Update on the DOJ’s Election Threats Task Force

June 10, 2024, 7:47 amcheap speech, chicanery, Department of Justice, election administration, votingJustin Levitt

States Newsroom with a states’-eye view on the federal efforts. Despite 17 charges to date, and hefty sentences in some of those cases, the wheels of justice necessarily turn slowly. And election officials are also not thrilled about the… Continue reading

“Democracy isn’t doomed”

June 10, 2024, 7:47 amelection administrationranked choice votingJustin Levitt

Rob Richie‘s in the Washington Post this morning talking pollworker recruiting and participatory budgeting and, yes, ranked choice voting. Good thing about that pollworker recruiting shoutout, too, because it’s a challenge this year.

“He Said He Was Ashamed of Storming the Capitol. Now He’s Running for Office.”

June 10, 2024, 7:47 ampolitical polarization, primariesJanuary 6Justin Levitt

This NYT piece profiles the dynamics of a primary for a South Carolina House race, in a district without a major-party opponent.

“Far-right gains in EU election deal stunning defeats to France’s Macron and Germany’s Scholz”

June 10, 2024, 7:46 ampolitical parties, political polarizationJustin Levitt

EU parliamentary elections took place yesterday, with some significant wins by “far-right” parties — sufficiently significant in France to drive President Macron to dissolve the parliament and call a snap national election. (Counterpart: in Hungary, Prime Minister Orbán’s… Continue reading

“Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accepted gifts worth millions of dollars over 20 years, analysis finds”

June 10, 2024, 7:46 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtJustin Levitt

Analysis from Fix the Court says it adds up to $2.4 million between 2004 and 2023. Which CNBC has helpfully put into a bar chart.

“Trump raises millions in Newport Beach and Beverly Hills in post-conviction appearances”

June 10, 2024, 7:45 amcampaign finance, campaignsJustin Levitt

The LA Times reports on the former President’s fundraising since the verdicts were announced.

Supreme Court Asks for US Government’s Views on North Dakota Racial Gerrymandering/Voting Rights Act Case

June 10, 2024, 6:52 amredistricting, Supreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Order list and jurisdictional statement. Surprise! A brief from Alabama for 13 states would go much further in attempting to dismantle the Voting Rights Act as applied to redistricting. The request to hear from the Solicitor General means this… Continue reading

Calabresi “Misspeak[s]” on Whether the 2020 Election Was Stolen

June 9, 2024, 11:27 amfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Yesterday I linked to and questioned Steven Calabresi at Volokh, saying among other things: “As a result, many Republicans, myself included, thought that the 2020 presidential election was probably stolen, even though that fact could not be proved in a… Continue reading

How Much of Affective Polarization is Based on Misperceptions?

June 9, 2024, 10:44 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Interesting pre-print on these issues: The Ties that Blind: Misperceptions of the Opponent Fringe and the Miscalibration of Political Contempt Victoria A. Parker, Matthew Feinberg, Alexa Tullett, & Anne E. Wilson Abstract Americans’ hostility toward political opponents has intensified to… Continue reading

North Carolina: “Surprise GOP campaign finance law proposal prompts walkout by Democratic senators”

June 8, 2024, 1:07 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

NC Newsline: in a surprise move that caught most Legislative Building watchers off-guard, Republican lawmakers unveiled legislation on Thursday that would make significant changes to state campaign finance law. The sudden move prompted all 20 Senate Democrats to walk out… Continue reading

Chilling WaPo with a Weird Euphemism in Title: “Trump loyalist pushes ‘post-constitutional’ vision for second term”

June 8, 2024, 12:20 pmauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

Beth Reinhard for WaPo: A battle-tested D.C. bureaucrat and self-described Christian nationalist is drawing up detailed plans for a sweeping expansion of presidential power in a second Trump administration. Russ Vought, who served as the former president’s budget chief, calls… Continue reading

Someone Needs to Take Away Steven Calabresi’s Keys to the Volokh Conspiracy Blog

June 8, 2024, 12:15 pmelection law bizRick Hasen

Something like this in coming out as an election denier is just embarrassing. And it is part of a recent pattern of poorly reasoned and odd postings that make me worried for his mental acuity. And it’s relatively new… Continue reading

“Operatives with GOP ties are helping Cornel West get on the ballot in a key state”

June 7, 2024, 4:19 pmballot accessRick Hasen

NBC News: Cornel West’s independent presidential campaign is broke. His former campaign manager says he knows nothing about ballot access. And he spent more on graphic design than petition-gathering in his most recent campaign finance report. But tens… Continue reading

“Misunderstanding the harms of online misinformation”

June 7, 2024, 9:07 amcheap speech, political polarizationRick Hasen

Ceren Budak, Brendan Nyhan, David M. Rothschild, Emily Thorson & Duncan J. Watts in Nature: The controversy over online misinformation and social media has opened a gap between public discourse and scientific research. Public intellectuals and… Continue reading