debate Clause, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Josh Gerstein for Politico: Sen. Bob Menendez is asking the Supreme Court to consider his argument that federal bribery charges he is facing impermissibly intrude into a legislative activity protected by the Constitution’s speech-or-debate clause. In a petition submitted to… Continue reading

“Democratic House Candidates Were Also Targets of Russian Hacking”

December 13, 2016, 8:37 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: The impact of the information released by the hackers on candidates like Ms. Taddeo in Florida and others in nearly a dozen House races around the country was largely lost in the focus on the hacking attacks against … Continue reading

“NC Senate leader on legislature’s agenda this week: ‘There are a lot of things that are being talked about’”

December 13, 2016, 8:20 pmchicanery, judicial electionsRick Hasen

News and Observer: House Speaker Tim Moore says there is no plan to add two seats to the N.C. Supreme Court, and he said he’d be opposed to the change. “The only people discussing a Supreme Court bill are the… Continue reading

“Wisconsin: Another Statewide Recount with Minimal Shifts”

December 13, 2016, 8:03 pmelection administration, recountsRick Hasen

FairVote: In statewide recounts small changes between the initial and recounted totals are to be expected–however recounts rarely change the winner. Examining over two-dozen statewide recounts that have taken place since 2000, FairVote has shown that the average change in… Continue reading

“Registration deadlines left thousands of votes uncounted this year”

December 13, 2016, 7:59 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

WaPo reports.

“Records: Too many votes in 37% of Detroit’s precincts”

December 13, 2016, 5:25 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

More evidence election administration in Detroit is a national embarrassment: Voting machines in more than one-third of all Detroit precincts registered more votes than they should have during last month’s presidential election, according to Wayne County records prepared at the… Continue reading

“Is Sessions, Trump’s Attorney General Pick, Trying to Paper Over His Record?”

December 13, 2016, 2:36 pmDepartment of JusticeRick Hasen

Nice piece from Carrie Johnson for NPR: Sessions, 69, returned his questionnaire to the committee amid little fanfare late last Friday evening. The former U.S. Attorney and Attorney General for the state of Alabama dutifully listed his employment record. But… Continue reading

“The Perfect Weapon: How Russian Cyberpower Invaded the U.S.”

December 13, 2016, 2:33 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Must-read NYT on the hack of the DNC, etc.

Joshua Spivak on the Historical Origins of the Electoral College

December 13, 2016, 2:32 pmelectoral collegeRick Hasen

At CNBC: Once again, we have a popular vote loser taking the White House, and once again we have criticism and fights over the existence of the Electoral College. The reason for why we have the Electoral College is poorly… Continue reading

New Lawsuit Filed Against Public Financing in CA

December 13, 2016, 2:29 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Release: Today (12) Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and retired State Senator and Judge Quentin L. Kopp filed suit against Governor Brown and the Fair Political Practices Commission to invalidate a new law that would allow public funds to be… Continue reading

“Voter ID, FOIA legislation fall off Michigan’s lame duck agenda”

December 13, 2016, 10:12 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

MLive: House-passed changes to voter ID and FOIA laws will be left on the cutting room floor this lame-duck session, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive, confirmed. The House last week passed fast-moving bills that would… Continue reading

True the Vote: “Great Days are Ahead”

December 13, 2016, 7:46 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

The group expresses extreme optimism about what’s coming up from the Trump Administration in terms of making it harder to register and vote:

“RNC keeps close tabs on Electoral College vote; GOP effort makes sure Republican electors don’t go wobbly on Trump.”

December 13, 2016, 7:20 amcampaigns, electoral collegeRick Hasen

Politico: The Republican National Committee is overseeing an expansive whip operation designed to lock down Donald Trump’s Electoral College majority and ensure that the 306 Republican electors cast their votes for the president-elect. Two RNC sources familiar with the effort… Continue reading