“We Love the Bill of Rights. Can We Like a Bill of Structures”

January 2, 2023, 9:05 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Rick LaRue has written this article for ELJ. Here is the abstract: The structural pillars of the U.S. electoral system are eroding and will require repair—i.e., constitutional amendment. Problems with voting, the Electoral College, term lengths, and term limits constitute… Continue reading

Happy Voting Wars New Year, I Guess?

January 1, 2023, 9:30 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

“Jan. 6 transcripts detail numerous warning signs of potential for violence before Capitol attack”

December 31, 2022, 1:02 pmelection subversion riskRick Hasen

Ryan Reilly for NBC News: Transcripts of interviews with law enforcement officials released this week by the Jan. 6 committee reveal the panel learned that numerous security concerns had been raised in the days leading up to the attack on… Continue reading

Ginni Thomas Believes There is Lots of Evidence of Fraud and Irregularities in 2020 (There Isn’t), Can’t Point to Any of It, and Apparently No Evidence Can Convince Her Otherwise

December 31, 2022, 9:42 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Remarkably sad.

Must-Read: “After election debacle in Oakland, what’s next for ranked choice voting?”

December 31, 2022, 9:32 amalternative voting systems, election administrationRick Hasen

Mercury News: The revelation this week of an unprecedented error in Alameda County’s counting of election results has upended an Oakland school board race. But more lasting damage could be done to the reputation of ranked choice voting, a… Continue reading

“The ‘Red Wave’ Washout: How Skewed Polls Fed a False Election Narrative”

December 31, 2022, 9:29 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: In the election’s immediate aftermath, the polling failures appeared to be in keeping with misfires in 2016 and 2020, when the strength of Donald J. Trump’s support was widely underestimated, and with the continuing struggles of an industry that… Continue reading

“A Charity Tied to the Supreme Court Offers Donors Access to the Justices; The Supreme Court Historical Society has raised more than $23 million in the last two decades, much of it from lawyers, corporations and special interests.”

December 30, 2022, 5:23 pmconflict of interest laws, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

NYT reports.

North Carolina: “AG: Meadows won’t face voter fraud charges in North Carolina”

December 30, 2022, 2:38 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

AP: Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff to President Donald Trump, won’t face voter fraud charges related to his 2020 registration and absentee vote in North Carolina, the state’s attorney general announced Friday. Meadows, a… Continue reading

Kris Kobach Committee Agrees to Pay $30,000 Fine, Admits to Taking Illegal in-Kind Corporate Contribution from the “We Build the Wall Foundation” During U.S. Senate Run

December 30, 2022, 9:27 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Documents. Others involved in the “We Build the Wall Foundation” have been convicted of crimes.

Cleta Mitchell, in Jan. 6 Committee Deposition, Expresses View that (Old) Electoral Count Act is Unconstitutional and Legislatures Have Absolute Power over Electors; The People’s Vote for President is Just “Advisory”

December 30, 2022, 8:07 amelection subversion risk, electoral collegeRick Hasen

Amazing from the Cleta Mitchell deposition transcript, at pp. 20-21:

“Santos, a Suburban House and $11,000 in Campaign Payments for ‘Rent'”

December 30, 2022, 6:54 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: The company was called Cleaner 123, and over the course of four months, it received nearly $11,000 from the campaign of George Santos, the representative-elect from New York who appears to have invented whole swaths of his life story.… Continue reading

Arizona: “Pinal County election results: 500-vote discrepancy was ‘human error'”

December 30, 2022, 5:59 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Arizona Republic: Three months after a disastrous primary, Pinal County seemed to pull off a smooth Election Day in November. But the county made errors in counting some ballots, officials said as a 500-vote discrepancy between certified election tallies and… Continue reading

My 2022 Opeds and Commentaries

December 29, 2022, 5:21 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Here they are, in reverse chronological order: I’ve Been Way More Worried About American Democracy Than I Am Right Now, Slate, November 14, 2022 The Courts are the Only Thing Holding Back Total Election Subversion, The Atlantic, November 2,… Continue reading

“COVID-19 and Voter Turnout and Methods in the 2020 US General Election”

December 29, 2022, 4:08 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

Paul Hernnson and Charles Stewart have posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: COVID-19 caused worldwide disruption to virtually every aspect of human life, including elections. This study assesses the impact of COVID death rates, convenience voting policies,… Continue reading