“Inside the push that landed a Trump legal adviser on a federal election advisory board”

May 22, 2022, 5:08 pmchicanery, Election Assistance Commission, Election Meltdown, election subversion riskTabatha Abu El-Haj

CNN reports on how individuals who promote baseless voter fraud claims have been promoted for seats on an Advisory Board to the Election Assistance Commission. “Emails obtained by CNN reveal how the push extended to a federal election advisory… Continue reading

Following Supreme Court Decision in Thompson v. Hebdon, Alaska Has Gone from the State with One of the Lowest Campaign Contribution Limits to Unlimited Donations–and So Far the Legislature Won’t Fix It

May 22, 2022, 3:59 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Anchorage Daily News with the tick-tock and questions about whether the Governor, who may benefit from large donations, helped to scuttle a legislative deal.

Supreme Court Poised to Decide within Weeks Whether to Take Up Case Raising “Independent State Legislature” Theory–with Potential Big Implications for 2024 Elections

May 22, 2022, 2:22 pmlegislation and legislatures, redistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

The Supreme Court is poised to decide before it breaks for the summer whether to hear Moore v. Harper, a case raising the question whether the North Carolina Supreme Court had the power to rein in the North Carolina… Continue reading

“Inside the Republican push to stop Trump’s ‘vendetta tour’ in Georgia”

May 22, 2022, 6:29 ampolitical parties, primariesTabatha Abu El-Haj

This Washington Post article is much bigger than the headline. It is really about the Republican Governors Associations’ mission to challenge Trump’s hold over the party, and Governors Associations have long been a formidable force in American politics. Although there… Continue reading

“How Trump’s 2020 Election Lies Have Gripped State Legislatures”

May 22, 2022, 6:15 amchicanery, Election Meltdown, election subversion risk2020 Election CycleTabatha Abu El-Haj

N.Y. TImes has a new analysis of Trump’s hold over elected officials in the battle-ground states. Support for 2020 election lies is quite strong (44% overall), still the Times notes that it is not unchecked (yet). “The Times’s analysis also… Continue reading

Election Law Humor

May 21, 2022, 7:23 pmUncategorizedTabatha Abu El-Haj

A few choice visuals to conclude this week in politics: Recognizing fueling of racism as a real stake of polarization Remembering the policy consequences of our myriad structural flaws–from redistricting to the Senate and filibuster

“A GOP power grab shatters 30 years of political progress for Black voters in Galveston County “

May 21, 2022, 7:14 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActShelby County's impactTabatha Abu El-Haj

Texas Tribune reports that “Republicans dismantled the only Galveston County commissioners precinct in which voters of color held political clout.” “Carver Park in Texas City, created during segregation, is considered the first African American county park in the state. It… Continue reading

“House Democrats scramble after redistricting lessens competitive edge”

May 21, 2022, 7:07 pmredistricting2022 redistrictingTabatha Abu El-Haj

Washington Post Court rulings in Florida and New York have Democrats working harder to keep their seats. The article offers a round up of the likely political effect of the new maps. Two tidbits stand out: First, “Redistricting . .… Continue reading

“The Doom Spiral of Pernicious Polarization”

May 21, 2022, 2:02 pmUncategorizedNed Foley

Yasha Mounk has a new piece in The Atlantic that highlights a study by the Carnegie Endowment led by Jennifer McCoy. Here’s a key passage of Mounk’s piece towards the end: “One approach that could alleviate polarization in the U.S.… Continue reading

“Voting is Surging In Georgia Despite Controversial New Election Law”

May 21, 2022, 12:17 pmUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Ned flagged this article earlier, mentioned it includes a lot of rich details, but used his post to turn to other issues. Given the controversies around the changes to Georgia’s voting laws over the last year, I thought it was… Continue reading

2022 Redistricting Likely to Undercut Strides Made by Women in Recent Elections

May 21, 2022, 8:11 amredistricting2022 redistricting, Gender EquityTabatha Abu El-Haj

The AP reports on new analysis from the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University which looks at the likely negative impact of new congressional maps on female incumbents. It appears that being the last to the table… Continue reading

“Final New York maps released and lead to midnight shuffle of congressional delegation”

May 21, 2022, 7:58 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Politico: A court released final maps for New York’s 26 congressional and 63 state Senate districts in the midnight hour on Saturday morning, setting in motion a flurry of campaign activity as candidates quickly jockeyed for position in critical seats.The… Continue reading

Some good news from Georgia–and a caveat

May 21, 2022, 6:12 amUncategorizedNed Foley

The Washington Post reports “after three weeks of early voting ahead of Tuesday’s primary, record-breaking turnout is undercutting predictions that the Georgia Election Integrity Act of 2021 would lead to a falloff in voting.” The story, which has lots of… Continue reading

Third Circuit Rules Undated mail ballots should be counted. Error was immaterial.

May 20, 2022, 6:49 pmabsentee ballots, court decisions, votingDecisionTabatha Abu El-Haj

United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled to today, in Migliori et al v. Lehigh County Board of Elections–a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union–that 257 mail-in ballots that had been excluded from the 2021… Continue reading