“Republican calls for second recount in NC Supreme Court race”

December 4, 2024, 11:28 pmjudicial elections, recounts, voter registrationJustin Levitt

I’ve gotten a few questions about this. First, there was a request for a machine recount of the by-a-tiny-nose North Carolina Supreme Court election between incumbent Allison Riggs and challenger Jefferson Griffin. Then there was a request for a… Continue reading

“Will NC Republicans have the votes to override Cooper’s veto of powers-stripping bill?”

December 4, 2024, 11:27 pmpolitical parties, The Voting Warsdemocratic backslidingJustin Levitt

The story above was about how well the North Carolina elections process works. Jury’s still out on the state’s democracy process, though. This News & Observer piece reviews the legislation tacked on to a Helene relief bill, stripping state executive… Continue reading

“Out-of-state campaign spending responsible for many of Idaho’s negative campaign ads”

December 4, 2024, 11:26 pmcampaign financedisclosure, transparencyJustin Levitt

The Idaho Capital Sun with a report on a fascinating campaign finance dashboard with some intriguing information.

“Campaign Board Head Hints Eric Adams Could Be Denied Reelection Matching Funds”

December 4, 2024, 11:25 pmcampaign finance, ethics investigationspolitical corruptionJustin Levitt

The subhead to this report from The City: “Executive director says Campaign Finance Board members will make “judgment calls” that could take into account a recent federal indictment for allegedly obtaining $10 million illegally in 2021.”

It’s time again to sell the Inauguration

December 4, 2024, 11:24 pmcampaign financepolitical corruptionJustin Levitt

The NYT on the price tag for access this cycle.

“With new leaders, Maricopa County’s well-guarded elections may see shake-up”

December 4, 2024, 11:23 pmelection administrationJustin Levitt

An important new piece from Votebeat on the division of responsibilities in Maricopa (and negotiation of new relationships) between the recorder and the board of supervisors.

2024 BPC Elections Summit

December 3, 2024, 10:16 pmelection administrationJustin Levitt

Looks like a spectacular packed roster for the Bipartisan Policy Center’s 2024 Elections Summit — academics, nonprofits, election officials, legislators, commissioners, you name it — on Wednesday, 8am-5pm ET. YouTube seats still available.

“What We Saw on Our Platforms During 2024’s Global Elections”

December 3, 2024, 10:15 pmcheap speech, chicaneryJustin Levitt

A description from Meta about the state of their social media in the recent election cycle (including covert foreign influence operations Meta says it detected and quashed). Of course, it’d be nice if there were enough transparency to allow for… Continue reading

“The new question ballot-measure pollsters have to ask”

December 3, 2024, 10:14 pmballot access, direct democracyJustin Levitt

Politico highlights something California voters saw for the first time this year: 5 supporters and 5 opponents for each ballot measure, right on the ballot.

More mail ballot deadline controversy in Mississippi

December 3, 2024, 10:14 pmabsentee ballots, The Voting WarsJustin Levitt

Advocates protest an apparent conversion of the day after Thanksgiving to a work day, limiting the opportunities for curing mail ballot errors potentially relevant in a very tight Supreme Court race.

“Whitmer signs bills restricting firearms at Michigan polling places, vote counting centers”

December 3, 2024, 10:13 pmThe Voting WarspollworkersJustin Levitt

At least a few election workers are likely breathing just a bit easier.

“How billionaires took over U.S. elections”

December 3, 2024, 10:12 pmcampaign financeJustin Levitt

Marketplace does the numbers … and I’m not sure this accounts for the value of billionaire-driven social media.

“Most Portlanders understood ranked-choice election, poll finds, but there’s work to do”

December 3, 2024, 10:12 pmalternative voting systemsJustin Levitt

Interesting follow-up exit polling on Portland’s new system. The city’s report is here.

“The National Popular Vote (NPV) Proposal for U.S. Presidential Elections Undermines Election Integrity”

December 3, 2024, 10:11 pmelectoral collegeaudits, national popular voteJustin Levitt

H/t to Sean Parnell for the new paper by Ron Rivest and Philip Stark: National Popular Vote (NPV) Interstate Compact [Koza et al., 2024] attempts to provide direct presidential elections in the U.S. without a constitutional amendment, through a binding… Continue reading