“Elon Musk’s PAC spent an estimated $200 million to help elect Trump, AP source says”

November 12, 2024, 7:30 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

AP: Elon Musk’s super PAC spent around $200 million to help elect Donald Trump , according to a person familiar with the group’s spending, funding an effort that sets a new standard for how billionaires can influence elections. The billionaire… Continue reading

Voting Rights Groups Ask Fifth Circuit to Grant En Banc Review to Bonkers Ruling Holding that Federal Law Requires Ballots to Be Received by Election Day to Be Included in Ballot Count

November 11, 2024, 1:03 pmabsentee ballotsRick Hasen

Petition via Democracy Docket.

“California Counts Methodically as House Control Hangs in the Balance; Ten of the 18 races that will determine which party controls the House of Representatives are in California. No state takes longer to tally votes.”

November 11, 2024, 1:00 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

Good NYT overview.

“Trump’s Gains Among Latinos Push a Civil Rights Group to Reflect on Its Past”

November 11, 2024, 7:46 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

NYT: Nearly a century later, as President-elect Donald J. Trump is set to return to the White House, LULAC is preparing to stand on the front lines of clashes with the incoming administration over proposed mass deportations, voting access and… Continue reading

“Republicans inch toward ‘trifecta’ control of House, Senate, White House”

November 11, 2024, 7:45 amcampaignsRick Hasen

WaPo: Republicans are on the cusp of regaining the House majority for the 119th Congress and securing total control of Washington, days after the party won the presidency and control of the Senate. House Republicans appear to have flipped… Continue reading

“Schumer withholds Senate orientation invite from McCormick”

November 11, 2024, 7:30 amrecountsRick Hasen

Politico: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will not allow Sen.-elect Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) to participate in Senate orientation this week because he doesn’t consider the race to be resolved yet. Though the Associated Press projected Thursday that McCormick defeated Democrat … Continue reading

“Who wins when? Election timing and descriptive representation”

November 11, 2024, 7:10 amcampaigns, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Zoltan L. Hajnal, Vladimir Kogan, and G. Agustin Markarian have written this article for AJPS. Here is the abstract: We examine how the timing of local elections affects the success of minority candidates, who remain woefully underrepresented in… Continue reading

“Meta’s Threads is ‘overrun’ with liberal election fraud conspiracies”

November 9, 2024, 5:19 pmchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Taylor Lorenz: Over the past several days, Meta’s Threads has become inundated with liberal election fraud conspiracies. The conspiracies range from skepticism about vote tallies in key swing states, to allegations of a criminal coverup by Biden to force the… Continue reading

“Iranian Agents Plotted to Kill Trump, U.S. Says in Unsealed Charges”

November 9, 2024, 5:07 pmchicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: Federal prosecutors in Manhattan said on Friday that Iranian plotters had discussed a plan to assassinate Donald J. Trump before he was re-elected as president this week. One of the plotters said that he was assigned in September to… Continue reading

“Trump Holds Up Transition Process Over Ethics Code”

November 9, 2024, 5:06 pmconflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

NYT: President-elect Donald J. Trump has not yet submitted a legally required ethics pledge stating that he will avoid conflicts of interest and other ethical concerns while in office, raising concerns that his refusal to do so will hamper the… Continue reading

“Elon Musk Is Positioning X Behind the New Trump Presidency”

November 9, 2024, 5:04 pmcheap speech, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

NYT: Since Donald J. Trump won the presidential election, Elon Musk has gone all in on X to promote the incoming administration. Mr. Musk, who owns X, posted on the platform about politics more than 400 times between Tuesday and… Continue reading

“Why California is still counting votes and how long it may take”

November 9, 2024, 5:00 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

WaPo: For most of the country, predictions that Election Day would morph into election week or election month did not come topass. Then there’s California, where millions of ballots remain uncounted. The most populous state in the union has one… Continue reading

“Ohio’s chief of elections eyes top cyber role under Trump”

November 9, 2024, 4:55 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Politico: Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is seeking the top cybersecurity and elections role in the incoming Trump administration, according to four people who have spoken to those in LaRose’s orbit. LaRose, a Republican, has told colleagues in… Continue reading

“Ballot measures to upend state election systems failed across the country”

November 8, 2024, 2:05 pmalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

NPR: Statewide efforts to adopt open and nonpartisan primaries, as well as ranked choice voting, failed in this year’s election, delivering a stinging setback to the election reform movement. The measures sought to reduce political polarization in U.S. politics. And… Continue reading