New Podcast: “This Old Democracy”

July 23, 2025, 9:35 amalternative voting systems, third partiesDan Tokaji

From the Center for Ballot Freedom: We have launched a podcast called This Old Democracy. (Political scientists often call our system “pre-modern,” meaning it’s really old, it’s falling apart in a lot of ways, and it definitely needs a… Continue reading

“Proxy Season Results Show Strong Support for Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability”

July 23, 2025, 8:07 amcampaign financeDan Tokaji

Bruce Freed, Dan Carroll, and Karl Sandstrom of the Center for Political Accountability, in the Harvard Law School Forum for Corporate Governance: “[V]otes for Governance proposals calling on companies to adopt political disclosure and accountability policies surged in the just… Continue reading

“Silicon Valley’s bet on Trump starts to pay off”

July 23, 2025, 5:56 amcampaign finance, lobbyingDan Tokaji

Washington Post: The White House on Wednesday plans to reveal how it will position the United States to lead a global race to develop artificial intelligence and unveil three executive orders intended to boost the American tech sector, according… Continue reading

The Latest on Texas Redistricting

July 23, 2025, 5:52 amredistrictingDan Tokaji

NYT has this story on a possible Democratic walkout of the special legislative session: “Republicans in the Texas Legislature are planning to hold off on voting on measures to address the state’s deadly July 4 flooding until after they approve… Continue reading

White House and Allies Blocking GAO Inquiries

July 23, 2025, 5:17 amlegislation and legislaturesDan Tokaji

NYT reports: A federal watchdog has opened dozens of investigations to determine if President Trump and his top aides have illegally withheld billions of dollars in congressionally approved funds. Now, Republican lawmakers are working alongside the White House to… Continue reading

Kornacki: “How redistricting could change the fight for the House majority”

July 23, 2025, 5:08 amredistrictingDan Tokaji

Steve Kornacki for NBC News, breaking down the impact of potential re-redistrictings in Texas and Ohio.

“As Texas dives into federal SAVE database to verify voter citizenship, some experts are worried”

July 23, 2025, 5:00 amvoter registrationDan Tokaji

Votebeat: Texas is one of the earliest states to start using the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ overhauled SAVE database to check voters’ eligibility. That comes after the Trump administration, in its campaign to eliminate the risk of noncitizen… Continue reading

Corey Brettschneider and Aidan Calvelli Review My Book, “A Real Right to Vote,” in Political Science Quarterly

July 22, 2025, 4:55 pmReal Right to VoteRick Hasen

A very thoughtful review essay.

“Miami postponed its 2025 elections. A judge says it’s illegal. Why did the city do it?”

July 22, 2025, 10:27 amelection administrationDan Tokaji

Washington Post: A circuit court judge ruled Monday that a controversial decision by Miami commissioners in June to postpone the city’s November elections until 2026 without voter approval is unconstitutional and unlawful. The ruling by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Valerie Manno… Continue reading

USC Report on California’s 2024 Turnout Drop

July 22, 2025, 10:17 amvotingDan Tokaji

From the Center for Inclusive Democracy: After historically high turnout in the 2020 presidential election amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2024 presidential election saw a decline in turnout across California. Despite the hopeful expectations of many that the voter… Continue reading

“How Democrats might stop the Ohio GOP from gerrymandering again”

July 22, 2025, 10:13 amredistrictingDan Tokaji

The Downballot: “Ohio must pass a new congressional map this year, but Democrats are threatening to qualify a referendum for the ballot that could stop Republicans from further gerrymandering the state’s already skewed districts.”

“Kenneth Chesebro and the Ethics of Election Subversion”

July 22, 2025, 8:57 amchicanery, election law bizRick Hasen

Sung Hui Kim has posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: This Article examines the role of attorney Kenneth Chesebro in orchestrating the “fake electors plot” following the 2020 U.S. presidential election. It traces Chesebro’s transformation from a… Continue reading

Brennan Center: “Homeland Security’s ‘SAVE’ Program Exacerbates Risks to Voters”

July 22, 2025, 7:28 amfraudulent fraud squad, voter registrationDan Tokaji

Jasleen Singh and Spencer Reynolds: The Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or “SAVE,” program was designed to help states verify the citizenship and immigration status of people applying for government benefits…. But SAVE’s results — sometimes based on incomplete… Continue reading

“Trump Admin Defying Court By Stonewalling on Anti-Voting Order, Plaintiffs Say”

July 22, 2025, 4:59 amabsentee ballots, Department of Justice, Election Assistance Commission, voter registrationDan Tokaji

Democracy Docket: The Trump administration is defying a court order by refusing to say how federal agencies may be implementing President Donald Trump’s sweeping anti-voting executive order, pro-voting groups and Democrats alleged in a filing Friday. Among the order’s… Continue reading