“Billionaires’ new playground”

October 31, 2024, 7:22 amcampaign finance, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

Axios: Billionaire DNA is coursing through the U.S. election system like never before, smashing campaign finance records and ushering in a new age of influence. Why it matters: In an election that both sides see as existential, the moral guardrails… Continue reading

“GOP leaders in some states move to block Justice Dept. election monitors”

October 31, 2024, 7:20 amDepartment of JusticeRick Hasen

WaPo: The Justice Department’s ability to monitor local jurisdictions for voting rights irregularities on Election Day, already curtailed by the Supreme Court, is facing a new hurdle: opposition from Republicans who are seeking to block federal authorities from polling sites.… Continue reading

“Why the Right Thinks Trump Is Running Away With the Race”

October 31, 2024, 7:09 amcheap speech, election subversion riskRick Hasen

NYT: The torrent of polls began arriving just a few weeks ago, one after the other, most showing a victory for Donald J. Trump. They stood out amid the hundreds of others indicating a dead heat in the presidential… Continue reading

“Election officials are outmatched by Elon Musk’s misinformation machine”

October 31, 2024, 7:04 amcampaigns, cheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

CNN: Elon Musk’s misinformation megaphone has created a “huge problem” for election officials in key battleground states who told CNN they’re struggling to combat the wave of falsehoods coming from the tech billionaire and spreading wildly on his X… Continue reading

“Explainer & Lessons Learned From the Ballot Drop Box Fires in Multnomah County, Oregon and Clark County, Washington”

October 31, 2024, 7:00 amabsentee ballots, chicaneryRick Hasen

Deep dive from Paul Gronke (Reed College) and Paul Manson (Center for Public Service at Portland State University), for the Elections & Voting Information Center in Portland, Oregon.

AALS Election Law Section Prize Winners

October 31, 2024, 6:58 amelection law bizRick Hasen

Message from Joshua Sellers: The AALS Section on Election Law is pleased to announce the winners of its annual awards. The John Hart Ely Prize in the Law of Democracy This award is presented annually by the executive committee of… Continue reading

Purcell and the Stay Application in the PA Case

October 31, 2024, 3:46 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

In its emergency stay application in this case, the RNC argues that the PA supreme court decision should be stayed, in part due to Purcell considerations. Purcell thus far applies only to federal courts, as the RNC acknowledges, but it… Continue reading

“Trump, GOP allies escalate election fraud conspiracies in Pennsylvania”

October 30, 2024, 5:11 pmfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

CNBC: Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday baselessly claimed that Pennsylvania is “cheating” at “large scale levels,” escalating his spread of election fraud conspiracies in this all-important swing state. The Republican presidential nominee’s Truth Social post in the final… Continue reading

What I Told Chris Hayes in June 2020 About Trump and Election Delays

October 30, 2024, 4:53 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Just came across this quote from me on All In with Chris Hayes, June 10, 2020: “We may have a full week where we don’t know who has won in Pennsylvania while those absentee ballots are counted. If Trump is… Continue reading

“Workers Say They Were Tricked and Threatened as Part of Elon Musk’s Get-Out-the-Vote Effort”

October 30, 2024, 4:49 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Wired, with the subhed: “America PAC door knockers were flown to Michigan, driven in the back of a U-Haul, and told they’d have to pay hotel bills unless they met unrealistic quotas. One was surprised they were working to… Continue reading

“Elon Musk-Funded PAC Supercharges ‘Progress 2028’ Democrat Impersonation Ad Campaign”

October 30, 2024, 4:42 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, cheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

404 Media: An Elon Musk-funded super PAC has expanded an advertising campaign in which it is impersonating Democrats and targeting registered Republicans with policies unpopular with conservatives they say Kamala Harris will pass if she wins the election. The policies,… Continue reading

PA: “Judge orders Bucks County to extend mail ballot deadline following Trump legal challenge”

October 30, 2024, 4:18 pmabsentee ballots, election administrationRick Hasen

WHYY: A Pennsylvania judge ordered Bucks County to extend its mail ballot deadline to 5 p.m. Friday. The order stems from a legal challenge by the Trump campaign, which alleged the county turned away voters who stood in line to… Continue reading

Third Circuit Unsurprisingly Confirms that Cornel West Cannot Get on the Pennsylvania Ballot at This Late Date (Update: West Has Gone to SCOTUS)

October 30, 2024, 4:10 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Order. Update: Petition before Justice Alito.

“Looking back to 2020 for a Guide to How Fast the Votes Will Be Reported in 2024”

October 30, 2024, 10:24 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

The indispensable Charles Stewart: What does all this mean for 2024? I would highlight three things. First, pre-processing make a difference, although it makes the biggest difference in the early hours of counting. In 2020, seventeen states prohibited processing of… Continue reading