Monthly Archives: May 2019

“Rudy Giuliani Cancels His Trip to Ukraine, Blaming Democrats’ ‘Spin’”

May 12, 2019, 8:29 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: Facing withering attacks accusing him of seeking foreign assistance for President Trump’s re-election campaign, Rudolph W. Giuliani announced on Friday night that he had canceled a trip to Kiev in which he planned to push the incoming Ukrainian government… Continue reading

“Minor parties bristle at Democratic meddling under ‘fusion’ loopholes”

May 12, 2019, 1:06 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

The Buffalo News reports.

“Voter-Determined Districts: Ending Gerrymandering and Ensuring Fair Representation”

May 11, 2019, 8:27 amredistrictingRick Hasen

New CAP report from Alex Tausanovitch: Introduction and summaryFrom 2012 to 2016, the people of Michigan cast more than 50 percent of their ballots for Democratic Party legislative candidates. They voted for Democrats 52 percent of the time for… Continue reading

“Ohio, Michigan legislators seek partisan-gerrymandering stays”

May 11, 2019, 8:25 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

SCOTUSBlog: At the end of March, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in two cases challenging federal congressional districts in North Carolina and Maryland as the product of unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering. A key question in both cases was whether courts… Continue reading

“Ex-Fugees rapper charged in campaign finance conspiracy case”

May 11, 2019, 8:23 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

AP: One of the founding members of the 1990s hip-hop group the Fugees has been charged in a campaign finance conspiracy that took place during the 2012 presidential election, the Justice Department said Friday.A four-count indictment accuses Prakazrel “Pras”… Continue reading

North Carolina: “State Board of Elections to oust executive director”

May 10, 2019, 8:54 amelection law bizRick Hasen

WRAL: The state’s new Democratically controlled Board of Elections will move to oust its longtime executive director, a Republican appointee, next week.Kim Strach, originally appointed by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory in 2013, has technically been on borrowed time… Continue reading

“Kamala Harris says voter suppression kept Stacey Abrams, Andrew Gillum out of office. Really?”

May 10, 2019, 7:49 amThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

Politifact: In a speech to the NAACP, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris called for changing election laws to “fight back against those Republicans who suppress our constitutional right to vote.”Harris, a U.S. senator from California, pointed to the outcome… Continue reading

“Feds open foreign-money investigation into Trump donor Cindy Yang”

May 10, 2019, 7:39 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Miami Herald: The FBI has opened a public corruption investigation into Republican donor and South Florida massage-parlor entrepreneur Li “Cindy” Yang, focusing on whether she illegally funneled money from China into the president’s re-election effort or committed other… Continue reading

“South Dakota Out-of-State Donor Ban Ruled Unconstitutional”

May 9, 2019, 2:36 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Release via email: A federal judge has ruled unconstitutional South Dakota Initiated Measure 24, a state law which would have banned Americans from other states from contributing to ballot measure campaigns in South Dakota. The Institute for Free Speech and… Continue reading

“Federal Election Commission Lays Bare Internal Conflicts and Challenges in Letters to Congress”

May 9, 2019, 2:33 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

CPI: The Federal Election Commission’s four leaders are offering lawmakers clashing perspectives on the agency’s very purpose.The FEC’s greatest challenge to fulfilling its mission is a misperception that “adherence to the rule of law and sensitivity to Americans’ First… Continue reading

“NOT REAL NEWS: Texas bill won’t ban van pools to polls”

May 9, 2019, 2:23 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

AP: A proposed Texas Senate bill does not prohibit drivers from transporting groups of “elderly, disabled or poor” to the polls to vote as social media posts shared widely suggest.The false claims, which have been shared thousands of times… Continue reading

Steve Mazie on the Ohio Partisan Gerrymandering Ruling

May 9, 2019, 10:40 amredistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Here at The Economist.

Today’s Must-Read: Linda Greenhouse: “The Supreme Court, the Census Case and the Truth: Will the justices be the administration’s enablers or form a firewall against its lies?”

May 9, 2019, 8:33 amcensus litigation, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Linda Greenhouse NYT column: But if the plaintiff states are going to lose, it seems to me that it matters greatly how they lose. What was depressing and even scary about the April 23 argument was the disingenuous lengths to… Continue reading