“Ranked-choice voting could help Murkowski in Alaska race, poll finds”

July 9, 2022, 8:09 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

From the Wash. Post: An Alaska Survey Research poll found that ranked-choice voting could help incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in the race against Trump-backed challenger Kelly Tshibaka. Alaska will conduct a nonpartisan primary on Aug. 16 with the… Continue reading

“Trump considers waiving claim of executive privilege for Steve Bannon”

July 9, 2022, 7:10 amelection subversion riskDan Tokaji

WaPo: Former President Donald Trump is considering sending a letter to Stephen K. Bannon saying that he is waiving his claim of executive privilege, potentially clearing the way for his former chief strategist to testify before the House select… Continue reading

University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation

July 9, 2022, 6:11 amlegislation and legislatures, political polarizationDan Tokaji

NYT has this story on the University of Maryland School of Public Policy’s Program for Public Consultation, which has issued this report entitled “The Demand for Public Consultation.” Here’s the NYT’s summary of the program’s work: In simulations conducted… Continue reading

Cipollone’s January 6 Testimony

July 9, 2022, 5:40 amelection subversion riskDan Tokaji

Former WH Counsel Pat Cipollone spent over eight hours in closed-door testimony to the House Jan. 6 committee, according to Politico. Committee member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) told CNN that Cipollone “did not contradict the testimony of other witnesses,” but… Continue reading

“ND Judge Won’t Throw Out Tribes’ Redistricting Suit”

July 8, 2022, 3:35 pmredistricting, Uncategorized, Voting Rights ActDan Tokaji

Law360: “A North Dakota federal judge on Thursday denied the state’s motion to dismiss a suit claiming its new legislative districts dilute Native Americans’ voting rights, ruling the tribes’ right to seek a remedy is embedded in case law.”… Continue reading

“How The Supreme Court Could Turbocharge Gerrymandering — Just In Time for 2024”

July 8, 2022, 9:18 amelection subversion risk, redistricting, Supreme CourtDan Tokaji

538 on Moore v. Harper: The independent state legislature theory is fewer than 25 years old, and for most of its life, it’s been relegated to the fringes of academia. But it was widely promoted by former President Donald … Continue reading

Director of Florida’s New Office of Election Crimes and Security

July 8, 2022, 8:50 amelection administrationDan Tokaji

Politico’s Florida Playbook has this report on Gov. Ron DeSantis’s appointee Pete Antonacci, described as “a skilled lawyer and former general counsel for [former Gov. Rick] Scott who once worked for Democratic Attorney General Bob Butterworth.”

“What a New Supreme Court Review May Mean for Albany’s Culture of Graft”

July 8, 2022, 8:39 ambribery, Supreme CourtDan Tokaji

NYT: “[I]in key rulings in the past dozen years, the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the law governing corruption, resulting in the overturning of the convictions of at least three prominent former New York lawmakers. And with the court’s announcement… Continue reading

“Next Time Trump Tries to Steal an Election, He Won’t Need a Mob”

July 8, 2022, 8:16 amelection subversion risk, redistricting, Supreme CourtDan Tokaji

Jamelle Bouie’s NYT column: Last week, the Supreme Court announced it would hear arguments in Moore v. Harper, a challenge to North Carolina’s new congressional map.The long and short of the case is that North Carolina Republicans proposed a… Continue reading

Wisconsin Supreme Court Holds That State Law Prohibits Ballot Drop Boxes

July 8, 2022, 7:23 amabsentee ballotsDan Tokaji

The 4-3 decision in Teigen v. Wisconsin Election Commission is here. From Justice Rebecca Bradley’s opinion for the majority: We hold the documents are invalid because ballot drop boxes are illegal under Wisconsin statutes. An absentee ballot must be… Continue reading

“More Republicans now call Jan. 6 a ‘legitimate protest’ than a ‘riot’”

July 8, 2022, 4:33 amelection subversion riskDan Tokaji

Aaron Blake in The Fix, on this Monmouth University poll, which finds: Nearly two-thirds (65%) of the public say it is appropriate to describe the incident at the U.S. Capitol as a riot, and half (50%) say it… Continue reading

Arizona Coalition Submits Signatures for Initiative to Expand Voter Registration and Early Voting

July 8, 2022, 4:27 amabsentee ballots, direct democracy, voter registrationDan Tokaji

WaPo: Citing efforts by Arizona’s Republican-controlled legislature to restrict access to voting, a coalition of advocacy organizations, community groups and volunteers is attempting to drastically expand voting rights in the battleground state through a ballot initiative. On Thursday, the… Continue reading

“The dangerous election theory the Supreme Court may be poised to endorse”

July 8, 2022, 4:13 amelection subversion risk, legislation and legislatures, Supreme CourtDan Tokaji

Josh Douglas in CNN Opinion: The justices have agreed to hear Moore v. Harper, a case that hinges on a technical legal issue with immense implications, and that raises the question of whether there any limits to… Continue reading

National Constitution Center’s “Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy” Project

July 7, 2022, 6:50 pmUncategorizedNed Foley

I’m honored to be a participant in this new initiative of the National Constitution Center. As its name indicates, the “Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy” project aims to redress the erosion of democratic norms that has occurred recently in the… Continue reading