“Trump prosecutions consume campaign funds and messaging as charges mount”

July 21, 2023, 3:53 amcampaign finance, election subversion riskDan Tokaji

WaPo on the vanishing distinction between Trump’s campaign and legal defense: “[J]ust over half of the money [Trump] raised last quarter went not to the campaign itself but to an affiliated PAC that is footing the legal bills. Of more… Continue reading

“A Collision in Court: Trump Grand Jury Proceedings Delay a Jan. 6 Verdict”

July 21, 2023, 3:47 amelection subversion riskDan Tokaji

NYT: “On Thursday, … a federal judge hauled the prosecutor leading the election interference investigation out of a grand jury proceeding and summoned him into his courtroom. The judge, Trevor N. McFadden, was apparently upset that the prosecutor, Thomas… Continue reading

“Texas jettisons bipartisan voter list program ERIC”

July 21, 2023, 3:44 amvoter registrationDan Tokaji

Politico: Texas is leaving the Electronic Registration Information Center, becoming the latest — and largest — Republican-led state to leave the bipartisan voting list maintenance program. The move by the nation’s second-most-populous state, while widely expected for months, is… Continue reading

How to slay two electoral dragons

July 21, 2023, 3:41 amelectoral college, redistrictingDan Tokaji

Danielle Allen in WaPo, on gerrymandering and the electoral college: “I’ve been going on for many moons about the need to grow the House of Representatives. But there are still two major arguments left for why this is… Continue reading

“Michigan clerk stripped of election duties after being charged for acting as fake elector in 2020”

July 20, 2023, 3:42 pmelection administration, election subversion riskDan Tokaji

AP: On Thursday, the Michigan Bureau of Elections notified Stan Grot, a Republican who has served as the Shelby Township clerk since 2012, that he will be prohibited from administering elections while the charges are pending. Grot was among… Continue reading

Brennan Center: “How a Renewed Code of Ethics Can Strengthen the Election Administration Profession”

July 20, 2023, 3:40 pmconflict of interest laws, election administrationDan Tokaji

The article by Derek Tisler, Ruby Edlin, and Daniel Weiner was originally published in the Journal of Election Administration, Research, and Practice. Here’s the abstract: Although election officials have successfully managed recent election cycles amidst significant challenges, they have… Continue reading

“Changes to Ohio voter ID law will impact August 8 election. Here’s how”

July 20, 2023, 3:32 pmdirect democracy, voter idDan Tokaji

From States Newsroom: To get to the ballot box, voters need to keep in mind changes made to voter ID laws last year, in a late-night legislative move approved by Gov. Mike DeWine at the beginning of 2023. Those… Continue reading

“Inside Kevin McCarthy’s secret promise to expunge Trump’s record”

July 20, 2023, 5:39 amelection subversion risk, legislation and legislaturesDan Tokaji

Politico reports: After House Speaker Kevin McCarthy suggested on national television last month that Donald Trump may not be the GOP’s best presidential nominee in 2024, the former president was furious — and wanted the California Republican to rectify… Continue reading

“Trump’s Legal Woes Mount as Trial Dates and Campaign Calendar Collide”

July 20, 2023, 5:34 amelection subversion risk, primariesDan Tokaji

NYT: Generally, criminal defendants must be present in the courtroom during their trials. Not only will that force Mr. Trump to step away from the campaign trail, possibly for weeks at a time, but the judges overseeing his trials… Continue reading

“After fitful starts, Trump Jan. 6 investigations hurtle toward charges”

July 20, 2023, 5:32 amelection subversion risk, political polarizationDan Tokaji

WaPo on recent developments in the federal, Georgia, and Arizona investigations, as well as this week’s charges in Michigan: The proliferation of charges and expected charges marks the most extensive effort yet to hold accountable those who attempted to help… Continue reading

“Alabama legislature passes redistricting maps that Democrats say defy court order”

July 20, 2023, 5:26 amredistrictingDan Tokaji

WaPo: “The Republican-led House and Senate in Alabama approved dueling congressional maps Wednesday that would increase the percentage of Black voters in the state’s 2nd District — but not by enough, Democrats argued, to comply with a federal court… Continue reading

“Secretary of State set to trim Georgia voter rolls ahead of 2024”

July 20, 2023, 5:19 amvoter registrationDan Tokaji

Axios: “Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger plans to strike nearly 192,000 names from the state’s voter rolls as a part of “routine and legally required” list maintenance ahead of the 2024 election.” Release from the SOS’s office here… Continue reading

“Michigan governor signs legislation expanding voting rights”

July 20, 2023, 5:17 amabsentee ballots, voter idDan Tokaji

AP: “The legislation, which resulted from the voter-approved Proposal 2, establishes a website for voters to track when their ballots are received and counted, and requires at least nine days of early voting before each statewide and federal election.… Continue reading

“Sorting Out the Kinks in Ranked-Choice Voting”

July 19, 2023, 3:05 pmalternative voting systemsDan Tokaji

Walter Olson, Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, has this comment on the Arlington (VA) county board’s recent decision not to use ranked-choice voting in its upcoming general election. He concludes “it’s too soon to pronounce whether Saturday’s announcement represents… Continue reading