“How California bluffed its way into a redistricting war with Trump”

August 25, 2025, 7:37 amredistrictingRick Hasen

Politico: When word got out that Texas might undertake an extraordinary mid-decade redistricting at Donald Trump’s behest, a handful of top California Democratic operatives floated an idea to Rep. Zoe Lofgren: Could California respond in kind? Lofgren, the chair of… Continue reading

“Of Course the Voting Rights Act Would Die at This Moment”

August 25, 2025, 7:30 amSupreme Court, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Linda Greenhouse NYT column.

“Who Has the Right to Vote in America?”

August 25, 2025, 7:15 amReal Right to VoteRick Hasen

You can watch this episode of the PBS Series, Civics Made Easy with Ben Sheehan in which Josh Douglas and I are both interviewed about the U.S. Constitution, state constitutions and voting rights. You can find the full series here.

“How Did State Count More Kauaʻi Ballots Than County Said It Delivered?”

August 25, 2025, 7:09 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Troubling story out of Hawaii, hat tip to Charles Stewart for flagging this: The next meeting of the Hawaiʻi Elections Commission on Wednesday is expected to be dominated by recent findings of discrepancies in the number of drop box and… Continue reading

2025 Election Law Teachers Database Now Available

August 25, 2025, 7:00 amelection law bizRick Hasen

You can download it here.

“A Texas County Cuts Over 100 Polling Sites as Trump Attacks Mail-In Voting Nationally”

August 24, 2025, 3:11 pmelection administration, redistrictingRick Hasen

Pro Publica: Officials in a large North Texas county decided this week to cut more than 100 Election Day polling sites and reduce the number of early voting locations, amid growing concern about GOP efforts to limit voting access ahead… Continue reading

“Reframing Jan. 6: After the Pardons, the Purge”

August 24, 2025, 3:05 pmauthoritarian threats in US, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

NYT: The lawyer took the elevator 32 floors to the U.S. attorney’s office, where for eight years he had worked as a highly regarded prosecutor. He had a container of homemade chocolate chip cookies to share and some thoughts to… Continue reading

“Red vs. Blue: Who’s Next in the Redistricting Fight”

August 24, 2025, 3:01 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

WSJ: While both Texas and California are seeking to flip five seats, other states have fewer seats to target. Shawn Donahue, a political-science professor at the University at Buffalo, predicts Republicans would pick up four to six of House seats nationwide… Continue reading

Bart Gellman: “Trump’s Stunning Power Grab on Elections”

August 24, 2025, 2:57 pmElection Assistance Commission, election subversion risk, UncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT oped: To begin with, the surprise announcement and the sudden, if ambiguous, turnabout suggested once again that Mr. Trump is governing in his second term without advisers who can or even try to help him discipline his impulses. The… Continue reading

I Spoke to the PBS News Hour Weekend About Trump’s Threats to the Integrity of the 2026 Midterm Elections

August 24, 2025, 7:44 amauthoritarian threats in US, election administration, election subversion riskRick Hasen

Watch here:

“Florida election law dealt blow as judge rules noncitizen petition ban unconstitutional”

August 23, 2025, 12:26 pmdirect democracyRick Hasen

Florida Politics: In a victory for immigrants and advocacy groups, a federal judge has provisionally blocked enforcement of a Florida elections law that prohibited noncitizens from collecting signatures for citizen-led ballot initiatives. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker, in a 28-page ruling… Continue reading

“DHS to states: Follow our voting rules or lose out on election security money”

August 23, 2025, 12:23 pmauthoritarian threats in US, election administrationRick Hasen

NPR: The Trump administration has indicated it may withhold tens of millions of dollars in election security funding if states don’t comply with its voting policy goals. The money comes from a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant program, and… Continue reading

“Trump seeks to ban the mail voting system that Republicans built in Arizona to boost turnout”

August 23, 2025, 11:46 amabsentee ballots, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Arizona Mirror: The vast majority of Arizonans who voted for President Donald Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024 cast their ballot by mail — a system ushered into existence and expanded by Republican lawmakers in the Grand Canyon State. Trump… Continue reading

“Advocates File Immediate Legal Challenge to Texas Gerrymander “

August 23, 2025, 11:40 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Democracy Docket: Hours after Texas lawmakers approved a new gerrymandered congressional map Saturday morning, Texans asked a court to block it. The plaintiffs*, a group of Black and Latino Texans, filed an amended complaint in an ongoing challenge to… Continue reading