Monthly Archives: January 2020

The presidential primary field narrows … but it’s also broader than you may realize

January 4, 2020, 9:43 amprimariesJustin Levitt

There’s been quite a bit of coverage on Julián Castro’s recent exit from the presidential race. On a comparatively slow (election) news day, your reminder that the FEC notes we’ve got plenty of options left: as of today, they list… Continue reading

We’re always in election season, example #927384

January 4, 2020, 9:42 amUncategorizedJustin Levitt

The City reports on what one attorney calls an “unusual electoral gauntlet”: Queens voters are being asked to head to the polls five times in less than two years to select a borough president to replace — and succeed —… Continue reading

“Election controversies, other concerns prompt potential Virginia voting changes in 2020”

January 4, 2020, 9:41 amelection administration, redistrictingJustin Levitt

This seems like a good roundup of many of the electoral proposals on the agenda in Virginia for the coming legislative session.

“Sponsor says Alaska elections initiative has enough signatures to be placed on ballot”

January 4, 2020, 9:41 amalternative voting systems, campaign finance, direct democracy, election administration, UncategorizedJustin Levitt

Alaska Public Media reports on the progress of a proposition calling for a top-four primary, ranked-choice voting, changes to appointments to local election boards, and campaign finance reform, among others.

Election-related options still to come at AALS

January 3, 2020, 4:47 pmcensus litigation, election law and constitutional law, The Voting Wars, theory, votingJustin Levitt

Rick already mentioned a few of the exceptional election-related events at AALS so far. There are still several to come, including my stint tomorrow at 8:30 as least valuable player on a 2020 census panel with Dale Ho, Christina Mora,… Continue reading

🤔

January 3, 2020, 4:45 pmchicaneryJustin Levitt

The New York Times lede: A federal judge on Friday allowed a Rudy Giuliani associate indicted on campaign finance charges to turn over documents to Congress as part of the impeachment proceeding against President Donald Trump. U.S. District Court… Continue reading

“A deceptively edited video of Joe Biden illustrates a big problem in 2020”

January 3, 2020, 4:44 pmchicanery, Election MeltdownJustin Levitt

Rick’s been writing up a storm about dirty tricks like deepfakes in American elections, including in his new book. But the sort of deceptive selective editing at play in the video described here is much more accessible, and has … Continue reading

“America Won’t Give Up Its Hackable Wireless Voting Machines”

January 3, 2020, 4:43 pmvoting technologyJustin Levitt

This Bloomberg piece on Web-connected election machines scapegoats the public craving for instant results. “The pressure to promptly transmit results to news organizations –- and ultimately voters — is so great that election officials have no choice but to briefly… Continue reading

Here come the latest purge demands

January 3, 2020, 4:42 pmThe Voting Wars, voter registrationJustin Levitt

Looks like Judicial Watch released another tranch of NVRA demand letters. Also looks like they’re still identifying allegedly non-compliant jurisdictions at least in part by comparing point-estimate registration data on legal domicile to trend-estimate ACS data on physical CVAP presence.… Continue reading

“Florida legislators’ PACs amass hundreds of millions of dollars”

January 3, 2020, 4:39 pmcampaign finance, lobbyingJustin Levitt

I missed this last week: Direct donations to campaigns for the Florida Legislature are limited to $1,000. . . . [But t]he amount of money a company or individual can donate to a legislator’s PAC is limitless. . .… Continue reading

“Voting Rights Restoration Gives Felons a Voice in More States”

January 3, 2020, 4:38 pmpolitical equalityJustin Levitt

A recap of recent action on the enfranchisement of people with convictions, from Stateline.

“Lowering the Voting Age to 16: Learning from Real Experiences Worldwide”

January 3, 2020, 4:38 pmpolitical equality, votingJustin Levitt

The new year brings another new book on electoral mechanics, edited by Jan Eichhorn and Johannes Bergh. The abstract: This book explores the consequences of lowering the voting age to 16 from a global perspective, bringing together empirical research… Continue reading

“SEC Proposed Proxy Rules Changes—A Risk to Companies, Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability”

January 3, 2020, 4:37 pmcampaign financeJustin Levitt

Bruce Freed, Dan Carroll, and Karl Sandstrom, at the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, connect proposed SEC rule changes, raising ownership thresholds and limiting repeat attempts for shareholder proxy fights, to the battle over disclosure of corporate… Continue reading

Scheduling of special elections

January 3, 2020, 4:36 pmThe Voting WarsJustin Levitt

There’s always a fair amount of controversy around the scheduling of special elections to fill vacancies, particularly when the date seems to create particularly advantageous or disadvantageous terrain. The latest takes shape in New York, for the special election… Continue reading