Greg Sargent: “Enough with all the fatalism about a Trump dictatorship”

December 5, 2023, 7:41 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

WaPo column: “Authoritarians create a climate where they seem unstoppable,” Ben-Ghiat told me. “Creating an aura of destiny around the leader galvanizes his supporters by making his movement seem much stronger than it actually is. The manipulation of perception is… Continue reading

New Poll of Former Members of Congress Reveals Concern for Democracy, Pervasiveness of Threats

December 5, 2023, 7:25 amelection subversion riskRick Hasen

New from FMC & UMass: in 2023, FMC partnered with the University of Massachusetts Amherst UMass Poll to conduct a survey on the perspectives, beliefs, and experiences of Former Members of Congress. Nearly 300 Former Members responded to the survey,… Continue reading

Dec 12 CAP Event: “Is Alaska the Secret to Saving American Democracy?”

December 5, 2023, 7:21 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

This looks interesting: American democracy is in crisis. The country has become deeply divided along partisan lines, causing Americans to turn against each other. Compromise has become scarce, while threats of political violence have risen. But there’s hope in an… Continue reading

“Defending his 2020 fraud claims, Trump turns to fringe Jan. 6 theories”

December 4, 2023, 9:07 pmfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

WaPo: Ever since he was indicted on charges of interfering in the 2020 election results, Donald Trump has relished the chance to use the case in Washington as a venue to air his baseless claims of fraud. Now he is… Continue reading

“R.F.K. Jr. Allies Say They’ll Spend Over $10 Million on Ballot Access”

December 4, 2023, 4:24 pmballot access, third partiesRick Hasen

NYT: A super PAC backing the independent presidential candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is planning to spend $10 million to $15 million to get Mr. Kennedy on the ballot in 10 states, a substantial effort that, even if partly… Continue reading

“Eligible voters are being swept up in conservative activists’ efforts to purge voter rolls”

December 4, 2023, 2:16 pmfraudulent fraud squad, voter registrationRick Hasen

CBS News: Voters eligible to cast ballots are already being swept up in a grassroots effort to purge the nation’s registration rolls ahead of the 2024 presidential election, a CBS News investigation has found. Fueled by doubts about the… Continue reading

“Accused of targeting democracy, Trump turns to ‘no puppet’ tactics”

December 4, 2023, 2:13 pmelection subversion riskRick Hasen

Important point from Steve Benen: With this in mind, Trump is aware of the fact that he’s running for the nation’s highest office effectively as an opponent of democracy. He also realizes that a growing number of observers — journalists,… Continue reading

“Georgia redistricting challenges protections of multiracial coalitions”

December 4, 2023, 2:11 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

AJC: As soon as Georgia’s redrawn political boundaries pass this week, the new maps will likely spark court challenges that could weaken nationwide protections against discrimination in districts where Black voters and other racial groups together make up a majority.… Continue reading

“America’s Election Officials Fight Disinformation and Death Threats Ahead of 2024”

December 4, 2023, 10:59 amelection administration, election subversion riskRick Hasen

Just Security: Karen Brinson Bell has worked in elections administration for more than 17 years. It has always been a hard job – election law is always evolving, work leads to missing family events, and there is no rescheduling an… Continue reading

“Louisiana granted extra time to draw new congressional map that complies with Voting Rights Act”

December 4, 2023, 8:40 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

AP: Louisiana lawmakers now have until the end of January to draw and pass new congressional boundaries to replace a current map that a federal judge said violates the Voting Rights Act by diluting the power of the state’s Black… Continue reading

The Atlantic and the NYT Open the Week with Major Pieces Warning About a Second Trump Term

December 4, 2023, 7:14 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

Bart Gellman in The Atlantic: If Donald Trump regains the presidency, he will once again become the chief law-enforcement officer of the United States. There may be no American leader less suited to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully… Continue reading

“In win for Cooper and Democrats, NC judges block GOP-backed elections law ahead of 2024”

December 3, 2023, 5:49 pmThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

WRAL: A panel of judges on Thursday granted Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s request to block a new elections law before voters head to the polls in 2024. The ruling from the three judges — two Republicans and one Democrat —… Continue reading

Watch Archived Video of My Conversation with Joshua Sellers and Mark Updegrove at James Baker Institute About Legal Issues Facing the 2024 Election

December 3, 2023, 5:40 pmThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

Our panel is the first after the introductions in this YouTube recording of the event.

“Trump attempts to spin anti-democracy, authoritarian criticism against Biden”

December 3, 2023, 5:37 pmelection subversion riskRick Hasen

WaPo: Republican polling leader Donald Trump moved to deflect from criminal charges that he tried to overturn the 2020 election and from his own pledges to take revenge on his opponents if he returns to the White House, seeking to… Continue reading