Monthly Archives: February 2020

“New Doubts From Iowa Caucuses: How ‘Satellite’ Votes Are Being Measured Party documents lay out conflicting ways to award delegates, and the contest is so close that the small difference matters a lot.”

February 7, 2020, 8:24 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Read this NYT column from Nate Cohn and then this tweet: I suspect I can say this without crossing the line into opinion: this is the worst conceived and executed electoral contest I have ever seen— Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn)… Continue reading

“Rendell: Gov. Wolf must act now to keep Pa. from repeating Iowa’s election ‘fiasco’”

February 7, 2020, 8:15 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

See here.

“The last thing Arizona needs is last-minute election law changes. Here’s why”

February 7, 2020, 8:13 amelection administrationRick Hasen

Arizona SOS Katie Hobbs has written this oped for the Arizona Republic.

“Tom Perez says he wasn’t calling for a statewide recanvass after all.”

February 7, 2020, 8:11 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

It’s like the Bad News Bears.

“Analysis: Messing with elections messes with democracy”

February 7, 2020, 8:02 amElection MeltdownRick Hasen

Ross Ramsey Texas Tribune column, discussing my new book, Election Meltdown: Elections depend on trust — on the idea that the declared winners and losers were the real winners and losers. So how’s that going right now? “In a… Continue reading

“Brennan Center Publishes New Guide to Designing Voter-Friendly Ballots”

February 7, 2020, 7:53 amelection administrationRick Hasen

Release.

“The Cybersecurity 202: Senate panel wants politicians to put party aside for election security. Fat chance in 2020.”

February 7, 2020, 7:52 amchicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: A long-awaited Senate Intelligence Committee report admonishes politicians to forget about politics when dealing with election interference operations and to exercise maximum restraint before suggesting an election was hacked or corrupted.Good luck with that. “Restraint” is not the operative… Continue reading

“Californians who register to vote would be required to cast ballots under new bill”; Good or Bad Idea, I Believe It is Constitutional

February 7, 2020, 7:46 amvotingRick Hasen

John Myers reports for the Los Angeles Times. Whether or not one agrees with mandatory voting as policy, I do not believe it violates the First Amendment’s right to free speech, as the article suggests opponents imply. A mandatory voting… Continue reading

“GOP-affiliated group intervenes in Democratic primary for US Senate seat in North Carolina”

February 7, 2020, 7:42 amcampaignsRick Hasen

CNN: The first significant ad buy for state Sen. Erica Smith, a Democratic candidate for US Senate in North Carolina, appears to be backed by Republicans.Faith and Power, a new political action committee with ties to Republicans, formally… Continue reading

FEC Commissioner Hunter Responds to Prof. Torres-Spelliscy’s Testimony About the FEC and the Foreign Money Ban

February 7, 2020, 7:32 amcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Dave Levinthal: 1/ NEW: Following today's House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on campaign finance, @FEC Chair Caroline Hunter sends pointed letter to @ProfCiara regarding her testimony about foreign spending in U.S. elections. pic.twitter.com/rfgnMwfvYw— Dave Levinthal (@davelevinthal) February 7, 2020

Washington Examiner Newspaper Sells Its Mailing List to Trump Campaign/RNC For Fundraising Blast, Then Writes Article About Blast Without Revealing This Fact

February 7, 2020, 7:25 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Dave Levinthal thread starts here: 1/ A short thread about a news organization, the Trump campaign and a fundraising message …On Thursday, my colleague @JimSmall received a garden variety campaign solicitation from the Trump Make America Great Again Committee, a… Continue reading

“Judge: Alabama’s method of electing appellate judges not discriminatory”

February 6, 2020, 4:09 pmjudicial elections, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

AL.com: Alabama’s method of electing appellate judges does not dilute the voting power of blacks, a Montgomery federal judge ruled Wednesday in a case brought against the state by the Alabama NAACP.The group contended that Alabama’s at-large elections of… Continue reading

AP Unable to Call Winner in Iowa Democratic Caucus Due to Closeness and “Irregularities”

February 6, 2020, 3:51 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Wow, it’s this bad: “The Associated Press calls a race when there is a clear indication of a winner. Because of a tight margin between former Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders and the irregularities in this year’s… Continue reading

Audio and Transcript of Brennan Center Event: “A Warning from Iowa; Legal expert Richard L. Hasen discusses ways to prevent election meltdowns in 2020.”

February 6, 2020, 3:29 pmElection MeltdownRick Hasen

You can listen and read here. Thanks to Victoria Bassetti for serving as a great moderator and for the Brennan Center for hosting.

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The law of politics and the politics of law