#ELB20th: 20 Years of the Election Law Blog, and 20 Years of American Democracy’s Slow (and Faster) Deterioration: A Call for Vigilance and Resilience

February 15, 2023, 6:47 am#ELB20th, Supreme Court, theoryRick Hasen

Twenty years ago this month, I began the Election Law Blog. It was a continuation of sorts of news and commentary that I had been sharing with election law professors, first via a listserv Dan Lowenstein and I created that… Continue reading

“Election deniers face a nationwide wave of pushbacks”

February 15, 2023, 6:43 amelection subversion riskRick Hasen

WaPo: When the new Arizona attorney general took office last month, she repurposed a unit once exclusively devoted to rooting outelection fraud to focus on voting rights and ballot access. In North Carolina on Tuesday, theState Board of Elections began… Continue reading

“Oklahoma Considers Separating State and Federal Elections if Voting Rights Acts Pass”

February 14, 2023, 3:25 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Oklahoma Watch: President Joe Biden is urging Congress to resurrect sweeping voting rights legislation that would mandate same-day and online registration and restore voting rights for people convicted of felonies after leaving prison. A combined version of the John R.… Continue reading

“Democrats Meddle Again in a G.O.P. Primary, This Time Down-Ballot”

February 14, 2023, 7:37 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: Last year, Democrats spent millions of dollars elevating far-right candidates in Republican primary contests for governor and Congress — betting, it turned out correctly, that more extreme opponents would lose general elections. Now Wisconsin Democrats are trying to… Continue reading

“Combating Disinformation Wanes at Social Media Giants”

February 14, 2023, 7:27 amcheap speechRick Hasen

NYT: YouTube, like other social media platforms, spent years expanding its efforts to tackle misinformation after the 2016 election. It hired policy experts and content moderators and invested in more technology to limit the reach of false narratives. Not anymore.… Continue reading

“Pence to fight special counsel subpoena on Trump’s 2020 election denial”

February 14, 2023, 7:23 amlegislation and legislatures, Speech or Debate ClauseRick Hasen

Politico: Mike Pence is preparing to resist a grand jury subpoena for testimony about former President Donald Trump’s push to overturn the 2020 election, according to two people familiar with the former vice president’s thinking. Pence’s decision to challenge Special… Continue reading

“Minnesota must let sun shine on campaign cash”

February 14, 2023, 7:21 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

George Beck oped: Eight in 10 Minnesotans support making the identities of contributors to political campaigns public. They realize that who provides money to a campaign is an important factor to consider in deciding whether to support a candidate. It… Continue reading

“Fulton judge: Portions of Trump grand jury report to be released this week”

February 13, 2023, 8:05 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

AJC: A Fulton County judge said Monday that he planned to keep private portions of a special grand jury report that recommends specific individuals be indicted following an eight-month criminal probe that examined whether former President Donald Trump and his… Continue reading

“Jack Smith, Special Counsel for Trump Inquiries, Steps Up the Pace”

February 13, 2023, 7:48 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: Did former President Donald J. Trump consume detailed information about foreign countries while in office? How extensively did he seek information about whether voting machines had been tampered with? Did he indicate he knew he was leaving when his… Continue reading

“GOP election tactics no surprise to Wisconsin’s Black voters”

February 13, 2023, 7:47 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

AP: Recent revelations about Republican election strategies targeting minority communities in Wisconsin’s biggest city came as no surprise to many Black voters. A Wisconsin election commissioner bragged about low turnout in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods during last year’s… Continue reading

“Defiant Kari Lake carries election denier banner across Iowa amid divided GOP”

February 13, 2023, 7:45 amfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

WaPo: For two days, Kari Lake traversed this state with a clear message. She falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. She baselessly insisted that votes were rigged against her in her run for Arizona governor… Continue reading

“Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race is expected to top $6 million in spending. And that’s just for the primary.”

February 13, 2023, 7:39 amcampaign finance, judicial electionsRick Hasen

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Wisconsin’s officially non-partisan Supreme Court race is getting big money from outside interest groups in one of the hotly contested races in the country. With less than two weeks to go, Wisconsin’s Supreme Court candidates and outside groups… Continue reading

“Column: In Arizona, a crackpot gets promoted and underscores the danger to democracy”

February 13, 2023, 7:37 amfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Mark Barabak LAT column: Meet Wendy Rogers. Her political credentials include antisemitism, a hyperactive promotion of outlandish conspiracy theories, a fondness for the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy and Vladimir Putin, and consorting with the outspoken racist and white nationalist… Continue reading

“George Santos and the Case of the Missing $365,000”

February 13, 2023, 7:26 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: Representative George Santos has spent his campaign money in plenty of conspicuous ways, from lavish hotel stays in Las Vegas and Palm Beach, Fla., to an unusual slew of payments for exactly $199.99 — two cents below the threshold where receipts would… Continue reading