Monthly Archives: October 2020

“Most voters confident their vote will be counted, poll finds. But partisans disagree on election threats.”

October 9, 2020, 7:41 amThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

Nate Persily and Charles Stewart at The Monkey Cage: Americans are worried about this election. And who can blame them? Each day, a new story, whether true, false or overblown, creates fresh anxiety about mail-in voting or polling places.A battleground-state … Continue reading

“An accidental candidate looms as wild card in Katko-Balter race for Congress”

October 9, 2020, 7:39 amballot accessRick Hasen

Syracuse.com: Steve Williams agreed to be only a temporary placeholder on the Working Families Party line until Democrats chose a candidate – ultimately Balter – in the June 23 primary election.But now he’s stuck on the ballot, even though he’s… Continue reading

Federal District Court, While Excoriating Florida for Its Incompetence, Won’t Extend Registration Deadline After Last-Day System Crash

October 9, 2020, 7:00 amcourt decisions, voter registrationRick Hasen

The court found that the burden on the state in keeping the system going outweighed the risk of disenfranchisement. The court’s order concludes: The state could have extended the registration deadline until midnight on October 6th, which would have given… Continue reading

Well Now We Know What Ohio SOS Frank LaRose Really Thinks About Drop Boxes: He’s Appealed the Federal Court Ruling That Would Allow Them; With No Stay, Expect a Quick Ruling

October 8, 2020, 8:34 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Cleveland.com: LaRose, a Republican, appealed within hours of the ruling. Polster declined to put a stay on his order, meaning it will take effect immediately unless the appeals court intervenes. If it stands, the ruling would allow Cuyahoga County… Continue reading

“How the practice of maintaining voter lists became so polarized”

October 8, 2020, 8:27 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

States Newsroom reports.

“Elliott Broidy, a Top Trump Fund-Raiser, Charged in Foreign Influence Case”

October 8, 2020, 8:23 pmchicanery, lobbyingRick Hasen

NYT: The details of the accusations against Mr. Broidy are especially striking: They include a promised $75 million success fee from Mr. Low and discussions about arranging for Malaysia’s prime minister to play golf with Mr. Trump. But they follow… Continue reading

“Citing 25th Amendment, Pelosi, Raskin move to create panel that could rule on president’s fitness for office”

October 8, 2020, 8:18 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

WaPo: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.) plan to introduce legislation Friday that would create a commission to “help ensure effective and uninterrupted leadership” in the presidency.The panel would be called the Commission on… Continue reading

“Mike Pence does not seem prepared to save the republic, should he be called upon to do so”

October 8, 2020, 8:14 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Philip Bump: Should that happen, Vice President Pence may be put in a position where he needs to decide between standing with his boss or standing with the will of the country. Asked about such a scenario at the vice-presidential… Continue reading

“Trump Lashes Out at His Aides With Calls to Indict Political Rivals”

October 8, 2020, 8:11 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: Mr. Trump has not been seen in person since returning from the hospital on Monday, but he sought to reassert himself on the public stage with a pair of telephone interviews with Fox News and Fox Business, a video… Continue reading

“America Needs Compulsory Voting”

October 8, 2020, 8:01 pmvotingRick Hasen

Anthony Fowler for Foreign Affairs.

“Both parties prepare for possibility of contested election as chaotic White House race hurtles to a close”

October 8, 2020, 7:56 pmElection Meltdown, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

WaPo deep dive: Even as a coronavirus outbreak has upended the White House, Democrats and Republicans have been gaming out another potential crisis that experts agree could plunge the country into unprecedented turmoil — a contested election in the weeks… Continue reading

Federal District Court Issues Order Mandating that Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose Allow Drop Boxes to Be Set Up When County Election Boards Want to Use Them to Collect Absentee Ballots; What’s Next?

October 8, 2020, 3:57 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

You can find the opinion at this link. Given the South Carolina ruling from the Supreme Court this week, and the reaction from the 7th Circuit in the Wisconsin case, it could well be that the 6th Circuit reverses… Continue reading

“Bill Barr Is Using an Old Voter Suppression Tactic. Don’t Fall for It.”

October 8, 2020, 2:51 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Pema Levy for Mother Jones.

“Electoral Structure Matters: Fixing the Creaks and Cracks in the Constitution by Its Quarter Millennium”

October 8, 2020, 2:19 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

New Idaho Law Review article by Rick LaRue. Abstract: Our nation’s constitutionally prescribed governing structure has original problems (the Electoral College) and those that have developed over time (excessively long congressional tenures and, for the presidency, biased reelection timing and… Continue reading

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The law of politics and the politics of law