“No, local election officials can’t block certification of results – there are plenty of legal safeguards”

September 4, 2024, 5:52 amelection administrationDerek Muller

I have this piece in The Conversation. It begins: Some local election officials have refused to certify election results in the past few years. Georgia has new administrative rules that invite election officials to investigate results before certifying. And… Continue reading

“RFK Jr. must remain on the Michigan ballot, judge says”

September 3, 2024, 3:08 pmballot accessRick Hasen

AP: A Michigan judge ruled that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must remain on the November presidential ballot, dealing a blow to his crusade to strategically remove his ticket from the battleground state. Kennedy suspended his campaign and endorsed former … Continue reading

“Don’t Trust the Election Forecasts” — Must-Read Justin Grimmer

September 3, 2024, 8:06 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Justin Grimmer for Politico Mag: I’m a political scientist who develops and applies machine learning methods, like forecasts, to political problems. The truth is we don’t have nearly enough data to know whether these models are any good at… Continue reading

My Take Over the Labor Day Weekend in the Wall St. Journal on the Chances of a Subverted Presidential Election in 2024: We Are In Better Shape Than 2020 But Vigilance is the Watchword

September 3, 2024, 7:16 amelection subversion riskRick Hasen

Here’s a gift link to the article.

ELB Book Corner: Lindsay Langholz: “The Electoral Count: New and Improved” (in Zelizer/Greenberg Volume)

September 3, 2024, 6:56 amELB Book Corner, election subversion riskRick Hasen

I am very pleased to welcome to ELB Book Corner three contributors to the edited volume, Our Nation at Risk: Election Integrity as a National Security Issue (Julian E. Zelizer & Karen J. Greenberg eds. NYU Press 2024). The first… Continue reading

“Democrats grow concerned Republicans are planting seeds with legal suits to overturn a Trump defeat”

September 3, 2024, 6:55 amelection subversion risk, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Peter Nicholas for NBC News: Republicans are setting off a slew of legal fights in the battleground states ahead of the November election, raising suspicions among Kamala Harris and her Democratic allies that the underlying goal is to gin up… Continue reading

“Convicted fraudsters launch AI lobbying firm using fake names”

September 3, 2024, 6:48 amchicanery, lobbyingRick Hasen

Politico: A Washington startup pitched as a service to integrate AI into lobbying is covertly run by a pair of well-known, far-right conspiracy theorists and convicted felons who are using pseudonyms in their new business, according to four former employees… Continue reading

“They didn’t submit a photocopy that wasn’t required; Why abortion won’t be on the Arkansas ballot in November”

September 3, 2024, 6:43 amballot access, chicanery, direct democracyRick Hasen

I missed this from Adam Unikowsky back on Aug. 25: On August 22, 2024, the Arkansas Supreme Court held, by a 4-3 vote, that an abortion-rights ballot initiative would not appear on the 2024 ballot. Why? It’s a confusing… Continue reading

“Beijing-Backed Trolls Target U.S. Voters as Election Nears”

September 3, 2024, 6:40 amcheap speechRick Hasen

WSJ: Chinese government-backed trolls are targeting U.S. voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election, assuming fake identities of politically engaged voters on social media to promote divisive narratives around issues including gun control, racial inequality and the Israel-Hamas war, according… Continue reading

Skepticism about Proportional Representation for Congress: A New Article

September 3, 2024, 3:37 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

I’ve posted this new article at SSRN, which will be forthcoming as part of an election-law Symposium in the University of Illinois Law Review. In a white paper released after this draft was completed, a leading proponent of PR for… Continue reading

“Trump said he had ‘every right’ to interfere with 2020 election”

September 2, 2024, 5:13 pmelection subversion riskRick Hasen

Axios, on a story that is getting surprisingly little attention: Former President Trump said he had “every right” to interfere with the results of the 2020 presidential election a Fox News interview that aired Sunday. Why it matters: Trump’s recent remarks… Continue reading

“Paxton’s election fraud charges upend lives but result in few convictions”

September 2, 2024, 3:40 pmfraudulent fraud squad, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

WaPo deep dive: The church leader’s case fits a pattern that has emerged in Texas under Paxton: Aggressive prosecutions for alleged election fraud crimes that upend lives but result in few cases that go to trial and end in a… Continue reading

“GOP network props up liberal third-party candidates in key states, hoping to siphon off Harris votes”

September 2, 2024, 7:52 amballot access, chicaneryRick Hasen

AP: Across the country, a network of Republican political operatives, lawyers and their allies is trying to shape November’s election in ways that favor former President Donald Trump. Their goal is to prop up third-party candidates such as West who… Continue reading

“Federal judge blocks enforcement of new Ohio ban on noncitizen contributions to ballot issue campaigns”

September 2, 2024, 7:50 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Cleveland.com: A federal judge on Saturday blocked key portions of Ohio’s new law restricting lawful permanent residents, visa-holders and others from contributing to statewide ballot issue campaigns. The injunction came one day before the law was to take effect…. Ohio’s … Continue reading