Monthly Archives: May 2021
“Michigan’s top election official and Dominion warn counties about the risks of vote audits by outside groups”
WaPo:
Michigan’s top election official and the company whose voting equipment has been the subject of baseless claims of fraud are cautioning local governments in the state that outside audits of the 2020 election results like the one underway in… Continue reading
“He Fought Trump’s 2020 Lies. He Also Backs New Scrutiny of Ballots.”
NYT:
Brad Raffensperger, the Republican secretary of state in Georgia, earned widespread praise for his staunch defense of the election results in his state last year in the face of growing threats and pressure from former President Donald J. Trump.As… Continue reading
“Kristen Clarke is the first Senate-confirmed woman of color to lead the Justice Dept.’s civil rights division.”
NYT:
Ms. Clarke was confirmed by a vote of 51 to 48, largely along party lines. Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, broke with her party to support Ms. Clarke’s confirmation. Senator John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana, did not vote.A… Continue reading
NY State Board of Elections Approves Software Needed for Ranked-Choice Voting in June
With New York City’s ranked-choice voting primaries coming up on June 22, it’s good news that the state has now approved the technology needed to manage the vote tabulation process. Story here.
Is the Voting Reform that Draws the Most Bipartisan Support Ranked-Choice Voting?
The Virginia GOP used RCV in its nominating convention this year.
23 cites in Utah, including Salt Lake City, voted recently to adopt RCV.
Alaskan voters in 2020 adopted RVC for federal and statewide races.
Maine voters in 2018 adopted… Continue reading
“Tech company running Arizona ballot recount backs out: ‘They were done'”
Arizona Republic:
The Pennsylvania-based IT company that was in charge of running the hand recount of Maricopa County ballots is no longer involved in the audit.The contract with Wake TSI ended May 14, the original completion date for the hand… Continue reading
“Democratic maps pit Republican lawmakers against each other in fights for political survival. GOP rips the plan as ‘kindergartner’s artwork.’”
More on the redistricting maps just released from the Illinois legislature for state legislative districts. From the Chicago Tribune:
New state legislative boundaries proposed by Democrats would further cement the party’s dominance in Springfield by using a declining downstate population… Continue reading
Tierney Sneed, One of the Best Reporters Covering Voting Rights, Has a Free, New Newsletter, “The Franchise,” at Talking Points Memo
You can use this link to sign up (no need to be a TPM Prime member, though if you can afford it, you should anyway!).
Tierney’s coverage is always terrific.
“Arizona Analysis Shows That Many Republicans Did Not Vote for Trump in 2020”
Steven Rosenfeld:
About 75,000 Republican-leaning voters in Arizona’s two most populous counties did not vote to re-elect President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, according to an analysis of every vote cast by a longtime Arizona Republican Party election… Continue reading
“The Democrats Are Walking Right Into a Trap on Voting Rights”
Guy Charles and Larry Lessig in Slate:
We strongly support H.R. 4, and firmly believe that the Constitution, properly interpreted, would support it. But we are also fully convinced that a clear majority on this Supreme Court would invalidate H.R.… Continue reading
Two new statutory interpretation decisions issued today
The Supreme Court today issued two short opinions interpreting two very different statutes:United States v. Palomar-Santiago (Immigration statutes)and Territory of Guam v. United States (CERCLA)Both opinions were unanimous and highly textual in their analysis. Palomar-Santiago, authored by Justice Sotomayor,… Continue reading
“FEC Complaint Filed Against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for Illegal ‘Soft Money’ Solicitation for Super PAC”
Release:
Today, Common Cause filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) violated the ‘soft money’ ban in the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) by soliciting unlimited contributions for a super… Continue reading
The Draft Plan for IL’s State Districts
As a follow-up to Nick’s post on the tradeoff between drawing reasonably compact districts and lowering the efficiency gap in a state like Illinois, this image of the districts in and around Chicago helps illustrate the district shapes the Democrats… Continue reading