Reply Brief Filed in Moore v. Harper Case Before Supreme Court Oral Argument Dec. 7; Petitioners Make Clear that ISL Theory Should Not Be Used to Steal Elections

November 18, 2022, 1:40 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Here’s the brief. And here’s the relevant fn: 14 Some of Respondents’ amici make the scurrilous suggestion that Petitioners’ interpretation would enable state legislatures to change the result of a Presidential election by replacingpopularly chosen electors with their own slate.… Continue reading

Updated–It’s Now Official: Kari Lake Will Not Concede

November 18, 2022, 1:21 pmchicanery2022 Election Cycle, Election DeniersTabatha Abu El-Haj

Earlier in the week, I wrote that true to her brand, Kari Lake is refusing to concede in the Arizona Governor’s race. In a video released today, she has raised questions about the election process and emphasized to supporters… Continue reading

“Election Day Problems Inflame Voter Fraud Conspiracies in Houston”

November 18, 2022, 4:32 amelection administrationnew vote denialTabatha Abu El-Haj

Bolts Magazine has this nice analysis of the way administrative incompetence on Election Day in Harris County is fueling Republican conspiracy theories. Harris County experienced notable (if not necessarily widespread) problems on Election Day: Polls opened late; they were… Continue reading

Updated–Boebert’s tight race was headed to recount, Democrat conceeds

November 18, 2022, 4:21 amrecounts2022 Election CycleTabatha Abu El-Haj

Earlier this morning the AP declared that Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District was too close to call and headed to a recount. This evening The Hill reports, Democrat Adam Frisch has conceded to Lauren Boebert, noting that the recount was unlikely… Continue reading

“Arizona voters reject effort to enact stricter voter ID law”

November 17, 2022, 1:49 pmdirect democracy, voter id2022 Election Cycle, new vote denialTabatha Abu El-Haj

AP News says it is now clear that Proposition 309, which would have imposed additional hurdles for absentee ballots and stricter voter ID requirements, has failed. The measure has fallen short by about 20,000 votes–over the recount margin. “Arizona voters… Continue reading

“Biden Made a Play for Young Voters. It Worked — and Helped Democrats Keep the Senate”

November 17, 2022, 1:34 pmUncategorized2022 Election Cycle, Youth Voter TurnoutTabatha Abu El-Haj

Behind its firewall, Bloomberg has an analysis of the decisive role young voters appear to have played in key Senate races, most prominently Nevada’s. The article summarizes this publicly available analysis from Circle at Tufts University. As summarized by Bloomberg:… Continue reading

“Yes, McCarthy is still House Republican leader. Who’s the new GOP whip?”

November 17, 2022, 5:20 amcampaign financeTabatha Abu El-Haj

Monkey Cage has an interesting account of the procedures and politics that lead to Tom Emmers’ (R. Minn) election as GOP whip. Beyond a summary of the voting process, a key piece of the analysis is that Emmers has been… Continue reading

Young and Independent Voters Want Campaigns to Leave Them Alone

November 17, 2022, 4:39 amcampaigns, cheap speechNew SurveyTabatha Abu El-Haj

A new survey by Civics finds that young and independent voters do not appreciate unsolicited emails and text messages from multiple campaigns and they would rather they stopped. The survey analysts conclude: “Democrats are at risk of burning out their… Continue reading

Breaking (but not surprising) News–Republicans will control the House

November 16, 2022, 7:48 pmUncategorizedTabatha Abu El-Haj

NY Times is reporting, as are other outlets, the expected news: “After more than a week of counting, the Republican Party gained the 218 House seats needed to claim the majority, ushering in an era of divided government.” There are… Continue reading

So, How’s Rank Choice Voting Working out for Alaska?

November 16, 2022, 7:36 pmcumulative votingAlaska, rank choice votingTabatha Abu El-Haj

Like me, some of you may only recently have gotten interested in rank-choice voting. One-week out, I found myself curious: How is RCV playing out in Alaska? First, and foremost, the process seems to be working smoothly and the vast… Continue reading

The Known and Unknown Donor Thumbprints on Our Political Choices

November 16, 2022, 2:18 pmcampaign financedark money, Policy ReponsivenessTabatha Abu El-Haj

Donor thumbprints are all over our choices and our opportunities to make political choices. And Americans don’t have a lot of political options when it comes to reducing their influence—thanks to the Supreme Court (a product of their influence). This… Continue reading

“Election officials feared the worst. Here’s why baseless claims haven’t fueled chaos”

November 16, 2022, 1:44 pmcheap speech, chicanery, election administrationTabatha Abu El-Haj

NPR has a nice analysis of why voting went smoothly last week and why those seeking to spread false claims and sow doubts failed to fuel a similar level of chaos this election cycle: Preparation, Security, and the former President’s… Continue reading

Watch My Conversation with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes about What the Defeat of Election Deniers in Swing States Means for the Future of American Democracy

November 16, 2022, 1:23 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Important conversation you can watch here.

“How did Gascón end up launching a criminal probe sparked by far-right election conspiracy theories?”

November 16, 2022, 12:43 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

LA Times: In the months following the Pit event, Gascón became an extraordinarily unlikely backer of some True the Vote claims, echoing in an Oct. 14 news conference the group’s allegations that Konnech stored poll worker data overseas. Ultimately,… Continue reading