“FEC complaint calls for federal probe of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema spending”

May 19, 2023, 9:01 amcampaign financeDerek Muller

Arizona’s Family has the complaint here: A complaint filed Thursday with the Federal Election Commission asks regulators to open a formal investigation into campaign spending by Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. Sinema has faced mounting questions about the legitimacy of… Continue reading

Georgia moves to toss United States’ SB 202 suit under the Voting Rights Act after 11th Circuit opinion

May 19, 2023, 9:00 amVoting Rights ActDerek Muller

Last month, I noted the dispute over whether Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act extends to legislation with a discriminatory purpose or only discriminatory effect. The Eleventh Circuit, in a case out of Florida, held that Section 2… Continue reading

DC Circuit rejects Heritage Action’s effort to intervene in Campaign Legal Center suit against FEC

May 19, 2023, 7:15 amfederal election commissionDerek Muller

You can see the DC Circuit’s unanimous opinion in Campaign Legal Center v. Federal Election Commission, here. The introduction of the opinion: Heritage Action for America appeals the denial of its post-judgment motion to intervene as of right, FED.… Continue reading

“False claims of a stolen election thrive unchecked on Twitter even as Musk promises otherwise”

May 19, 2023, 7:11 amcheap speech, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

AP reports.

“What if that ‘Succession’ Election Plotline Happened in Real Life?” Interview with Mehdi Hasan

May 19, 2023, 6:59 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

You can watch here, as Mehdi interviews Claire Woodall-Vogg and me: See also my earlier Slate piece on this question.

Fifth Circuit holds legislative privilege prevents inquiry into legislative process, even for questions of racial discrimination in voting rights suit

May 19, 2023, 4:54 amlegislation and legislatures, Voting Rights ActDerek Muller

The Fifth Circuit this week handed down its decision in La Union Del Pueblo Entero v. Abbott. This was a challenge to Texas’s SB 1 brought by organizations represented by the Elias Law Group. At issue was a discovery… Continue reading

“Kari Lake election trial Day 2 recap: How much time does it take to verify a signature?”

May 19, 2023, 4:53 amabsentee ballotsDerek Muller

Arizona Republic: As her lawyers frame it, Kari Lake’s effort urging a judge to set aside her November loss to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs comes down to a matter of seconds. Specifically, whether a Maricopa County election worker could… Continue reading

ELB Podcast 4:8: Mary Ziegler: Dollars for Life: Money, Politics and Abortion

May 18, 2023, 4:09 pmcampaign finance, ELB PodcastRick Hasen

New ELB Podcast: To what extent have abortion politics been the driver of campaign finance fights in the courts? How much of a force has anti-abortion lawyer Jim Bopp been in the campaign finance cases? Are new efforts to make… Continue reading

Checking in on the status of the National Popular Vote Compact–Nevada, Minnesota, Michigan

May 18, 2023, 3:29 pmelectoral collegeDerek Muller

No state has joined the National Popular Vote Compact since 2019, which now sits at 195 electoral votes’ worth of states who’ve joined on (down a touch since 2019 due to congressional reapportionment). It needs 75 more electoral votes’ worth… Continue reading

“Presidential Election Disruptions: Balancing the Rule of Law and Emergency Response”

May 18, 2023, 3:27 pmelectoral collegeDerek Muller

A new report from the Fordham Rule of Law Clinic on the Electoral Count Reform Act.

Does Vote.org have Article III standing to challenge state election laws?

May 18, 2023, 3:27 pmvoter registrationDerek Muller

Vote.org is not a political party or political organization with members whose rights may be adversely affected by a state’s voting laws. Instead, Vote.org is a non-profit organization that helps people register to vote, among other things. When election laws… Continue reading

“Ballot language set for Ohio 60% constitutional amendment question, now named State Issue 1”

May 18, 2023, 9:23 amvoter initiativesDerek Muller

Cleveland.com: A state panel has set the language that will appear before voters for the upcoming Aug. 8 election when they’re asked to make it harder to change the Ohio constitution. The Ohio Ballot Board, chaired by Republican Secretary… Continue reading

Johnson County, Kansas sheriff’s election probe results so far? 1 case, no criminal charges

May 18, 2023, 9:22 amelection administration, fraudulent fraud squadDerek Muller

Records request from the Shawnee Mission Post: Earlier this spring, Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden painted a distressing picture of the county’s elections during a hearing before a Kansas Senate committee. According to his testimony, there had been more… Continue reading

“Trump 2020 lawyer indicated he may be target of Fulton County probe, court docs say”

May 18, 2023, 9:22 amelectoral collegeDerek Muller

Kyle Cheney in Politico: Ray Smith III, a lawyer who represented President Donald Trump in litigation aimed at reversing Georgia’s 2020 election results, has indicated he may be a target of Atlanta-area District Attorney Fani Willis’ criminal probe. Smith’s… Continue reading

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