“Judge upholds Georgia election laws on all counts in voting rights case”

October 1, 2022, 5:39 amabsentee ballots, votingVoting RestrictionsTabatha Abu El-Haj

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Fair Fights Action has lost its 2018 challenge to Georgia’s election laws after four years. Georgia’s voter registration and absentee ballot practices, while not perfect, the Judge concluded, did not violate either the Constitution or… Continue reading

“Where Democrats’ Grip on Minority Voters Could Slip in Midterm Elections”

September 30, 2022, 1:03 pmvotingparty, voter turnout, voters of colorTabatha Abu El-Haj

Unfortunately, behind a firewall, the WSJ offers an interesting and nuanced analysis of the likely impact of increased support among voters of color for the Republican Party. The bottom line is turnout next month will be key. As per usual,… Continue reading

“Trump allies have interviewed nearly 200 election officials to probe for weaknesses”

September 30, 2022, 12:43 pmchicanery, election subversion riskTabatha Abu El-Haj

Jen Fifield at Vote Beat reports on “a coordinated, multi-state effort to probe local election officials in battlegrounds such as Michigan, Arizona, and Texas ahead of the November election” in an effort to exploit for vulnerabilities for political gain. “The… Continue reading

“Gerrymandering Isn’t Giving Republicans the Advantage You Might Expect”

September 30, 2022, 4:58 amredistricting2022 Election CycleTabatha Abu El-Haj

Nate Cohn for The Upshot offers an intricate analysis of the 2022 congressional maps in historical perspective. Lots of interesting graphs to get to his basic take: “In reality, Republicans do have a structural edge in the House, but it… Continue reading

“Conservative activists in Georgia wage campaign to purge voter rolls ahead of November’s election”

September 30, 2022, 4:50 amvotingTabatha Abu El-Haj

CNN reports on how conservative activists in Georgia are invoking the state’s recent controversial election law to “attempt to remove thousands of voters from the rolls with just weeks to go before the October 17 start of in-person early voting.”

Election Law is Local

September 30, 2022, 4:15 amelection administration, election subversion risklegal resourceTabatha Abu El-Haj

In recognition of the fact that election laws vary by states, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law and All Voting is Local have released 7 state-specific guides for election officials that explain the legal safeguards in place to… Continue reading

“Ginni Thomas claims 2020 election was stolen in meeting with House Jan. 6 committee”

September 29, 2022, 6:14 pmUncategorizedJanuary 6Tabatha Abu El-Haj

U.S.A. Today reports on Ginni Thomas’ meeting with the January 6 Committee, where she “repeated claims the 2020 election was stolen, despite a lack of evidence.” The New York Times’ take on the hearing is here and the Washington Post’s… Continue reading

Breaking–N.Y. Court Orders New Maps by April 2023

September 29, 2022, 11:31 amredistricting2022 redistrictingTabatha Abu El-Haj

A New York court has ordered New York’s redistricting commission to reconvene and pass new state assembly maps for legislative consideration by April 28, 2023.

Previewing the democratic casualties sure to accompany SCOTUS OT 23

September 29, 2022, 11:21 ampolitical equality, Voting Rights Actfederalism, Independent State Legislature DoctrineTabatha Abu El-Haj

In advance of next week, Politico offers a thorough preview of the two election law cases on the Supreme Court’s docket this term. Both cases, it notes, are appeals from lower court decisions that threw out political maps drawn by… Continue reading

“The Roberts Court Takes Aim at the Voting Rights Act”

September 29, 2022, 11:08 amUncategorizedTabatha Abu El-Haj

Joshua Douglas, University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law, offers a preview of Merrill v. Milligan in the Washington Monthly. “The Court took a cleaver to the Voting Rights Act in its last two significant rulings.… Continue reading

What impact did policy changes, the political environment, and voter outreach have on mail ballot rejection rates in 2020?

September 29, 2022, 10:48 amabsentee ballots2022 Election CycleTabatha Abu El-Haj

In a concise new paper published by Harvard’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Tova Wang and Jose Altamirano analyze trends in mail ballot rejection rates in 2020. Were mail ballots rejected at a higher rate in 2020… Continue reading

“Forget ‘polarization.’ The problem is right-wing extremism.”

September 29, 2022, 7:40 ampolitical parties, political polarizationTabatha Abu El-Haj

Jennifer Rubin makes a key point in this Opinion piece in the Washington Post, arguing that the problem in American politics today is not polarization but “right-wing extremism”: Democrats are not selecting extreme candidates. For example, as of July, in… Continue reading

The long-arm of Texas’ 1876 White Supremacist Constitution–or the things you learn when you are curious

September 28, 2022, 7:17 pmUncategorizedElection Crimes, TexasTabatha Abu El-Haj

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the court of highest resort in Texas for criminal cases, issued an order refusing to reconsider a decision from late last year that held that the “the specific powers given to the Attorney General… Continue reading