“Texas Republicans Push New Voting Restrictions Aimed at Houston”

May 10, 2023, 4:33 amelection administrationnew vote denialTabatha Abu El-Haj

N.Y. Times: Texas’s Republican-dominated state Legislature is targeting Harris County — the newest urban area to show signs of becoming a Democratic Party stronghold in the state — for voting restrictions. If passed, the law would limit polling places,… Continue reading

Constitutionality of N.Y’s Restrictions on Write-Ins Upheld

May 9, 2023, 3:24 pmballot access, primariesTabatha Abu El-Haj

A 2021 amendment to N.Y.’s Election Law restricts the permissible universe of write-in candidates in a party primary to members of the party. Essentially applying Anderson-Burdick, the state appellate court upheld the constitutionality of the amendment. “Political parties have protected… Continue reading

“Rep. George Santos charged by Justice Department in federal probe”

May 9, 2023, 3:06 pmUncategorizedlies, political corruptonTabatha Abu El-Haj

CNN Exclusive: “Federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against New York Rep. George Santos, the Republican lawmaker whose astonishing pattern of lies and fabrications stunned even hardened politicos, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Santos is… Continue reading

“Behind The Dark Money Attack on Voting Rights”

May 9, 2023, 12:39 pmUncategorizedTabatha Abu El-Haj

Documented offers more detailed information about the dark money groups behind the incremental assault on voting rights reported in the N.Y. Times yesterday. The four groups identified are: Cleta Mitchell’s “Election Integrity Network” has organized coalitions of far-right grassroots… Continue reading

“Sort the mail-in ballot envelopes, or don’t?”

May 9, 2023, 11:50 amelection administrationMail-in BallotsTabatha Abu El-Haj

Andrew Appel at Freedom to Tinker has a four-part series offering a guide to local election officials about how best to handle mail-in ballot envelopes. He argues that how local officials handle them can make a huge difference in the… Continue reading

“DeSantis takes major step ahead of expected presidential bid”

May 9, 2023, 10:13 amcampaign finance2024 Primary Election CycleTabatha Abu El-Haj

Politico explains how a seemingly obscure move–severing ties to Friends of Ron DeSantis– is key to the viability of a presidential bid in 2024. Differences between Florida’s permissive campaign finance laws and the laws governing federal campaigns mean that DeSantis… Continue reading

“Federal judge grants injunction in Boston redistricting case: ‘The ball is back in the City Council’s court.’”

May 9, 2023, 9:14 amredistricting, Voting Rights Actlocal redistrictingTabatha Abu El-Haj

Boston Globe: The City of Boston’s new maps for City Council have been enjoined and must be redrawn before the November elections. “’Plaintiffs have demonstrated a likelihood of success in showing that race played a predominant role in the… Continue reading

Elon Musk Buys into Far-Right Smears of Those Pursuing Election Integrity on a Bipartisan Basis

May 9, 2023, 8:32 amfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Pam Fessler: What’s strange @elonmusk is that you continue to allow blatant lies on Twitter. This conference is bi/nonpartisan and available for anyone to see online. You might want to watch and learn about all the work R and… Continue reading

“Michael Berman, Democratic strategist and force in California politics, dies”

May 9, 2023, 7:42 amelection law bizRick Hasen

LAT: Michael Berman, who shaped California politics for generations as the mastermind of Los Angeles’ vaunted “Berman-Waxman Political Machine,” died Friday. He was 75. Berman burst onto the political scene before he was old enough to vote, running Henry… Continue reading

Emerging Fight Over Party Control of Nominees

May 9, 2023, 5:05 ampolitical parties, political polarization, primariesnomination procedures, party rulesTabatha Abu El-Haj

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Greg Bluestein reports this morning on efforts by the Georgia Republican Assembly, a conservative faction within the state GOP, to change the party’s rules to permit the state party to block candidates from qualifying to run as… Continue reading

The Republican Party’s Invisible Primary

May 9, 2023, 4:46 ampolitical parties, political polarization, primaries2024 Primary Election Cycle, invisible primaryTabatha Abu El-Haj

Seth Masket, writing at Politico, shares results of his survey of GOP county chairs about their current leanings in the 2024 presidential primary. “Overall, this survey suggests a group of party insiders that hasn’t made up its mind, but… Continue reading

Party v. Public Opinion: The Remnants of a Politics Past

May 8, 2023, 3:35 pmpolitical partiespolarization, responsivenessTabatha Abu El-Haj

These days when a partisan official chooses to break with the party to represent the interests of his constituents it really is news. Last week, Merv Riepe, a Republican State Senator in Nebraska cast the vote that blocked the passage… Continue reading

“Under the Radar, Right-Wing Push to Tighten Voting Laws Persists”

May 8, 2023, 3:34 pmThe Voting Wars, votingnew vote denial, rank-choice votingTabatha Abu El-Haj

N.Y. Times article bout a second, concerted wave of republican-sponsored legislative efforts to restrict voting, funded by “billionaire-backed advocacy groups” allied with Trump. The key point is that this new wave is based on a strategy of “radical incrementalism”–an effort… Continue reading

Georgia Statute Requires Time-Off for Early Voting

May 8, 2023, 12:15 pmelection administration, votingearly votingTabatha Abu El-Haj

Returning to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution story from last week: Georgia has passed a law that entitles workers up to two hours off to cast a ballot during early voting. The statute also establishes routine audits of primary, runoff, and special… Continue reading