“What brought down one Texas county’s entire elections department? It was something in the water.”

August 29, 2022, 7:37 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Votebeat: Last November’s sleepy constitutional amendment election nearly came to blows in Gillespie County, a central Texas county known for its vineyards. A volunteer poll watcher, whose aggressive behavior had rankled election workers all day, attempted to force his… Continue reading

“Some Republicans in Washington state cast a wary eye on an election security device”

August 28, 2022, 11:10 amelection administration, voting technologyRick Hasen

Miles Parks for NPR: In northeast Washington state, a remote region nestled against the Canadian border, the politics lean conservative and wariness of government runs high.Earlier this year, a Republican-led county commission there made a decision that rippled across Washington… Continue reading

“Election Data Breach Attracts Georgia Investigators”

August 27, 2022, 8:16 pmchicanery, election subversion risk, voting technologyRick Hasen

NYT: The day after Donald J. Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol, a small group working on his behalf traveled to rural Coffee County, Ga., about 200 miles southeast of Atlanta.One member of the group was Paul Maggio, an executive… Continue reading

“Truth Social faces financial peril as worry about Trump’s future grows”

August 27, 2022, 7:52 pmcheap speechRick Hasen

WaPo: Former president Donald Trump’s Truth Social website is facing financial challenges as its traffic remains puny and the company that is scheduled to acquire it expresses fear that his legal troubles could lead to a decline in his… Continue reading

“Once unthinkable, Democrats now see narrow path to keeping the House”

August 27, 2022, 7:49 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

WaPo: Democrats are voicing growing confidence about limiting losses in the House and potentially even salvaging their majority in the midterm elections, with candidates and allied groups making moves to capitalize on a backlash to abortion restrictions, signs of… Continue reading

“Michigan GOP formally nominates two Trump-backed election deniers for key statewide offices”

August 27, 2022, 7:46 pmelection subversion riskRick Hasen

CNN: The Michigan Republican Party on Saturday nominated two candidates for statewide office who have denied the results of the 2020 presidential election and would have oversight of the state’s elections if they win in November.Party delegates formally nominated … Continue reading

“Republicans fight new NC election rules, led by Trump lawyer central to 2020 conspiracies”

August 27, 2022, 7:42 pmelection subversion riskRick Hasen

News and Observer: Claiming to have already trained over 1,000 people to volunteer to help run this November’s elections, conservative activists in North Carolina are opposing new rules that would more strictly regulate those volunteers’ behavior at polling places.… Continue reading

“Company Praised Voting Rights, but Handed $1.6B to Right-Wingers”

August 27, 2022, 8:12 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Daily Beast: Last year, publicly traded Eaton signed an open statement championing “American democracy” and acknowledging the country’s history of political disenfranchisement. “We all should feel a responsibility to defend the right to vote and to oppose any discriminatory… Continue reading

“Trump election probe in Georgia cites voting system breach”

August 26, 2022, 5:16 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

AP: The prosecutor investigating whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to interfere in the 2020 election in Georgia is seeking information about the alleged involvement of a Trump ally in the breach of voting equipment at… Continue reading

“Michigan G.O.P. Lining Up Behind Conspiracy Theorist for Attorney General; Matthew DePerno’s political rise has been tied to a debunked election report. Some see parallels between his dive into 2020 conspiracies theories and his legal career.”

August 26, 2022, 2:00 pmelection subversion riskRick Hasen

NYT reports.

Colorado General Assembly v. Salazar (2004) as precursor to Moore v. Harper

August 26, 2022, 11:33 amlegislation and legislaturesDerek Muller

The Supreme Court’s decision to grant certiorari in Moore v. Harper, the North Carolina redistricting case, has prompted, and will prompt, a great deal of commentary (including this helpful discussion this week over at the Safeguarding Democracy Project). But it’s… Continue reading

“Defendants targeted in DeSantis’ voter fraud crackdown were told they could vote”

August 26, 2022, 9:11 amfelon votingRick Hasen

Politico: Several people who were arrested last week as part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ voter fraud crackdown were notified by official government entities they were eligible to vote, according to court documents and interviews.The defendants told authorities they had… Continue reading

“Facebook gave 13 newsworthy exemptions to politicians in the past year”

August 26, 2022, 8:46 amcheap speechRick Hasen

WaPo: Facebook gave politicians 13 exemptions to its content-moderation rules over a one-year period because their offending posts were determined to be newsworthy, the company revealed Thursday in a series of quarterly reports on its moderation practices.The company also said… Continue reading