“New Pa. Supreme Court opinion opens the door for a patchwork of county policies on wrongly dated ballots”

February 8, 2023, 8:23 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Philly Inquirer: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has once again waded into the protracted legal battle over whether mail ballots missing a date or with the wrong date should be thrown out. But while a series of opinions the justices issued… Continue reading

“‘Only in Mississippi’: White representatives vote to create white-appointed court system for Blackest city in America”

February 8, 2023, 12:41 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Mississippi Today: A white supermajority of the Mississippi House voted after an intense, four-plus hour debate to create a separate court system and an expanded police force within the city of Jackson — the Blackest city in America — that… Continue reading

Want to Feel Better About American Elections?

February 8, 2023, 10:35 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

From the Financial Times, paywalled: It’s not every day that foreign observers are needed to monitor an election in Germany, one of the west’s richest and most stable democracies. But then again, Berlin is no ordinary city. Fourteen officials from… Continue reading

“Appeals court backs N.C. attorney general in battle to avoid criminal libel prosecution”

February 8, 2023, 10:35 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Politico: A federal appeals court has sided with North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein in his bid to avoid prosecution under a state law criminalizing false and “derogatory” statements related to political candidates. In a ruling Wednesday, the 4th… Continue reading

March 17 UCLA Law’s Safeguarding Democracy Project Conference (Live and Livestream): Can American Democracy Survive the 2024 Elections?

February 8, 2023, 7:49 amelection administration, election subversion riskRick Hasen

Can American Democracy Survive the 2024 Elections? The role of media, law, political norms, and technology in assuring free and fair elections and public acceptance of election results in the United States. Friday, March 17, 2023, 8:30 am to 5… Continue reading

“Sweep in 3 Special Elections Gives Democrats Control of Pennsylvania House”

February 8, 2023, 7:48 amlegislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

NYT: Democrats swept three special elections in solidly blue House districts in western Pennsylvania on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, putting the party in the majority by a single seat and breaking a Republican legislative monopoly that has… Continue reading

“‘They don’t trust us’: Nevada Election Workers Still Face Pressure and Harassment”

February 7, 2023, 5:40 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

New at Bolts.

Sign Up for Free, Upcoming Safeguarding Democracy Project Webinar with Jake Grumbach, February 16 at Noon Pacific

February 7, 2023, 5:01 pmelection subversion riskRick Hasen

Jake Grumbach will be in conversation with me about his new book, Laboratories Against Democracy. Thursday, Feb. 16 at noon. Free registration is required. It should be a great discussion. Part of the Spring Webinar series for UCLA Law’s… Continue reading

“How an Arizona official is making Cochise County a ‘laboratory’ for election skepticism”

February 7, 2023, 2:45 pmfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Votebeat: David Stevens had never supervised a ballot count. He didn’t know how he would count nearly 50,000 ballots by hand, who would help, or where he would find enough space to do it. But that didn’t dissuade him. Less… Continue reading

“The People Onscreen Are Fake. The Disinformation Is Real.”

February 7, 2023, 12:50 pmcheap speechRick Hasen

NYT: In one video, a news anchor with perfectly combed dark hair and a stubbly beard outlined what he saw as the United States’ shameful lack of action against gun violence. In another video, a female news anchor heralded China’s… Continue reading

“Georgia panel: Reforms, resources needed for election review”

February 7, 2023, 12:48 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

AP: A process recently implemented by Georgia state lawmakers to examine how county officials handle elections is likely unsustainable without more resources or reforms, according to the panel that did the first review under the law. The provision in a … Continue reading

Eighth Circuit refuses to bar Minnesota Attorney General’s subpoenas against WinRed

February 7, 2023, 8:42 amcampaign finance, campaignsDerek Muller

An opinion in WinRed Inc. v. Ellison written by Judge Benton, joined by Chief Judge Smith (with some excerpts, below, lightly edited). (Judge Shepherd, “writing separately,” argues the case is not ripe for review and the court lacks jurisdiction.)

“Santos’ unusual $199.99 campaign expenses are putting scrutiny on his longtime treasurer”

February 7, 2023, 8:37 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

CNN: In the fall of 2020, then-New York Rep. Lee Zeldin’s campaign submitted a report to federal regulators with a series of unusual expenses: 21 payments on a single day of exactly $199.99 each. The outlays – each just one… Continue reading

“Who benefits from voter identification laws?”

February 7, 2023, 7:28 amvoter idRick Hasen

Jeffrey J. Harden and Alejandra Campos in PNAS. Abstract: In the first two decades of the twenty-first century, many American state governments implemented voter identification (ID) laws for elections held in their states. These laws, which commonly mandate photo… Continue reading

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The law of politics and the politics of law