“Surprise! America is less polarized than it used to be.”

December 9, 2024, 6:10 amUncategorizedNicholas Stephanopoulos

I wrote this column for the Washington Post on the surprising trend of depolarization in last month’s election. If it holds, this trend has enormous implications for American politics. Here’s a shocker: One of the unnoticed themes of the recent… Continue reading

Back over to Rick

December 8, 2024, 10:27 pmUncategorizedJustin Levitt

That’s me signing off as guest host, and delivering you back into Rick’s tender care. Every time I do this for a moment, I’m reminded how much we owe Rick for the all-the-time. Rick, thank you for entrusting me with… Continue reading

“Trump says members of Jan. 6 committee should be jailed”

December 8, 2024, 9:53 pmauthoritarian threats in US, legislation and legislatures, Speech or Debate ClauseJanuary 6, The Big LieJustin Levitt

In his first post-election TV interview, on NBC. In case you’re wondering, this is not, nor should it ever be confused with, normal. At least, not in a democracy.

“Trump Refuses to Concede 2020 Election: ‘Why Would I Do That?’”

December 8, 2024, 9:52 pmelection law and constitutional law, election subversion riskJanuary 6, The Big LieJustin Levitt

In the same NBC interview. There’s also (another) pledge to pardon Jan. 6 rioters on his first day. (And to end birthright citizenship – a portion of the Constitution, of course — on day one.)

“Election Day has long passed. In some states, legislatures are working to undermine the results.”

December 8, 2024, 9:50 pmdirect democracy, legislation and legislatures, political partiesJustin Levitt

The AP notes a variety of ways in which legislatures may push back.

“Why Voters Rejected Election Reform”

December 8, 2024, 9:50 pmdirect democracy, election administration, political parties, primariesranked-choice votingJustin Levitt

Russell Berman digs in to the reform measures on the 2024 ballot, in The Atlantic.

“Romanian Court Annuls Presidential Election Results and Orders a New Vote”

December 7, 2024, 9:04 pmcheap speech, comparative election law, election subversion riskforeign interferenceJustin Levitt

The NYT coverage of the Romanian constitutional court’s decision is here; the court’s decision itself is here. The NYT reports that the decision was based on manipulation of digital media — including this Tiktok controversy and alleged Russian… Continue reading

“Donald Trump Announces Plan to Change Elections”

December 7, 2024, 9:02 pmelection administration, voter id, voter registration, voting technologyJustin Levitt

Sort of. The Newsweek headline should really read “Donald Trump Announces Policy Goals” for elections, since all of what he’s proposing would require legislation: “We’re gonna do things that have been really needed for a long time,” he said. “And… Continue reading

“How Did Trust in Elections Change After the 2024 Presidential Contest?”

December 7, 2024, 9:00 pmelection administration, election subversion riskJustin Levitt

Following on this Pew data, more research from UC San Diego’s Yankelovich Center shows that voters’ expressed level of trust in the election process continues to be driven to a disturbingly large degree by the identity of the winners.

“Canvass board members in 7 Colorado counties vote against election certification”

December 7, 2024, 8:59 pmelection subversion riskcertificationJustin Levitt

Not all election denialism depends on the winner. I’ll continue to hope for repercussions for county board members taking the position that all of the votes of their own constituents should be thrown out.

“Big Cities – Tiny Votes? America’s Urban Voter Turnout”

December 7, 2024, 8:58 pmvoting2024 Election Turnout, local electionsJustin Levitt

More from the Yankelovich Center, this time on urban turnout, comparing presidential turnout (promising!) to mayoral turnout (sad trombone), and also noting the skew that comes with a different electorate.

“Revealed: the tech bosses who poured $394.1m into US election – and how they compared to Elon Musk”

December 7, 2024, 8:57 pmcampaign financeJustin Levitt

The Guardian parses the FEC tech-sector filings beyond Musk. Your reminder that FEC filings facilitate the drunkard’s search under the streetlight: they show what they show, but only where the light is good enough to see.

“Local elected officials in US faced uptick in hostility in lead-up to 2024 election”

December 7, 2024, 8:56 pmelection administration, election subversion risk, The Voting WarsJustin Levitt

The Guardian reports on this Bridging Divides Initiative/Civic Pulse survey of local elected officials and school board members, between July and October 2024. I’ll be interested to see what the stretch covering the general election reveals.

“Democrats say they’ll avoid election challenges on Jan. 6”

December 7, 2024, 8:53 pmelection subversion riskJanuary 6Justin Levitt

From the piece in The Hill: Democrats have protested election results in every cycle when a Republican won the White House for at least two decades, so the lack of protests will be a real change. These past objections… Continue reading