“I’m an election law expert who ran a polling station this election – here’s what I learned about the powerful role of local officials in applying the law fairly”

November 10, 2022, 4:48 amelection administrationDerek Muller

Over at The Conversation, I have this interview about my service as a poll worker. I chaired a precinct here in Iowa in the 2022 General Election (my second time chairing, and my third time working a polling place… Continue reading

“Total Vote Runoff” & Baldwin’s method

November 9, 2022, 5:42 pmUncategorizedNed Foley

Since publication of the Washington Post column describing the “Total Vote Runoff” variation on Ranked Choice Voting, questions have arisen about the relationship of this procedure to what is known in the electoral systems literature as Baldwin’s method. The two… Continue reading

“Trump called a protest. No one showed. Why GOP efforts to cry foul fizzled this time.”

November 9, 2022, 5:32 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

WaPo: As voters cast ballots largely without incident on Tuesday afternoon, former president Donald Trump took to social media to declare that a minor, already rectified problem with absentee balloting in Detroit was “REALLY BAD.”“Protest, protest, protest,” he wrotejust before… Continue reading

Mike Pence Says Trump Told Him He Was Being “Too Honest” in Refusing to Subvert the 2020 Election to Give Trump a Victory over Biden

November 9, 2022, 1:20 pmelection subversion riskRick Hasen

WSJ adaptation from Pence’s upcoming memoir: Early on New Year’s Day, the phone rang. Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert and other Republicans had filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to declare that I had “exclusive authority and sole discretion” to… Continue reading

“How News About Maricopa County’s Ballot-Counting Machines Went Viral”

November 9, 2022, 11:20 amcheap speech, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

NYT: Technical glitches on Tuesday disrupted operations at about a quarter of the voting centers in Maricopa County, Ariz., the most populous county in a state with multiple competitive races.While the problems were later solved, it set off a firestorm… Continue reading

Pennsylvania: “Republican National Committee to challenge provisional ballots”

November 9, 2022, 11:19 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Philly Inquirer: The national Republican Party is planning to challenge provisional ballots cast by Pennsylvania voters, a lawyer wrote in a letter to county elections officials Wednesday.The Republican National Committee “intends to challenge the provisional ballots cast by voters… Continue reading

“Key election deniers concede defeat after disputing Trump’s 2020 loss”

November 9, 2022, 10:06 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

WaPo: Voters in several battleground states have rebuked state-levelcandidates who echoed former president Donald Trump’s false claim that the 2020 presidential race was rigged, keeping election deniers from positions with power over the certification of future presidential election results.But dozens… Continue reading

Election Deniers Didn’t Win Big, but Continue to Threaten Multiracial Democracy

November 9, 2022, 7:58 amUncategorizedSpencer Overton

While election denialism was a winning strategy in many Republican primaries, it was a mixed bag last night in many contests for key state-level offices that play some role in overseeing elections. Key projected winners included Florida Governor Ron DeSantis… Continue reading

Thoughts on Last Night: A Step Back from the Precipice on Election Denialism and a Slightly Rosier Forecast for a Free and Fair Election in 2024

November 9, 2022, 7:46 amelection subversion riskRick Hasen

The votes are still being tallied and there are still some worrisome places to watch (most importantly at this point, Arizona), but the worst case scenario seemed to have been avoided yesterday and last night in terms of risks to… Continue reading

Could the Flipping of the North Carolina Supreme Court to Republican Control Moot the Moore v. Harper Case about the Independent State Legislature Doctrine?

November 9, 2022, 7:32 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

With news that the North Carolina Supreme Court has flipped to Republican control, there is a good chance that the this court’s holding that partisan gerrymandering violates the state constitution will be overturned. That ruling will allow Republicans to draw… Continue reading

Even with Oz-Fetterman PA Senate Race Decided with Oz Concession, Litigation Over Undated but Timely PA Mail in Ballots Could Affect U.S. House and Other Races

November 9, 2022, 7:27 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

ELB readers may remember that John Fetterman intervened in some litigation in federal court over whether the state may reject mailed in ballots that arrived on time but had no date or the wrong date. The state Supreme Court split… Continue reading

“It all turns on Maricopa County: Takeaways from a day of glitches, conspiracies and a lawsuit”

November 9, 2022, 7:21 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Arizona Republic: Republicans on Tuesday sought an emergency court order to prevent polls from closing.Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters joined the RNC as plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Maricopa County. They asked a judge… Continue reading

“Voting was largely uneventful despite fears of intimidation and conspiracies”

November 9, 2022, 7:20 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

NPR: In an election that had experts worried about vigilante poll monitors and the potential for danger for election workers, voting on Election Day seems to have gone off without any major incidents.That is — no incidents that rise above… Continue reading