“Sequential Reporting of Vote Counts may Amplify False Perceptions of Election Fraud”

August 5, 2025, 4:35 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Interesting new study here. Abstract: In seven studies, we investigated how reporting partial vote counts influences perceptions of election legitimacy. Beliefs in election fraud, as in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, may be fueled by the cumulative redundancy bias… Continue reading

My New One at Slate on the Supreme Court Potentially Killing the Remaining Pillar of the Voting Rights Act: “The Supreme Court Just Signaled Something Deeply Disturbing About the Next Term”

August 4, 2025, 7:27 amredistricting, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

I have written this piece for Slate. It begins: Reading the tea leaves from cryptic Supreme Court orders can be perilous business because the justices are not bound by the questions they ask at oral argument, the offhand comments they… Continue reading

“Machine malfunctions rarely get in the way of voting, Pennsylvania reports show”

August 4, 2025, 6:40 amUncategorizedNicholas Stephanopoulos

From Votebeat’s Carrie Walker: Pennsylvania voters encountered only scattered voting-machine malfunctions that rarely affected their ability to cast ballots in recent elections, according to a Votebeat and Spotlight PA analysis of problems reported to the state. Counties reported a… Continue reading

“Justice Department demand for state voter lists underscores their importance”

August 4, 2025, 6:38 amUncategorizedNicholas Stephanopoulos

Stateline: The Trump administration’s effort to scoop up voter registration lists and other information from a growing number of states underscores how state-controlled voter lists are a major battleground in fights over access to the polls. The Justice Department… Continue reading

“Candidates decry dark money — and reap its benefits”

August 4, 2025, 6:37 amUncategorizedNicholas Stephanopoulos

John Frank in Axios: “The leading Democrats in the 2026 governor’s race are two of the most vocal critics of dark money in politics. Yes, but: Both — U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser — are poised… Continue reading

“Arizona’s secretary of state changes election manual in response to Republican challenges”

August 4, 2025, 6:37 amUncategorizedNicholas Stephanopoulos

From Votebeat’s Jen Fifield: “Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes is walking back election rules that he said would better protect voters, after Republicans successfully challenged them in court. In a draft rulebook for the state’s 2026 midterm elections,… Continue reading

“Gov. Greg Abbott threatens Texas House Democrats with removal from office for fleeing state”

August 4, 2025, 6:36 amUncategorizedNicholas Stephanopoulos

Texas Tribune: Gov. Greg Abbott informed Texas House Democrats late Sunday that he would attempt to have them removed from office if they do not return to Austin to pass the GOP’s proposed new congressional maps. The Republican governor’s… Continue reading

“Democratic Group Calls on Blue States to Draw New House Maps”

August 4, 2025, 6:26 amUncategorizedNicholas Stephanopoulos

The DLCC is pressing Democratic legislatures around the country to redraw their states’ maps if Republicans proceed with re-redistricting in Texas, Ohio, and elsewhere. All this activity is deeply unfortunate since the U.S. House is currently quite fair by historical… Continue reading

“Ranked Choice, Election Reform, and the New York City Vote”

August 4, 2025, 6:22 amUncategorizedNicholas Stephanopoulos

Cato will be holding this forum on instant-runoff voting later this week. The dramatic outcome of the New York City mayoral primary, in which Zohran Mamdani outpaced former governor Andrew Cuomo and then clinched the win with second-choice votes from… Continue reading

Yale “MFIA Clinic Report Provides Roadmap for Attorneys to Challenge Election Disinformation”

August 3, 2025, 4:20 pmcheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

Important report released by Yale Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic: Students from Yale Law School’s Media Freedom and Information Access (MFIA) Clinic have released a new white paper titled “Using the Ku Klux Klan Act to Combat Election Disinformation: … Continue reading

“Texas House Democrats flee the state in bid to block GOP’s proposed congressional map”

August 3, 2025, 4:11 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Texas Tribune: Texas Democratic lawmakers fled the state Sunday in a bid to block passage of a new congressional map designed to give the GOP five additional seats in the U.S. House next year, raising the stakes in what’s… Continue reading

“The Mothership Vortex: An Investigation Into the Firm at the Heart of the Democratic Spam Machine; How a single consulting firm extracted $282 million from a network of spam PACs while delivering just $11 million to actual campaigns.”

August 3, 2025, 4:10 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Must-read from Adam Bonica: The digital deluge is a familiar annoyance for anyone on a Democratic fundraising list. It’s a relentless cacophony of bizarre texts and emails, each one more urgent than the last, promising that your immediate $15 donation… Continue reading

“Trump and his allies mount a pressure campaign against US elections ahead of the midterms”

August 3, 2025, 4:06 pmelection administration, election subversion riskRick Hasen

Fredreka Schouten for CNN: A few weeks ago, Republican election officials in Colorado began receiving unsolicited calls and texts from a GOP consultant who said he was working with the Trump administration on “election integrity.” In a text to one… Continue reading

“After 47 years on the political beat for The Post, it’s transition time; Dan Balz writes on his retirement from full-time work at The Washington Post after 47 years.”

August 3, 2025, 4:02 pmelection law bizRick Hasen

A true legend pens his last regular column. Fortunately, Dan plans to write more, just on a less set schedule. Wishing him all the best in (semi-)retirement.

Election Law Blog

The law of politics and the politics of law