Monthly Archives: July 2017

New Details on December Hack of U.S. Election Assistance Comm’n, as House Republicans Try to Shut It Down

July 17, 2017, 9:27 pmElection Assistance Commission, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

WSJ: The hack appeared to include a breach of the EAC’s administrative-access credentials as well as access to nonpublic reports on flaws in voting machines, according to Andrei Barysevich, an analyst with cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. Access to the reports… Continue reading

John Fortier Interviews Michael Chertoff About Voter Registration Data and Election Security

July 17, 2017, 12:51 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

Watch.

Mississippi Law Journal Symposium on the Voting Rights Act

July 17, 2017, 12:03 pmpedagogyRick Hasen

85 MISSISSIPPI LAW JOURNAL, NO. 6, PP. 1039-1478, 2017. Voting Rights Act Symposium. 85 Miss. L.J. 1039-1393 (2017). [H]|[L]|[W] George C. Cochran. Foreword. 85 Miss. L.J. 1039-1046 (2017). [H]|[L]|[W… Continue reading

“Can Federalism Cope with Russian Election Meddling?”

July 17, 2017, 12:00 pmelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Ciara Torres-Spelliscy blogs.

“The 2016 U.S. Voting Wars: From Bad to Worse”

July 17, 2017, 8:39 amchicanery, election administration, Supreme Court, The Voting Wars, Voting Rights Act, voting technologyRick Hasen

I have posted this new draft on SSRN (for the pre-APSA event, Protecting Electoral Security and Voting Rights: The 2016 U.S. Elections in Comparative Perspective). Here is the abstract: If the “voting wars” which have broken out across the… Continue reading

New Research: Election Litigation in 2016 Season Up 23 Percent Over 2012

July 17, 2017, 8:29 amelection administration, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

As I noted in my New York Times piece this weekend, Since 2005, I have tracked the rate of election litigation, which tells us how often plaintiffs go to court to fight over election rules. My latest research demonstrates… Continue reading

“A Supreme Court mystery: Has Roberts embraced same-sex marriage ruling?”

July 17, 2017, 8:15 amSupreme CourtRick Hasen

Bob Barnes for WaPo: A Supreme Court mystery: Has Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. embraced the court’s same-sex marriage decision that he so passionately protested two years ago? The “does-he-doesn’t-he” question is prompted by a case that the court… Continue reading

“Republicans Keep Corporate Lobbying Secret By Adding Riders To Spending Bills”

July 17, 2017, 8:09 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

IBT: In the waning years of the Obama presidency, Democratic lawmakers and good-government groups seemed optimistic that the administration would enact rules forcing companies to disclose more of their political spending. Despite Obama’s stated support for increased transparency in political… Continue reading

“Outgoing Ethics Chief: U.S. Is ‘Close to a Laughingstock’”

July 17, 2017, 8:01 amconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

NYT: Actions by President Trump and his administration have created a historic ethics crisis, the departing head of the Office of Government Ethics said. He called for major changes in federal law to expand the power and reach of the… Continue reading

“Colorado secretary of state tells Trump election commission it is looking in the wrong place, suggests another data source”

July 16, 2017, 4:59 pmThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

Denver Post: Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams told the Trump administration in a letter dated Friday that the state’s election system works well and that a blanket request for voter information isn’t an effective way to seek out fraud.… Continue reading

Pence-Kobach Commission Slated to Devote Only One Hour of 1st Meeting to Discuss “Possible Topics for Commission” to Address; No Expert Testimony

July 16, 2017, 4:37 pmfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Agenda for July 19 meeting.

Will Trump Jr’s Ignorance of Campaign Finance Law Let Him Off The Hook? What About Manafort?

July 16, 2017, 10:47 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Andy Grewal makes a careful and good case that based on what we know, there might not be enough wilfulness on the part of Donald Trump Jr. for him to be criminally prosecuted. This is an important point and much… Continue reading

“NRCC blows off DCCC request to team up against foreign hackers”

July 16, 2017, 10:33 amThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

Weigel: The National Republican Congressional Committee dismissed as a “political stunt” a letter from its counterpart, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, asking for the two parties to team up on combating hacking ahead of the 2018 election. “This letter was… Continue reading

“Head Of Trump Voter Fraud Probe Wanted To Change Law To Make Registering More Difficult”

July 16, 2017, 8:22 amfraudulent fraud squad, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

HuffPo: Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R), the official leading President Donald Trump’s voter fraud probe, apparently sought to amend federal voting law to make it possible to require proof of citizenship during the voter registration process, according… Continue reading