Monthly Archives: July 2018

“Alabama expanding voter fraud probe in Black Belt”

July 30, 2018, 8:31 amelection administrationRick Hasen

AL.com: The Alabama Secretary of State’s probe into absentee voting irregularities during the July 17 primary runoff could be expanded to include more Black Belt counties. Secretary of State John Merrill said that Wilcox and Perry counties, initially named last … Continue reading

“Texas Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Releases Advisory Memorandum on Voting Rights in Texas”

July 30, 2018, 8:10 amThe Voting Wars, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Release via email: The Texas Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has issued an Advisory Memorandum examining potential barriers to voting in Texas that may have a discriminatory impact on voters based on race, color, sex, disability… Continue reading

“Liberal secret-money network hammers House GOP”

July 30, 2018, 8:08 amcampaign finance, campaigns, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

Politico: A network of secret-money nonprofit groups has spent millions of dollars attacking swing-seat House Republicans on health care and taxes, quietly becoming one of the biggest players in the 2018 political landscape. The groups have local members and names… Continue reading

“What’s Good for Democracy Is Also Good for Democrats”

July 29, 2018, 9:39 ampolitical polarizationRick Hasen

Adam Bonica NYT oped: Once again, the nation is on the cusp of a generational revolution. As a group, millennials favor Democrats by nearly a 2 to 1 margin. Millennials are unlikely to trend Republican as they age… Continue reading

“11th Circuit Hears NAACP Challenge to Alabama Voter ID Law”

July 29, 2018, 9:36 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Courthouse New Service reports.

“Despite Trump’s assurances, states struggling to protect 2020 election”

July 28, 2018, 3:04 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

Politico: President Donald Trump on Friday promised an intense, “whole-of-government” focus on securing the nation’s elections from cyberattacks — but a POLITICO survey of states finds ample reasons to worry about both this year’s midterms and 2020. Only 14 states… Continue reading

“Liberal activists embrace ‘dark money’ in Supreme Court fight”

July 27, 2018, 8:49 pmSupreme CourtRick Hasen

WaPo: Liberal activists, who were dramatically outspent in their last fight to fend off President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, are embracing a tactic that has been a mainstay of the conservative political playbook: tapping a war chest financed by unidentified… Continue reading

“The Stealth Campaign to Kill Off Obamacare”

July 27, 2018, 8:39 pmtax law and election lawRick Hasen

NYT: In 2010, before the Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress, the pharmaceutical industry’s top lobbying group was a very public supporter of the measure. It even helped fund a multimillion-dollar TV ad campaignbacking passage of the law.… Continue reading

“Companies must align political contributions with core values”

July 27, 2018, 8:36 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Daniel Bross and Bruce Freed SF Chronicle oped: The Center for Political Accountability’s new study, “Collision Course: The Risks Companies Face When Their Political Spending and Core Values Conflict and How to Address Them,” argues that when companies… Continue reading

“Possible new election twist for voters who want to rank more than 3 choices: Try 10”

July 27, 2018, 7:35 pmalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

The SF Chronicle reports.

“Voter system glitch let 11,000 non-citizens register in Pennsylvania”

July 27, 2018, 4:38 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

Philly Inquirer: More than 11,000 non-citizens who weren’t eligible to register to vote in Pennsylvania since the mid-1990s inadvertently registered because of an oversight in the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s motor-voter system, a State Department analysis revealed. The thousands of… Continue reading

“Trump admin has no central strategy for election security, and no one’s in charge”

July 27, 2018, 2:55 pmchicanery, election administrationRick Hasen

NBC News: After nearly two years of calling Russian election interference a hoax and its investigation a witch hunt, on Friday afternoon President Donald Trump is scheduled to preside over the first National Security Council meeting devoted to defending American… Continue reading

None of the Six Republican Candidates for Kansas Secretary of State Sees Voter Fraud as a Major Problem (as SOS Kobach Has Falsely Claimed)

July 27, 2018, 2:20 pmelection administration, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Interesting contrast: The candidates largely agreed that voter fraud is not a systemic issue but committed themselves to enforcing the state’s election laws. They also said they want to focus on improving the less-talked-about administrative side of the office, such… Continue reading

Oklahoma Law Review Symposium: “Falsehoods, Fake News, and the First Amendment”

July 27, 2018, 2:11 pmcampaignsRick Hasen

This definitely looks worth diving into soon: Volume 71, Number 1 (2018) Symposium: Falsehoods, Fake News, and the First Amendment PDF Editor’s Introduction Mitchell B. Bryant Panel 1: Falsehoods and the First Amendment PDF False Speech and the First Amendment… Continue reading