Monthly Archives: July 2017

“The Geography of Campaign Finance Law”

July 28, 2017, 1:43 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

David Fontana has posted this draft on SSRN (Southern California Law Review). Here is the abstract: Constitutional law is committed to a principle of geographic self-government: congressional districts and states are separately located and entitled to select different officials to… Continue reading

Wisconsin Files Its Opening Brief on the Merits in Supreme Court Partisan Gerrymandering Case

July 28, 2017, 1:39 pmredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Read it here.

“Kris Kobach says Trump’s voter fraud panel will keep voter data secure. Some states aren’t buying it”

July 28, 2017, 8:16 amfraudulent fraud squad, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

LAT reports.

“‘You don’t seem serious,’ federal judge tells NC legislative leaders about redistricting efforts”

July 28, 2017, 8:11 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

News & Observer: Federal judges had pointed questions and comments Thursday for the lawyer representing North Carolina lawmakers who have not yet complied with the panel’s order to draw new districts for electing General Assembly members. The judges want the… Continue reading

“Partisan Gerrymandering and the Illusion of Unfairness”

July 28, 2017, 8:07 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Jacob Eisler has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, Catholic Law Review). Here is the abstract: Partisan gerrymandering is frequently condemned for distorting democracy and causing unfair representation, and many reformers have called upon federal courts to prohibit the practice.… Continue reading

“How Oregon Increased Voter Turnout More Than Any Other State”

July 28, 2017, 8:02 amelection administration, voter registrationRick Hasen

The Nation: Recently, policy-makers have begun examining automatic voter registration (AVR). It has generated a lot of excitement, and rightly so. New research from Demos examines the effects of Oregon’s recent adoption of AVR on the level and composition of… Continue reading

CA: “DA: Hackers Penetrated Voter Registrations in 2016 Through State’s Election Site”

July 28, 2017, 8:00 amchicanery, election administrationRick Hasen

KQED: Hackers successfully penetrated state-run online voter registration systems in 2016, triggering confusion and heated exchanges between voters, poll workers and poll watchers during California’s June 7 primary, Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin said Friday. “I think that pretty… Continue reading

“Steve Bannon has a shadow press office. It may violate federal law.”

July 28, 2017, 7:57 amconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

CPI: In an arrangement prominent ethics experts say is without precedent and potentially illegal, the White House is referring questions for senior presidential adviser Stephen K. Bannon to an outside public relations agent whose firm says she is working for… Continue reading

Tam Cho on the Efficiency Gap

July 28, 2017, 7:55 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Important piece at the University of Pennsylvania Law Review Online by Wendy Tam Cho on the “efficiency gap,” at the centerpiece of the Wisconsin redistricting case. It begins: The efficiency gap has recently been touted as a general partisan fairness… Continue reading

“Don’t Let Our Democracy Collapse: A Q&A with Richard Hasen”

July 27, 2017, 10:07 amThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

Interview over at FairVote.

“Pence’s voter fraud commission will almost certainly ‘find’ thousands of duplicate registrations that aren’t duplicates. Here’s why”

July 27, 2017, 7:16 amfraudulent fraud squad, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Stephen Pettigrew and Mayya Komisarchik for the Monkey Cage: Presumably, the commission will use the names and birthdays in these lists to identify potential duplicate registration records between states. That’s the method used by the Interstate Crosscheck Program pioneered… Continue reading

“The way out of partisan gerrymandering”

July 27, 2017, 6:46 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Christian Century editorial.

New Texas Bill Aimed at Absentee Ballot Fraud Could Violate First Amendment By Criminalizing Some Discussions of Candidates

July 26, 2017, 7:17 pmabsentee ballots, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

I’ve said for years that if Republicans were serious about combatting voter fraud, at the top of the list would be measures to stop absentee ballot fraud. Voter fraud is rare, but when it does happen, it more often involves… Continue reading

“GOP mapmaker behind NC’s illegal gerrymanders back at the drawing table again”

July 26, 2017, 6:49 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

News and Observer: Republican leaders have tapped a familiar consultant to help with the drawing of new districts for electing General Assembly members after maps he drew six years ago were found by the federal courts to include illegal racial… Continue reading