“North Carolina election law attorney, nominated 4 times to US District Court judgeship, dies at 69”

April 3, 2024, 7:36 amelection law bizRick Hasen

Fox News: Thomas Farr, a longtime North Carolina redistricting and election law attorney who regularly defended Republican interests but whose 2018 federal judgeship nomination was scuttled by two GOP senators, has died, a legal colleague said Tuesday. He was 69.… Continue reading

“Wisconsin voters OK amendments aimed at private election grants after ‘Zuckerbucks’ scrutiny”

April 3, 2024, 7:30 amelection administrationRick Hasen

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Wisconsin voters on Tuesday approved two referendums that change the state Constitution to prohibit clerks from using private grants to administer elections and add that only appointed election officials can perform tasks to conduct elections. With over 99%… Continue reading

“Trump and Nebraska governor push to deny Biden a crucial electoral vote”

April 3, 2024, 7:28 amelectoral collegeRick Hasen

Dave Weigel for Semafor: Donald Trump and Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen endorsed legislation that would take Omaha’s potentially decisive electoral vote out of play for Democrats, hours after conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s Tuesday X post suggesting it. In just 200… Continue reading

To Work in Ohio, Alaska’s “Final Four” Electoral System Needs Modification

April 2, 2024, 2:39 pmUncategorizedNed Foley

New Common Ground Democracy essay: “Ohio’s partisan polarization is so severe that stronger medicine than Alaska’s new electoral reform is necessary to avoid the election of extreme candidates in the Buckeye State.” (The essay has details, including relevant data.)

“Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Revive Washington State Voting Map Said to Hurt Hispanics”

April 2, 2024, 1:45 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

NYT: The Supreme Court refused on Tuesday to reinstate a voting map for the Washington State Legislature that a federal judge had found discriminated against Hispanic voters. As is the court’s custom when it acts on emergency applications, its brief… Continue reading

“‘Start the Steal’: Trump Once Again Planning to Overturn an Election”

April 2, 2024, 1:44 pmelection subversion riskRick Hasen

The Bulwark: HERE IS A PLAN AFOOT to overturn the results of the November election, and for both parties it is fast becoming a major concern. The scheme is being hatched by Republicans on behalf of Donald Trump, who seeks… Continue reading

“Covering Elections and Voting in 2024: A Media Guide”

April 2, 2024, 11:38 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Important new resource: Download the Guide Covering Elections and Voting in 202414 MB “Covering Elections and Voting in 2024” by Pam Fessler, a communications advisor for The Elections Group and former National Public Radio correspondent, serves as a comprehensive resource… Continue reading

April 9 Safeguarding Democracy Project Event and Webinar: “Race and the Risk of Election Subversion”

April 2, 2024, 8:56 amelection subversion riskRick Hasen

I’m looking forward to moderating this event next week. April 9, 12:15pm – 1:15pm Race and the Risk of Election Subversion In-person at UCLA Law Room 1337 and Online Webinar Registration In-Person Registration Sophia Lin Lakin (ACLU), Spencer Overton… Continue reading

“Kansas GOP lawmakers revive a plan to stop giving voters 3 extra days to return mail ballots”

April 2, 2024, 6:48 amabsentee ballotsRick Hasen

AP: Republican legislators in Kansas have revived a proposal to stop giving voters three extra days after polls close to return mail ballots after making key concessions in a bid to get enough votes from rural GOP lawmakers to overcome… Continue reading

“RFK Jr. threatens to sue Nevada over ballot access”

April 2, 2024, 6:46 amballot accessRick Hasen

CBS News: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is threatening legal action against Nevada over his petition to appear on the ballot as an independent candidate, his campaign said Monday, after CBS News reported that the signatures he had gathered could be … Continue reading

“Transforming Constitutional Doctrine Through Mandatory Appeals from Three-Judge District Courts: The Warren and Burger Courts and Their Contemporary Lessons”

April 1, 2024, 1:28 pmSupreme CourtRick Hasen

Michael Solimine, who knows more about the use of 3-judge courts in election cases than anyone I know, has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming U Pitt. L. Rev.). Here is the abstract: Judicial interpretations of the Equal Protection and… Continue reading

“The ‘Bounds’ of Moore: Pluralism and State Judicial Review”

April 1, 2024, 12:04 pmlegislation and legislatures, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Leah Litman and Kate Shaw have written this essay for the Yale Law Journal Forum. Here is the abstract: In Moore v. Harper, the Supreme Court rejected a maximalist version of the “independent state legislature theory” (ISLT), invoking state judicial… Continue reading

My New One at Slate: “2016 Election Fraudster ‘Ricky Vaughn’ Might Finally Be About to Face the Music”

April 1, 2024, 7:16 amcheap speech, chicanery, First Amendment theoryRick Hasen

I have written this piece for Slate. it begins: On Friday, a federal appeals court in New York will consider a case with key implications for the 2024 election. At issue is whether it violates federal law to trick… Continue reading

“How Republicans texted and emailed their way into a money problem”

April 1, 2024, 7:13 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

WaPo: In the years after Donald Trump lost the presidency to Joe Biden, Trump sent so many emails and text messages asking for money that Republican consultants warned his mailing lists could become useless. The former president’s friends told him… Continue reading