Monthly Archives: November 2021

Breaking—Washington Redistricting Commission at Impasse

November 16, 2021, 11:33 amredistrictingTabatha Abu El-Haj

On Twitter The Washington Supreme Court to take over the process. Dave Wasserman from the Cook Political Report notes this is the emerging pattern for this cycle. “Last night, after substantial work marked by mutual respect and dedication to the… Continue reading

Does Low Turnout Matter?

November 16, 2021, 11:25 amvotingTabatha Abu El-Haj

The old consensus was not really. Voters, it was argued, basically reflect the views of non-voters. In recent years, some political scientists are not so sure. Two empirical facts drive the new skepticism. First, despite significant gains in high turnout… Continue reading

Two Great Symposiums on Election Law from NYU and Fordham

November 16, 2021, 8:25 amUncategorizedTabatha Abu El-Haj

From the NYU Law Review: Volume 96, Issue 4 Rabia Belt, Mass Institutionalization and Civil Death Ming Hsu Chen, The Political (Mis)Representation of Immigrants in the Census Wilfred U. Codrington III, Purcell in Pandemic Lee Drutman, Elections, Political Parties, and … Continue reading

2021 Election Law Roundup

November 16, 2021, 7:59 amUncategorizedTabatha Abu El-Haj

R Street, a nonprofit research organization, has produced an overview of many of the election-related laws enacted by state legislatures in 2021. Republican-sponsored bills have largely focused on purging voter rolls, restricting access to early and absentee voting, and taking… Continue reading

“10 Most-Cited Election Law Faculty in the U.S., 2016-2020”

November 16, 2021, 7:17 amelection law bizRick Hasen

Brian Leiter: Based on the latest Sisk data, here are the ten most-cited law faculty working in election law in the U.S. for the period 2016-2020 (inclusive) (remember that the data was collected in late May/early June of 2021,… Continue reading

House Might Govern This Week

November 16, 2021, 6:10 amUncategorizedTabatha Abu El-Haj

As I have argued before, passing government programs that address the needs of ordinary Americans is critical to restoring faith in our democratic institutions. This could be a big week on this front. Politico is reporting that Nancy Pelosi has… Continue reading

Wisconsin Webinar on Redistricting 2021

November 16, 2021, 4:13 amelection law biz, redistrictingDan Tokaji

With the post-2020 redistricting cycle in full swing, the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School are co-hosting a webinar on Redistricting and Gerrymandering 2021: Taking … Continue reading

Breaking—Alabama’s New Political Maps Challenged as Racial Gerrymanders

November 15, 2021, 6:23 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActTabatha Abu El-Haj

ACLU Press Release Individual voters joined with civil rights and faith groups, including the Greater Birmingham Ministries and the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP, to file a pair of lawsuits challenging Alabama’s newly drawn political maps for state legislative… Continue reading

“Political Campaigns Can Still Target You on Facebook”

November 15, 2021, 6:00 pmcampaigns, cheap speechTabatha Abu El-Haj

From Nick Coransaniti at the NY Times “On Tuesday, Meta, the social media company formerly known as Facebook, announced changes that, on the surface, would appear to reduce such targeting. But it remains entirely possible for campaigns to get around… Continue reading

Ins and Outs of Section 2 Litigation–hold on for an interesting ride

November 15, 2021, 1:55 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActTabatha Abu El-Haj

Michael Li notes on Twitter “Texas is arguing that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act does not offer plaintiffs a private cause of action.” I suspect we are going to be seeing a lot of imaginative Section 2 arguments… Continue reading

“Americans are participating in redistricting like never before”

November 15, 2021, 9:17 amcitizen commissions, redistrictingTabatha Abu El-Haj

The Hill This is true to my experience here in Pennsylvania as a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council for the congressional redistricting process.

“Racial attitudes shifted over the past decade, leaving the two parties further apart than ever”

November 15, 2021, 7:22 ampolitical polarizationTabatha Abu El-Haj

Dan Balz at Washington Post New Pew Study underscores the widening gulf between Republicans and Democrats on policies involving questions of race from police reform to new restrictions on voting. “As the report stated, ‘Perhaps no issue is more divisive… Continue reading

“The Desperate Scramble to Stop an Insider Election Threat”

November 15, 2021, 7:15 amelection administration, election subversion risk, political parties, political polarizationTabatha Abu El-Haj

The Atlantic Judge of elections and inspector of elections are elected positions in Pennsylvania. The question of the day is how many Trump loyalists were elected to those positions in the recent election. The fear is that Trump loyalists, primed… Continue reading