Monthly Archives: September 2020

“In Year of Voting by Mail, a Scramble to Beef Up In-Person Voting, Too”

September 7, 2020, 7:29 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

NYT: Unnerved by the difficulties of voting amid a pandemic and faced with both the political static injected by President Trump and the limits on expanding voting by mail, state and local authorities across the country are racing to… Continue reading

“Racial tensions roiling US pose target for election meddling”

September 7, 2020, 7:26 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

AP: The tensions coursing through the United States over racism and policing are likely targets for adversaries seeking to influence the November election, lawmakers and experts warn — and there are signs that Russia is again seeking to exploit the… Continue reading

“Polling place bottleneck delays could begin soon after they open”

September 7, 2020, 7:22 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Steven Rosenfeld reports.

Useful and Helpful Content Over at Healthy Elections

September 7, 2020, 7:19 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

Check out these posts at healthyelections.org: Arizona’s 2020 Elections in the Wake of the Coronavirus (July 31, 2020) The 2020 California Special Elections (June 17, 2020) Florida Election Policies and Readiness (July 22, 2020) A Quantitative Dive into Florida’s … Continue reading

“Trump and allies ratchet up disinformation efforts in late stage of campaign”

September 6, 2020, 7:38 pmcampaigns, cheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: For President Trump and his allies, it was a week spent spreading doctored and misleading videos.On Aug. 30, the president retweeted footage of a Black man violently pushing a White woman on a subway platform under the caption, “Black… Continue reading

“Michigan secretary of state warns Election Day could be Election Week”

September 6, 2020, 7:23 pmElection MeltdownRick Hasen

Politico: Michigan’s secretary of state said on Sunday her state’s full results of the Nov. 3 elections won’t be available on Election Day, advising voters it could take a week for a final tally.“We should be prepared for this to… Continue reading

“Here’s what the media must do to fend off an election-night disaster”

September 6, 2020, 7:18 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Margaret Sullivan WaPo column.

“Sources Close to the President’s Reelection Campaign Tell Axios” That “Trump trashes mail voting in part because he sees the messaging as good cover if he loses to Joe Biden in November”

September 6, 2020, 7:10 pmabsentee ballots, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

That’s in an article entitled “Scoop: Kevin McCarthy Warns Trump’s War on Mail Could Screw GOP.” The idea that Trump is attacking mail-in voting to give himself an excuse if he loses to Biden in November is the most benign… Continue reading

“Kanye West’s Nearly $7 Million Presidential Bid Has Hit Some Legal Snags”

September 6, 2020, 4:40 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Lots in here from Ben Jacobs, including a mostly Republican legal and campaign team behind the West campaign.

Allegations Postmaster General DeJoy Reimbursed His Employees for Political Contributions in Violation of Federal and NC Laws Against Conduit Contributions

September 6, 2020, 2:42 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Big story in WaPo.

“Voters Face a Complicated Election as the Pandemic Remakes Voting; Mail-in voting, Covid-19, disinformation and a possibly lengthy wait for results make the 2020 election unlike others”

September 5, 2020, 8:18 pmabsentee ballots, election administration, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

Important deep dive by the WSJ: In a year of uncertainties, one thing seems certain: This November’s general election is shaping up to be one of the most complicated in U.S. history.States are racing to make changes to voting procedures… Continue reading

“A Win Against Dark Money Eight Years in the Making”

September 5, 2020, 8:16 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Ciara Torres-Spellscy: Good news is infrequent when you’re on the anticorruption beat. Notable recent incidents, for example, have included the sentencing of a former U.S. congressman’s wife for misuse of campaign funds and the resignation of a North Carolina state… Continue reading

“How Trump Draws on Campaign Funds to Pay Legal Bills”

September 5, 2020, 8:11 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

NYT: Mr. Trump’s tendency to turn to the courts — and the legal issues that have stemmed from norm-breaking characteristics of his presidency — helps explain how he and his affiliated political entities have spent at least $58.4 million… Continue reading

“Civil Rights Groups Secure Court Order to Stop Trump’s Rushed and Incomplete Census Count”

September 5, 2020, 8:05 pmcensus litigationRick Hasen

Release: (SAN FRANCISCO) – The Trump administration’s last-minute move to terminate 2020 census operations would likely lead to a massive undercount of millions of people in the United States – many of them African-American, immigrants and other people of color… Continue reading