Reform Roundup: PR, fusion, RCV & more

December 21, 2023, 7:42 amUncategorizedFusionSpencer Overton

Dan Balz in the Washington Post on expanding the U.S. House, multi-member districts and proportional representation, ranked-choice voting and open primaries, reforming the U.S. Senate, eliminating the electoral college, reforming the U.S. Supreme Court, voting rights, and bridging divisions and… Continue reading

“Judge denies Kari Lake’s request to dismiss defamation suit”

December 21, 2023, 7:40 amUncategorizedDefamationSpencer Overton

KPNX 12News: PHOENIX — A Maricopa County judge on Wednesday denied U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake’s motion to dismiss a defamation lawsuit brought by fellow Republican Stephen Richer, one of the county’s top elections officials. . . . The… Continue reading

“An Analysis of Statewide Election Recounts, 2000-2023”

December 21, 2023, 7:38 amUncategorizedSpencer Overton

A new FairVote report: Recounts resulted in only three reversals, or one out of every 2,310 statewide elections. All three reversals occurred when the initial margin was less than 0.06% of all votes cast for the top two candidates… Continue reading

“Colorado Supreme Court justices face a flood of threats after disqualifying Trump from the ballot”

December 21, 2023, 7:37 amUncategorized14th Amendment, TrumpSpencer Overton

NBC News: In the 24 hours since the Colorado Supreme Court kicked former President Donald Trump off the state’s Republican primary ballot, social media outlets have been flooded with threats against the justices who ruled in the case, according… Continue reading

Luttig and Marcus on Colorado Decision

December 21, 2023, 7:36 amUncategorized14th AmendmentSpencer Overton

Conservative scholar Judge J. Michael Luttig on why the 14th Amendment requires Trump’s disqualification, and Ruth Marcus on why SCOTUS should “clear the way for Trump to run.”

“Supreme Court seems destined to play pivotal role in 2024 elections”

December 21, 2023, 7:35 amUncategorizedSCOTUS, TrumpSpencer Overton

Washington Post: The Supreme Court will be pressed to answer multiple questions crucial to next year’s presidential election, thrust into a pivotal role not seen since its 2000 decision that sealed the victory for President George W. Bush.

Roundup: Colorado Supreme Court’s Disqualification of Trump from 2024 Primary Ballot

December 20, 2023, 7:37 amUncategorized14th AmendmentSpencer Overton

Select Coverage: WSJ & WaPo Analysis/Opinion: Aaron Blake, David Frum, Democratic & Republican lawmakers (The Hill & Time Magazine), Maggie Haberman, Rick Hasen, Maya King, Harry Litman, Derek Muller, Hans von … Continue reading

“Portland’s campaign finance program scales back ahead of 2024 election”

December 20, 2023, 7:18 amUncategorizedCampaign finance, public financingSpencer Overton

Oregon Public Broadcasting: Portland’s campaign financing program doesn’t have enough money to operate at full capacity ahead of a historic election year. For some candidates, this means losing hundreds of thousands of anticipated dollars to run their 2024 campaigns. The… Continue reading

“Voting rights groups file sweeping lawsuit against NC redistricting plans”

December 20, 2023, 7:17 amUncategorizedVoting Rights ActSpencer Overton

NC Newsline: Voting rights groups in North Carolina filed a sweeping redistricting lawsuit Tuesday that claims the Republican-led legislature violated federal law by racially gerrymandering the state House, state Senate and congressional plans for election districts. The suit by the… Continue reading

“Voting-rights groups sue over new Ohio elections law”

December 20, 2023, 7:15 amUncategorizedVoting Rights ActSpencer Overton

Cleveland.com: COLUMBUS, Ohio — In a new federal lawsuit, voting-rights groups say that a recently passed Ohio law which makes it a felony for someone other than a postal worker or a close relative to handle someone’s absentee ballot… Continue reading

“Georgia redistricting tests if the Voting Rights Act protects ‘coalition districts’”

December 20, 2023, 7:14 amUncategorizedcoalition districts, Voting Rights ActSpencer Overton

NPR: NORCROSS, Ga. — Anthony Pacheco is Latino, but for the last several years he has worked as a community organizer at the nonprofit Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta. More than once, people have asked him why. “I see a… Continue reading

Will the U.S.Supreme Court Keep Donald Trump Off the Ballot ? Some Initial Thoughts

December 19, 2023, 5:40 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

I am traveling and so I offer only some brief and initial thoughts here about what the United States Supreme Court may and should do in light of the Colorado Supreme Court’s determination that Donald Trump is ineligible to serve… Continue reading

BREAKING: by 4-3 vote, Colorado Supreme Court bars Trump from primary ballot

December 19, 2023, 3:06 pmballot accessDerek Muller

The Colorado Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, has issued its decision in Anderson v. Griswold, here. (Disclosure: I filed an amicus brief in support of neither party in the case.) From the opinion: In this appeal from a… Continue reading

“Defamed Georgia poll workers who won $148M from Giuliani sue him again”

December 19, 2023, 6:43 amUncategorizedSpencer Overton

WaPo: Lawyers for the two Georgia election workers who won $148 million in damages from former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani last week filed a new lawsuit Monday, asking a federal judge to order him to stop repeating his damaging… Continue reading