Monthly Archives: October 2019

“Odd markings, ellipses fuel doubts about the rough transcript of Trump’s Ukraine call”

October 3, 2019, 8:39 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

WaPo: But the whistleblower complaint that spurred the investigation described an “official word-for-word transcript” of the call — words closely matching the ones used by Trump on Wednesday — creating uncertainty about what was included in the document the… Continue reading

“Alabama governor appoints elections official with voter fraud history”

October 3, 2019, 8:28 amchicaneryRick Hasen

AP reports.

“How to Get Away With Gerrymandering”

October 2, 2019, 10:24 amredistrictingRick Hasen

David Daley: Luxury cabanas atop Austin’s JW Marriott kept state legislators cool poolside as August-in-Texas temperatures soared above 103 degrees during each day of the American Legislative Exchange Council’s 2019 annual meeting. The gathered Republican officials could enjoy a $14… Continue reading

“California isn’t doing enough to verify citizenship while registering voters, lawsuit says”

October 2, 2019, 7:08 amelection administrationRick Hasen

SacBee: A Republican attorney filed a lawsuit on Tuesday demanding that two California agencies develop a better system to verify the citizenship of people who register to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles.In the lawsuit filed in the U.S.… Continue reading

“Barr personally asked foreign officials to aid inquiry into CIA, FBI activities in 2016”

October 1, 2019, 9:35 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Washington Post: Attorney General William P. Barr has held private meetings overseas with foreign intelligence officials seeking their help in a Justice Department inquiry that President Trump hopes will discredit U.S. intelligence agencies’ examination of possible connections between Russia and… Continue reading

“With Sanctions on Russians, U.S. Warns Against Foreign Election Meddling”

October 1, 2019, 9:30 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: The United States issued new economic sanctions on Monday against seven Russians linked to an internet troll factory in what Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called a warning to foreigners who seek to interfere in American elections.The penalties were… Continue reading

“RNC solicited money for Trump’s reelection with forms that look a lot like the official census”

October 1, 2019, 9:26 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

WaPo: Officials in Montana are warning residents for the second time this year about surveys sent by the Republican National Committee that mimic the look of federal census forms, with the goal of soliciting money for President Trump’s reelection campaign.The… Continue reading

Idaho Law Review Election Law Symposium: Call for Papers

October 1, 2019, 9:17 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

The Idaho Law Review is pleased to announce a Call for Papers for a special symposium volume entitled “Democracy Evolved: The Future of American Elections.” In 1870, the 15th Amendment was ratified, formally prohibiting vote denial on the basis of race. In… Continue reading

“Watchdog Allowed to Sue on Donor Disclosure After FEC Won’t Act”

October 1, 2019, 6:31 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Bloomberg: A federal judge eased the way for watchdog groups to bypass a gridlocked Federal Election Commission in a decision allowing a lawsuit seeking to unmask secret donors to a major Republican campaign spending organization.Federal District Judge Christopher Cooper said… Continue reading

Iowa: “Judge upholds voter ID, strikes parts of 2017 voting law”

October 1, 2019, 6:22 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

AP: An Iowa judge has upheld voter ID as allowable under the Iowa Constitution but struck down as unconstitutional portions of a 2017 voting reform law challenged by a Hispanic civil rights group and an Iowa State University student.

Federal District Court Enjoins California Requirement that Presidential Primary Candidates Release Tax Returns, Finding Measure Likely Unconstitutional and Preempted by Federal Law

October 1, 2019, 6:04 pmcampaignsRick Hasen

You can find the court’s rather cursory discussion of the issues in this opinion (via BAN). I expect this will now go on appeal to the Ninth Circuit, which could well reverse, and to the Supreme Court, which I… Continue reading

FEC Commissioner Hunter Responds to FEC Chair Weintraub’s Attempt to Put Foreign Interference Draft in FEC Digest, Confirms FEC Foreign Contribution Ban (Without Opinion on Whether Opposition Research is a Thing of Value)

October 1, 2019, 5:50 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Statement: Late last week, my colleague, Ellen Weintraub, unilaterally and without advance notice, made public a draft interpretative rule regarding the Act’s foreign national ban and placed it on the agenda for the open meeting of October 17, 2019. Approval… Continue reading

“The Impact of Partisan Gerrymandering”

October 1, 2019, 5:45 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Alex Tausanovitch for CAP.

“Mark Meadows and the Undisclosed Dinosaur Property”

October 1, 2019, 5:42 pmconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

New Yorker: Three years ago, the North Carolina congressman Mark Meadows sold a hundred-and-thirty-four-acre property in Dinosaur, Colorado. The buyer was Answers in Genesis, a Christian nonprofit based in Kentucky, which was founded by the Australian creationist Ken Ham. Answers… Continue reading