Monthly Archives: April 2017
“Why This Woman Who Cast An Illegal Vote For Donald Trump Is Getting A Pass For Voter Fraud”
Sam Levine for HuffPost.
“Obama’s call to service isn’t enough: The problem with American democracy is structural, and he knows it”
David Daley for NYDN.
“Should ‘Dark’ Money Power the Resistance to Trump?”
Eliza Newlin Carney for TAP:
Watchdogs have faulted the IRS for failing to put the brakes on political spending by tax-exempt groups, which operate outside the disclosure rules. Technically, 501(c)(4) social welfare groups may not focus on politics as their… Continue reading
“The Chosen One: Thoughts on a Better, Fairer, and Smarter Way to Choose Presidential Nominees”
Brennan Center:
Although the 2016 presidential primaries garnered profound dissatisfaction with the nomination process, leading to widespread accusations of unfairness within both parties, most voters will forget our current system’s issues until the 2020 election. But in a new paper,… Continue reading
“Klobuchar & Hirono Probe Thapar on Money in Politics”
PAW:
One of the several concerns that have been raised about Sixth Circuit nominee Amul Thapar centers on a case in which he used a severely flawed First Amendment analysis to strike down Kentucky’s ban on state judicial candidates contributing… Continue reading
Drain the Swamp Dep’t: “Spending on lobbying approached $1 billion in first quarter, highest in 5 years”
WaPo:
Industries from around the world spent nearly $1 billion to lobby the federal government during the first quarter of this year, according to a new analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics — the highest in five years.
The… Continue reading
“Recent rulings that Texas’ voting laws discriminate put pressure on the state, but the road ahead is long”
NC: “DA won’t prosecute woman who followed mom’s ‘dying wish’ and cast illegal vote for Trump”
You can bet that if this were an African-American woman voting for Clinton, the DA would have prosecuted or been called “soft” on voter fraud.
“Redistricting by Formula: An Ohio Reform Experiment”
Micah Altman and Michael McDonald in American Politics Research:
In the last decade, Ohio reformers advocated redistricting by formula: selecting the redistricting plan that scores best on a predefined objective scoring function that combines prima facie neutral criteria with political… Continue reading
“The Complicated Partisan Effects of State Election Laws”
Burden, Canon, Mayer, and Moynihan in Political Research Quarterly:
Conventional political wisdom holds that policies that make voting easier will increase turnout and ultimately benefit Democratic candidates. We challenge this assumption, questioning the ability of party strategists to predict which… Continue reading
Millions Spent on Soda Tax Fight in Santa Fe, NM
Albuquerque Journal:
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has made a $400,000 cash donation to the political committee supporting the proposed tax on sugary beverages in Santa Fe, bringing his investment in the effort to more than $1.13 million.… Continue reading
“Colorado secretary of state on 2016 Electoral College vote: ‘They’re investigating’”
Free Speech for People, Prof John Coates File Complaint Against CITGO Contributions to Trump Inaugural Committee
Watchdog group Free Speech For People, joined by Harvard Law Professor John Coates, just filed an FEC complaint against Citgo and the Trump inaugural committee alleging that federal law prohibits “foreign nationals” from donating to presidential inaugural committees.
Read the … Continue reading