“Ranked Choice, Election Reform, and the New York City Vote”

August 4, 2025, 6:22 amUncategorizedNicholas Stephanopoulos

Cato will be holding this forum on instant-runoff voting later this week. The dramatic outcome of the New York City mayoral primary, in which Zohran Mamdani outpaced former governor Andrew Cuomo and then clinched the win with second-choice votes from… Continue reading

Yale “MFIA Clinic Report Provides Roadmap for Attorneys to Challenge Election Disinformation”

August 3, 2025, 4:20 pmcheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

Important report released by Yale Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic: Students from Yale Law School’s Media Freedom and Information Access (MFIA) Clinic have released a new white paper titled “Using the Ku Klux Klan Act to Combat Election Disinformation: … Continue reading

“Texas House Democrats flee the state in bid to block GOP’s proposed congressional map”

August 3, 2025, 4:11 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Texas Tribune: Texas Democratic lawmakers fled the state Sunday in a bid to block passage of a new congressional map designed to give the GOP five additional seats in the U.S. House next year, raising the stakes in what’s… Continue reading

“The Mothership Vortex: An Investigation Into the Firm at the Heart of the Democratic Spam Machine; How a single consulting firm extracted $282 million from a network of spam PACs while delivering just $11 million to actual campaigns.”

August 3, 2025, 4:10 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Must-read from Adam Bonica: The digital deluge is a familiar annoyance for anyone on a Democratic fundraising list. It’s a relentless cacophony of bizarre texts and emails, each one more urgent than the last, promising that your immediate $15 donation… Continue reading

“Trump and his allies mount a pressure campaign against US elections ahead of the midterms”

August 3, 2025, 4:06 pmelection administration, election subversion riskRick Hasen

Fredreka Schouten for CNN: A few weeks ago, Republican election officials in Colorado began receiving unsolicited calls and texts from a GOP consultant who said he was working with the Trump administration on “election integrity.” In a text to one… Continue reading

“After 47 years on the political beat for The Post, it’s transition time; Dan Balz writes on his retirement from full-time work at The Washington Post after 47 years.”

August 3, 2025, 4:02 pmelection law bizRick Hasen

A true legend pens his last regular column. Fortunately, Dan plans to write more, just on a less set schedule. Wishing him all the best in (semi-)retirement.

“The Trump Administration’s Campaign to Undermine the Next Election”

August 3, 2025, 3:59 pmauthoritarian threats in US, election administrationRick Hasen

Brennan Center expert brief: In 2020, 2022, and 2024, our nation held federal elections. Despite the pandemic, threats of violence, denial of results, and extraordinary pressure, these were secure and accurate. Election officials worked together across party lines. The system… Continue reading

“New Report Alerts Companies to New Level of Risk from Political Spending”

August 3, 2025, 3:57 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Bruce Freed and Jeanne Hanna: In today’s climate of heightened polarization, intensifying public scrutiny, and shifting political dynamics, companies that engage in political spending face significantly greater risks than in the past. To help companies navigate these growing risks,… Continue reading

“Former Trump prosecutor Jack Smith faces investigation by Office of Special Counsel”

August 2, 2025, 1:11 pmauthoritarian threats in US, chicanery, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

WaPo: The U.S. Office of special counsel said Saturday it is investigating Jack Smith, the former Justice Department official who oversaw two federal prosecutions of Donald Trump, for potentially violating the law barring federal officials from political activity. The… Continue reading

“Democratic governors advise strong counteroffensive on redistricting”

August 2, 2025, 1:08 pmchicanery, redistrictingRick Hasen

Politico: A group of Democratic governors is urging its colleagues to get tough in countering Republican-backed efforts to gerrymander Texas’ congressional districts. “It’s incumbent upon Democrat governors, if they have the opportunity, to respond in kind,” outgoing Kansas Gov. Laura… Continue reading

“Revealed: Elon Musk’s $1 Million Gift to Trump Inauguration”

August 2, 2025, 1:05 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Influence Brief: A Jan. 15 in-kind contribution from X Corp., the social media company previously known as Twitter and owned by Musk, never appeared in any of the Trump inaugural committee’s original disclosure or in multiple amendments. The donation only appeared… Continue reading

“How the New Texas Map Changes the Outlook for Control of the House”

August 2, 2025, 1:03 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Nate Cohn for The Tilt: So far this election cycle, most analysts have assumed that Democrats will win the House next November. No, it’s not a guarantee. But the party out of the White House usually does well in midterms,… Continue reading

“Texas House panel advances redrawn congressional map that would add more GOP seats”

August 2, 2025, 1:01 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Texas Tribune: A Texas House panel on Saturday advanced a draft congressional map aimed at adding five new Republican districts next year over protests from Democrats that the proposal would suppress the votes of people of color. The chamber’s redistricting… Continue reading

“Donor List Suggests Scale of Trump’s Pay-for-Access Operation”

August 2, 2025, 12:59 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, lobbyingRick Hasen

NYT: When the cryptocurrency entrepreneur Eric Schiermeyer heard that President Trump was holding small group dinners with major donors, he saw opportunity. Mr. Schiermeyer reached out to a lobbyist with connections in Mr. Trump’s orbit, who arranged for him to… Continue reading