“Today’s Senate: Less debate, fewer votes and taking forever to do it”

June 24, 2023, 12:31 pmlegislation and legislaturesRick Hasen

Paul Kane for WaPo: The world’s greatest deliberative body, as senators like to call their club, is not living up to that moniker: they’re voting less often and taking longer to hold those roll calls, while debating the issues far… Continue reading

“Former Trump Campaign Official in Talks to Cooperate in Jan. 6 Inquiry”

June 23, 2023, 4:58 pmchicanery, election subversion risk, electoral collegeRick Hasen

NYT: Michael Roman, a top official in former President Donald J. Trump’s 2020 campaign, is in discussions with the office of the special counsel Jack Smith that could soon lead to Mr. Roman voluntarily answering questions about a plan to… Continue reading

“Death threats and harassment: 2024 election workers already are scared”

June 23, 2023, 1:50 pmchicanery, election administrationRick Hasen

NPR News reports.

“Pro-RFK Jr. Super PAC Has Deep Ties to Marjorie Taylor Greene, George Santos”

June 23, 2023, 11:39 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Rolling Stone: There’s nothing abnormal about a candidate getting a super PAC, even a candidate making a longshot bid like Kennedy’s. What is abnormal, however, is that Kennedy is running as a Democrat in the Democratic primary, while the creators… Continue reading

“Exclusive: Special counsel trades immunity for fake elector testimony as Jan 6 probe heats up”

June 23, 2023, 9:40 amchicanery, election subversion riskRick Hasen

CNN: Special counsel Jack Smith has compelled at least two Republican fake electors to testify to a federal grand jury in Washington in recent weeks by giving them limited immunity, part of a current push by federal prosecutors to swiftly… Continue reading

Atlanta Journal-Constitution & AP on Georgia voting machine debate

June 23, 2023, 9:38 amUncategorizedNed Foley

In light of the POLITICO story posted earlier today, a reader points to two recent stories in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the same topic, one behind a paywall and the other not: “Georgia officials lay out obstacles to updating … Continue reading

“Billionaire-funded group driving effort to erode democracy in key US states”

June 23, 2023, 9:13 amdirect democracyRick Hasen

The Guardian: A Florida group primarily funded by an Illinois billionaire is driving the recent attacks on direct democracy in states such as Ohio, Missouri, South Dakota and Arkansas. The Foundation for Government Accountability, a Florida-based group affiliated with… Continue reading

“Wisconsin’s top elections official for 2024 uncertain as incumbent’s term nears end”

June 23, 2023, 9:09 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

AP: Who will oversee the 2024 presidential election in the critical battleground state of Wisconsin remains clouded with uncertainty just weeks before the state’s nonpartisan top elections official reaches the end of her term. Republicans who control the state Legislature… Continue reading

“A Delaware city is set to give corporations the right to vote in elections”

June 23, 2023, 9:07 amvotingRick Hasen

CBS News: The state of Delaware is famously business-friendly. With more than 1.8 million entities registered in the First State, companies outnumber its human residents by nearly two-to-one. One city is now moving to raise businesses’ influence in the state… Continue reading

No Response to John Eastman Cert. Petition Seeking to Wipe Out District Court Finding that Eastman More Likely Than Not Engaged with Trump in Crime Related to 2020 Election

June 23, 2023, 7:33 amchicanery, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

I blogged earlier about John Eastman arguing for the decision against him to be vacated on grounds it is moot. I wondered if a response would be filed by the Jan. 6 committee, which I think no longer exists. There… Continue reading

“Far Right Pushes a Through-the-Looking-Glass Narrative on Jan. 6”

June 23, 2023, 7:26 amUncategorizedNed Foley

Robert Draper in the N.Y. Times: “Last week, dozens showed up at an unofficial House hearing convened by a handful of Republican lawmakers to challenge “the fake narrative that an insurrection had occurred on Jan. 6,” as set forth by… Continue reading

“New video undercuts claim Twitter censored pro-Trump views before Jan. 6”

June 23, 2023, 6:58 amUncategorizedNed Foley

Washington Post: “the video and other newly obtained internal Twitter records show that, far from working to censor pro-Trump sentiment in the days before the Capitol riot, the company’s leaders were intent on leaving it up — despite internal warnings… Continue reading

“From election hero to zero: Georgia official’s dismissal of security audit could mean trouble in 2024”

June 23, 2023, 6:04 amUncategorizedNed Foley

POLITICO: “Raffensperger’s dismissive reaction to the unsparing audit conducted by security expert Alex Halderman has turned him into an object of intense criticism from cybersecurity specialists, who say he is painting legitimate research with the brush of far-right conspiracy… Continue reading

“No Labels declines to reveal just who is funding its third party bid”

June 23, 2023, 5:18 amUncategorizedNed Foley

POLITICO: “The centrist group consists of a constellation of entities, some of which disclose donor names. But the main one is a nonprofit which, unlike political parties, does not have to reveal the names of its funders. And in… Continue reading