Commentary–FEC v. Cruz
Ciara Torres-Spelliscy reacts to FEC v. Cruz at TPM Cafe: “Predictably, Roberts Supreme Court continues its deregulation of money in politics.”
Monthly Archives: May 2022
“Printing error affects mailed ballots in Lancaster County”
Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a printing error has caused problems with the processing of a not insignificant number of mail-in ballots in Lancaster County. Too bad, however, that this is being used as an excuse to oppose the 2019 expansion… Continue reading
Primary Roundup
Primaries will be held today in several states, including a number with competitive Senate (Pennsylvania and North Carolina) and gubernatorial (Pennsylvania) races. All involve intra-party ideological fights. The following are useful roundups from Politico, Vox, Fox,… Continue reading
Tom Daschle and Trent Lott Advocate for Reforms to the Electoral Count Act of 1887
Former Senate majority leaders Tom Daschle (D) and Trent Lott (R) have published an Op Ed in the WSJ endorsing the need for swift bi-partisan action to reform the Electoral Count Act of 1887 in advance of the next presidential… Continue reading
FEC Deadlocks, Again
Dave Levinthal and C. Ryan Barber at Business Insider report that the Federal Election Commission has deadlocked over a “complaint that Donald Trump’s 2020 White House campaign laundered hundreds of millions of dollars in spending through corporate entities closely tied… Continue reading
Intraparty Fights Taken to Court
Just a few days before Idaho’s May 17 primaries, Republicans took their internal fights to court.
“In the virtual hearing [last] Friday afternoon, Fourth District Court Judge Jason Scott heard arguments from intertwined Republican organizations — one suing the… Continue reading
Dramatic Increase in Competitive Districts in Special Master’s NY Map
As a proponent of competitive districts, I’m often asked how much the decline in competitive districts is due to intentional gerrymandering versus the realities of political geography, in which metro areas have become highly Democratic and rural areas highly Republican.… Continue reading
“Where megadonors are spending big money to shape the Democratic Party’s future”
When the main elections that matter are the primaries — from Politico:
House Democratic primaries are drawing record cash — even as they’re almost guaranteed to lose their majority.
Super PACs and other organizations have already dropped more than… Continue reading
Breaking News: Preliminary N.Y. Maps Released
Michael Li of Brennan Center notes: “Special master Jonathan Cervas has released his initial draft of a replacement New York congressional map. Interested parties have until Wed, 5/18 to submit comments. Final maps will be released Fri, 5/20.” Analysis on… Continue reading
Secretary of State websites routinely list incorrect information about qualifications for federal office
On the heels challenges to federal candidates’ qualifications in places like Tennessee and North Carolina, I took a look at how states describe the qualifications for federal office. The results were quite disheartening. Secretaries of State routinely present erroneous… Continue reading
Breaking and Analysis: Dividing on Ideological Lines and Breaking Little New Ground in FEC v. Cruz, Supreme Court Strikes Down Another Part of McCain-Feingold law
The result and lineup in today’s Supreme Court decision in FEC v. Cruz is no surprise: all the conservatives on the Court signed onto Chief Justice Roberts’ opinion holding that a loan repayment provision of the McCain-Feingold law is unconstitutional;… Continue reading
Coordinating Publicly to Get Around Campaign Finance Laws–2022 cycle
Shane Goldmacher at N.Y. Times reports on the “Little Red Boxes” appearing on many Democratic primary candidates’ websites to direct their Super PACs’ messaging strategies. The basic principle is not new, but the details are interesting. Republicans this… Continue reading
“Primaries spotlight coming battles over state supreme courts”
AP News
“[A]cross the country this year, . . . state judicial races become increasingly politicized over issues such as partisan gerrymandering, abortion and gun rights. Voters in 32 states this year will cast ballots on state supreme court seats,… Continue reading
Polarization and State Legislative Elections
New study from Sandy Handan-Nader, Andrew Myers, Andrew B. Hall. Abstract:
U.S. state legislatures are critical policymaking bodies and the major pipeline of candidates to national office. Polarization in state legislatures has increased substantially in recent… Continue reading