Monthly Archives: August 2020

Ohio State Technology Law Journal Symposium on Elections in the Era of Technological Threats and Opportunities

August 21, 2020, 11:41 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Dig in! Symposium on Elections in the Era of Technological Threats and Opportunities Introduction: The Danger of Democracy’s Self Doubt, Prof. Edward B. Foley Keynote Address The Virus and the Vote: How to Prevent the Infection of our … Continue reading

“Potential Challenges to a President’s Attempt to Deploy Law Enforcement to the Polls on or Around Election Day”

August 21, 2020, 11:27 amElection MeltdownRick Hasen

Protect Democracy explainer.

“Is Vote-by-Mail a Trap for Democrats? An Exchange.”

August 21, 2020, 10:31 amabsentee ballotsRick Hasen

Roy Greenwald and Robert Kuttner debate at The Prospect.

D.C. Circuit Strikes FEC Rule Which Limited Disclosure of Contributions Funding Independent Expenditures

August 21, 2020, 9:51 amcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Big win for more effective disclosure rules.

Federal District Court Rejects Challenges to Indiana’s Excuse-Only Absentee Ballot System for November

August 21, 2020, 9:04 amabsentee ballots, court decisionsRick Hasen

A federal district court has rejected arguments that the system violates equal protection or the 26th amendment (which was made on the grounds that older voters can vote without an excuse but others cannot). It will not issue a preliminary… Continue reading

“Facebook Braces Itself for Trump to Cast Doubt on Election Results; The world’s biggest social network is working out what steps to take should President Trump use its platform to dispute the vote.”

August 21, 2020, 7:31 amcheap speech, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

NYT: Facebook spent years preparing to ward off any tampering on its site ahead of November’s presidential election. Now the social network is getting ready in case President Trump interferes once the vote is over.Employees at the Silicon Valley company… Continue reading

Now Down to Six States That Will Require a Specific Justification for Voting Absentee

August 21, 2020, 6:50 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

With New York predictably moving to no-excuse absentee voting for this fall, we are now down to six states that will not permit all voters to vote by mail: IN, MS, SC, TN, TX, WV. In those states, voters will… Continue reading

“Our View: Another argument against ranked-choice voting goes down As the latest federal ruling shows, the idea that voters are disenfranchised is wrong”

August 21, 2020, 6:15 amalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

Portland Press Herald editorial: Ranked-choice voting has twice won the backing of a majority of Maine voters. It meets the demands of the U.S. Constitution. It is used in every race that the state constitution allows, and it will continue… Continue reading

“Why Kanye West Makes the Case for Ranked Choice Voting”

August 21, 2020, 6:13 amalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

Washington Monthly oped by Rob Richie and Dave Daley.

“Op-Ed: One fix could change U.S. politics, government and elections for the better: Make voting mandatory”

August 21, 2020, 6:10 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Miles Rapoport and Janai Nelson LAT oped.

Angelo Genova, Lawyer for DNC in the RNC Consent Decree Case for 40 Years, Sends Along Thoughts on Trump’s Comments About Sending Law Enforcement to the Polls in November

August 21, 2020, 6:05 amchicanery, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Angelo Genova, speaking for himself and not the DNC, writes: Rick : I read your piece today. I too have watched and heard with great disappointment , but no surprise , the recurring narrative emanating from President Trump and the… Continue reading

New Yorker’s Eric Lach Deep Dive: “What Happens If Donald Trump Fights the Election Results?”

August 21, 2020, 5:44 amElection MeltdownRick Hasen

A chilling read.

Echoing Reasons for Issuance of 1981 Consent Decree Against the RNC, Trump Threatens to Send Law Enforcement to Watch Polls. What Happens Next?

August 20, 2020, 9:07 pmElection Meltdown, fraudulent fraud squad, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Back in 1981, the RNC agreed to a consent decree, which remained in place in various forms until 2017. It prevented the RNC from engaging in certain activities which intimidated minority voters. As I explained in this January 2019 Slate… Continue reading

Now Available: Final Version of My Election Law Journal Article: “Three Pathologies of American Voting Rights Illuminated by the COVID-19 Pandemic, and How to Treat and Cure Them”

August 20, 2020, 8:49 pmelection administration, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

You can download the final version of the article here (and here’s the pdf). This article is part of a symposium out next month on COVID and the election. Thanks to ELJ’s publisher for making all the COVID-related election… Continue reading

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The law of politics and the politics of law