“Lawmakers seek to bar insurrectionists from holding office”

January 22, 2023, 7:34 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

AP: Democratic lawmakers in a handful of states are trying to send a message two years after the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol: Those who engage in an attempted overthrow of the government shouldn’t be allowed to run… Continue reading

Elections Task Force Report Finds Problems with Allegheny County and PA Election Administration in 2022

January 20, 2023, 8:35 amelection administrationRick Hasen

Read the “Problems That Can Be Solved” report at this link.

“The American Law Institute Launches Restatement of the Law, Election Litigation”

January 20, 2023, 7:33 amcourt decisions, election administrationDerek Muller

I’m thrilled to share the details about this new project from the ALI: The American Law Institute’s Council voted today to approve the launch of a Restatement of the Law project on Election Litigation. The project will be led… Continue reading

“States Push for New Voting Laws With an Eye Toward 2024”

January 20, 2023, 6:26 amThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

NYT: The tug of war over voting rights and rules is playing out with fresh urgency at the state level, as Republicans and Democrats fight to get new laws on the books before the 2024 presidential election. Republicans have pushed… Continue reading

“New details emerge in Houston A/C repairman’s 2020 assault over Hotze voter fraud conspiracy”

January 20, 2023, 6:24 amchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Houston Chronicle: More than two years after Steven Hotze bankrolled a private voter fraud investigation that led to an armed confrontation with an innocent repairman, the Houston doctor was back in court earlier this month reiterating claims that Harris… Continue reading

“Dark money group linked to Leonard Leo is dissolved”

January 20, 2023, 6:15 amtax law and election lawRick Hasen

Politico: A dark money group tied to conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo was dissolved three days after POLITICO inquired about whether it helped to facilitate the multi-million-dollar sale of former White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway’s polling company, paperwork filed… Continue reading

“Republicans have relied on volunteer election lawyers acting as a ragtag army of free, seasonal law militia”

January 19, 2023, 8:00 pmThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

Election lawyer (and candidate for RNC Chair) Harmeet Dhillon: On the watershed day of January 8, 2021, Ronna McDaniel was elected at an RNC meeting to a third term as RNC chairman. At the time, she promised it would… Continue reading

“Judge sanctions Trump, Habba nearly $1 million for ‘completely frivolous’ Clinton suit”

January 19, 2023, 7:56 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Politico: A Florida-based federal judge has ordered nearly $1 million in sanctions against Donald Trump and his attorney Alina Habba, calling the former president a “mastermind of strategic abuse of the judicial process.” In a blistering 46-page order, U.S.… Continue reading

“Americans Deserve a House of Representatives That Better Represents Them”

January 19, 2023, 7:30 pmalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

Ben Raderstorf and Beau Tremitiere in the Bulwark: So in a sense, the real question is not why cross-party coalitions are appearing in state legislatures, but rather, why they aren’t more common—and why a gridlocked House of Representatives refused to elect… Continue reading

“John Eastman Is Unbowed as Investigations Proliferate”

January 19, 2023, 7:04 pmelection subversion risk, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

NYT: The crux of Mr. Eastman’s defense is that he was simply a lawyer offering advice, and that he was acting in good faith, since he still believes many of the fraud claims that were made. “I’m not backing down… Continue reading

“Supreme Court Poised to Reconsider Key Tenets of Online Speech”

January 19, 2023, 8:39 amcheap speech, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

NYT: For years, giant social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have operated under two crucial tenets. The first is that the platforms have the power to decide what content to keep online and what to take down, free… Continue reading

“Cartels” Control Arizona and Stole the Gubernatorial Election from Her, Kari Lake Claims without Evidence

January 19, 2023, 7:47 amchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Oh my: So far, several Arizona judges have ruled against the former television news anchor turned right-wing thought leader’s case, stating she has thus far failed to prove her approximately half-point loss to Hobbs was the result of intentional manipulation… Continue reading

Total Vote Runoff: A Majority-Maximizing Form of Ranked Choice Voting

January 18, 2023, 4:16 pmUncategorizedNed Foley

I’ve posted another paper on SSRN. Here’s its abstract: Total Vote Runoff (TVR) is an electoral system designed to be identical to Instant Runoff Voting (IRV), which is the most commonly understood and implemented form of Ranked Choice Voting… Continue reading

“N.J. county will seek court-ordered recount after voting machines produced erroneous election results”

January 18, 2023, 12:44 pmvoting technologyRick Hasen

David Wildstein: The Monmouth County Board of Elections are expected to ask a judge to order a recount of an Ocean Township school board race after their voting machine vendor, Election Systems and Software (ES&S), acknowledged on Tuesday that … Continue reading