“Democrats signal voting rights bills will top the agenda if Harris wins”

August 22, 2024, 7:17 amcampaign finance, election administrationRick Hasen

Patrick Marley deep for WaPo: Democratic leaders say passing sweeping legislation to expand voting rights and curb gerrymandering will be at or near the top of their governing agenda should Vice President Kamala Harris win the presidency this fall in… Continue reading

“LAWSUIT: North Carolina woman challenges state’s unconstitutional ‘ballot selfie’ ban”

August 22, 2024, 7:11 amelection administration, First Amendment theoryRick Hasen

Release from FIRE.

“Morning Digest: The Utah GOP wants the power to overturn citizens’ ballot initiatives”

August 22, 2024, 7:09 amdirect democracyRick Hasen

The Downballot: Utah’s Republican-dominated legislature voted on Wednesday to place a constitutional amendment on the general election ballot that would explicitly allow lawmakers to amend or repeal voter-approved initiatives―including a 2018 measure that could put an end to partisan gerrymandering.… Continue reading

Bob Bauer in The Atlantic on Republicans’ Argument in the AZ Case About Congress’s Power to Regulate Presidential Elections

August 22, 2024, 7:06 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Bob in The Atlantic: Only months before November’s elections, the Republican National Committee has launched a new legal attack on the rules that govern federal elections. Supported by 24 states, the RNC is seeking, on an emergency basis, a Supreme… Continue reading

Divided Seventh Circuit finds no standing for congressional candidate to challenge Illinois’s absentee ballot receipt deadline

August 22, 2024, 5:40 amcourt decisionsDerek Muller

The court was mostly unanimous but divided on a congressional candidate’s standing–including an interesting discussion that occasionally comes up in election law about what kind of risks or likelihoods courts should be thinking about when resolving disputes before an election… Continue reading

Federal court explains why there’s no reason to miss Georgia’s election certification deadline

August 22, 2024, 5:20 amUncategorizedDerek Muller

…back in 2018, when Common Cause asked a court to extend the certification deadline to amend ballot count totals after Stacey Abrams’s loss. From the plaintiff’s request: Although the requested injunctive relief may “require additional efforts” from Secretary Kemp… Continue reading

“Just 51 votes separate these two WA candidates. Next: A statewide recount by hand”

August 21, 2024, 10:43 amrecountsRick Hasen

Seattle Times reports.

“Investors Favor Political Disclosures for Companies, Poll Finds”

August 21, 2024, 10:36 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Bloomberg: Voters who are invested in the stock market want more transparency of corporate political spending, according to a new poll released as races heat up for the White House and down-ballot offices. In the survey, from the Zicklin… Continue reading

Rich Bernstein: “Protecting Elections Under U.S. v. Trump”

August 21, 2024, 10:32 amauthoritarian threats in US, election subversion risk, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

New at Society for the Rule of Law.

“If Dire Warnings Won’t Stop Trump, Democrats Figure Mockery Might”

August 21, 2024, 7:33 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Jonathan Weisman in the NYT: If Democrats can’t make the nation fear Donald Trump, they have decided that perhaps they can persuade voters to laugh at him instead. For more than four years, under the leadership of President Biden, the… Continue reading

Voting Groups File Brief in Ninth Circuit in AZ Documentary Proof of Citizenship for Registration Case (as Emergency Motion is Pending in SCOTUS in Case as Well)

August 21, 2024, 7:26 amNVRA (motor voter), Supreme Court, voter registrationRick Hasen

The brief addresses Congress’s power to regulate presidential, and not just congressional, elections.

“RFK’s running mate suggests they can’t win in November”

August 21, 2024, 7:21 amthird partiesRick Hasen

Politico: Nicole Shanahan, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate who has invested millions of dollars of her fortune into the independent bid, said she recognized that their long-shot ticket was unlikely to win the White House this November. On a… Continue reading

ELB Book Corner: Diana Dwyre and Robin Kolodny: “Things Stay the Same”

August 21, 2024, 7:00 amcampaign finance, ELB Book CornerRick Hasen

I am pleased to welcome Diana Dwyre and Robin Kolodny to the ELB Book Corner, authors of the new book, The Fundamentals of Campaign Finance: Why We Have the System We Have (University of Michigan Press). The 30% discount code… Continue reading

“Top court rules NY’s early mail-in voting law is constitutional”

August 20, 2024, 7:20 pmabsentee ballotsRick Hasen

Times-Union: New York’s highest court upheld a law Tuesday that allows ballots to be mailed in during the early voting period ahead of an election, soundly rejecting arguments from Republicans that the statute violates the state constitution. The ruling means… Continue reading