“Torrent of senators call for Menendez to resign — and one floats expulsion”

July 17, 2024, 4:59 ambribery, legislation and legislaturesDan Tokaji

Politico, on the fallout from Senator Menendez’s conviction yesterday on charges of bribery and acting as a foreign agent: After decades in public service, the longtime New Jersey Democrat is left with a pending sentence and a doomed reelection… Continue reading

“Biden set to announce support for major Supreme Court changes”

July 17, 2024, 4:53 amconflict of interest laws, Supreme CourtDan Tokaji

Washington Post: President Biden is finalizing plans to endorse major changes to the Supreme Court in the coming weeks, including proposals for legislation to establish term limits for the justices and an enforceable ethics code, according to two people… Continue reading

“Ballot Collection and Native American Voters: An Assessment of Benefits and Costs”

July 17, 2024, 4:48 amabsentee ballotsDan Tokaji

A new paper by Daniel McCool and Weston McCool in American Indian Culture and Research Journal. From the conclusion: If the trend toward using the mail to deliver ballots rather than voting in person continues, the issue of ballot collection… Continue reading

Is Ohio Ballot Access Deadline a Reason for Democrats to Push through a Virtual Roll Call Vote Before the Convention to Choose Joe Biden? Almost Certainly Not

July 16, 2024, 1:29 pmballot accessRick Hasen

After a warning from the Ohio Secretary of State that the Democrats’ late convention would come too late to notify Ohio to put its nominee on the ballot, Democrats decided to hold a virtual roll call vote early before the… Continue reading

Ballotpedia on Recent State Election Legislation

July 16, 2024, 1:13 pmabsentee ballots, felon voting, voter registrationDan Tokaji

Ballotpedia News yesterday published articles regarding state laws enacted this year on voter registration, noncitizen voting, criminal disfranchisement, and return of absentee ballots. All of them are based on Ballotpedia’s State of Election Administration Legislation 2024 … Continue reading

CMD on Wyoming Voting Restriction Efforts

July 16, 2024, 1:00 pmabsentee ballots, election administrationDan Tokaji

Center for Media and Democracy: A right-wing think tank in Florida put its thumb on the scales of Wyoming’s election reform efforts, an investigation by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) reveals. Emails obtained by CMD show that… Continue reading

Breaking: Sen. Menendez Convicted of Bribery and Acting as Foreign Agent

July 16, 2024, 12:44 pmbriberyDan Tokaji

AP: U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez was convicted on Tuesday on all counts at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three New Jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government.… Continue reading

“Federal court declines to dismiss Alabama redistricting case after South Carolina ruling”

July 16, 2024, 10:15 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActDan Tokaji

Alabama Reflector: “The three-judge panel overseeing the legal battle in Allen v. Milligan, which led to the creation of two congressional districts in Alabama with majority or near-majority Black populations, last week rejected a motion from the Alabama Secretary… Continue reading

“Inside the private pressure campaign to force hand-counting of Arizona ballots”

July 16, 2024, 10:10 amelection administration, voting technologyDan Tokaji

Votebeat: Republican lawmakers in Arizona privately pressured county leaders across the state to count ballots by hand instead of using machines, according to previously unreported text messages. The messages, obtained by Votebeat through public record requests, are a window… Continue reading

ProPublica Report on Judicial Recusal

July 16, 2024, 10:06 amconflict of interest laws, court decisionsDan Tokaji

Released today: A ProPublica analysis found a lack of transparency regarding conflicts plagues federal and state courts where loose rules, inconsistent enforcement and creative interpretations of guidelines routinely allow judges to withhold potential conflicts from the parties before them.… Continue reading

“Elon Musk Has Said He Is Committing Around $45 Million a Month to a New Pro-Trump Super PAC”

July 16, 2024, 10:02 amcampaign financeDan Tokaji

WSJ Exclusive: “Elon Musk has said he plans to commit around $45 million a month to a new super political-action committee backing former President Donald Trump’s presidential run, according to people familiar with the matter.”

“How JD Vance passed Trump’s running mate litmus test”

July 16, 2024, 6:33 amelection subversion riskDan Tokaji

MSNBC’s Ryan Teague Beckwith calls J.D. Vance “the most vocal election denier among Trump’s small circle of finalists, having claimed without evidence since his 2022 run for the Senate that the election was stolen,” and lists false or unsupported claims… Continue reading

“Kennedy and West third-party ballot drives are pushed by secretive groups and Republican donors”

July 16, 2024, 6:25 amballot access, campaign finance, third partiesDan Tokaji

AP reports: “With early voting for the November presidential election set to begin in late September in some states, there are signs across the country that groups are trying to affect the outcome by using deceptive means — and… Continue reading

“Trump’s authoritarian lean appeals to the right. Swing voters, not so much”

July 16, 2024, 5:31 amauthoritarian threats in US, political polarizationDan Tokaji

Aaron Blake in WaPo, on a new Monmouth poll “suggest[ing] that if Democrats can drive home the idea that a second Trump term would be a more authoritarian one, that could alienate the most crucial 2024 voters, the ‘double… Continue reading