“Inside Kevin McCarthy’s secret promise to expunge Trump’s record”

July 20, 2023, 5:39 amelection subversion risk, legislation and legislaturesDan Tokaji

Politico reports: After House Speaker Kevin McCarthy suggested on national television last month that Donald Trump may not be the GOP’s best presidential nominee in 2024, the former president was furious — and wanted the California Republican to rectify… Continue reading

“Trump’s Legal Woes Mount as Trial Dates and Campaign Calendar Collide”

July 20, 2023, 5:34 amelection subversion risk, primariesDan Tokaji

NYT: Generally, criminal defendants must be present in the courtroom during their trials. Not only will that force Mr. Trump to step away from the campaign trail, possibly for weeks at a time, but the judges overseeing his trials… Continue reading

“After fitful starts, Trump Jan. 6 investigations hurtle toward charges”

July 20, 2023, 5:32 amelection subversion risk, political polarizationDan Tokaji

WaPo on recent developments in the federal, Georgia, and Arizona investigations, as well as this week’s charges in Michigan: The proliferation of charges and expected charges marks the most extensive effort yet to hold accountable those who attempted to help… Continue reading

“Alabama legislature passes redistricting maps that Democrats say defy court order”

July 20, 2023, 5:26 amredistrictingDan Tokaji

WaPo: “The Republican-led House and Senate in Alabama approved dueling congressional maps Wednesday that would increase the percentage of Black voters in the state’s 2nd District — but not by enough, Democrats argued, to comply with a federal court… Continue reading

“Secretary of State set to trim Georgia voter rolls ahead of 2024”

July 20, 2023, 5:19 amvoter registrationDan Tokaji

Axios: “Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger plans to strike nearly 192,000 names from the state’s voter rolls as a part of “routine and legally required” list maintenance ahead of the 2024 election.” Release from the SOS’s office here… Continue reading

“Michigan governor signs legislation expanding voting rights”

July 20, 2023, 5:17 amabsentee ballots, voter idDan Tokaji

AP: “The legislation, which resulted from the voter-approved Proposal 2, establishes a website for voters to track when their ballots are received and counted, and requires at least nine days of early voting before each statewide and federal election.… Continue reading

“Sorting Out the Kinks in Ranked-Choice Voting”

July 19, 2023, 3:05 pmalternative voting systemsDan Tokaji

Walter Olson, Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, has this comment on the Arlington (VA) county board’s recent decision not to use ranked-choice voting in its upcoming general election. He concludes “it’s too soon to pronounce whether Saturday’s announcement represents… Continue reading

Faces of Democracy: Utah County’s Josh Daniels

July 19, 2023, 2:56 pmelection administration, election subversion riskDan Tokaji

Issue One has this interview with the former County Clerk of Utah County, UT, part of its series highlighting election officials and poll workers across the country.

“‘Fake elector’ charges epitomize how Trump’s allies played with fire”

July 19, 2023, 5:34 amelection subversion riskDan Tokaji

WaPo on yesterday’s felony charges against 16 people in Michigan: “Here’s what the Michigan case reinforces about the ‘fake elector’ plots: just how many people seemed to recognize that the plan wasn’t exactly on the up-and-up.”

“Senators to Propose Ban on U.S. Lawmakers, Executive Branch Members Owning Stock”

July 19, 2023, 5:22 amconflict of interest lawsDan Tokaji

WSJ: Two U.S. senators are set this week to introduce bipartisan legislation to bar members of the federal executive branch and lawmakers from owning stock in individual companies, as new polling shows broad public support for such a measure.… Continue reading

“Target Letter to Trump Raises Possibility of Obstruction and Fraud Charges”

July 19, 2023, 5:15 amelection subversion riskDan Tokaji

NYT on the possible federal indictment relating to Trump’s efforts to remain in office culminating in the January 6 attack on the Capitol: A person briefed on the matter said the target letter cited three statutes that could be applied… Continue reading

“Illegal voting maps were used in some states in 2022. This legal idea allowed them”

July 19, 2023, 5:02 amelection administration, redistricting, Supreme CourtDan Tokaji

Hansi Lo Wang has this extended NPR piece on the still-growing impact of Purcell v. Gonzalez (audio to be added late tomorrow afternoon). It includes an interview with Helen Purcell, who was Maricopa County’s top election official when the Supreme… Continue reading

“Michigan charges 16 Trump electors who falsely claimed he won the state”

July 18, 2023, 3:22 pmelection subversion risk, electoral collegeDan Tokaji

WaPo: “Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged 16 Republicans who falsely claimed to be the state’s 2020 presidential electors with forgery and other felonies Tuesday, bringing the first criminal prosecution against Trump electors as investigations over attempts to overturn… Continue reading

ASU Report on Voter Attitudes about Elections

July 18, 2023, 2:59 pmalternative voting systems, election administration, primariesDan Tokaji

From the hotbed — no pun intended (sorry Arizonans, I know it’s been sweltering) — of election denialism comes this report by Arizona State’s Center for Independent and Sustainable Democracy. Highlights from the press release: Arizona voters strongly support… Continue reading