“Election Day largely running smoothly, with just a handful of issues”

November 5, 2024, 11:53 amelection administrationRick Hasen

Good news via WaPo: The final day of voting in a deeply divided nation’s high-stakes elections started mostly smoothly on Tuesday, with only scattered problems at some polling locations. In a presidential race expected to hinge on the outcome in … Continue reading

“Musk to Spend Election Night With Trump; Elon Musk has spent $119 million on a super PAC supporting Donald Trump and held events on his behalf. But his ownership of X is especially valuable.”

November 5, 2024, 11:11 amcampaign finance, campaigns, cheap speechRick Hasen

NYT: Elon Musk plans to spend election night with former President Donald J. Trump, giving Mr. Trump direct access to the person controlling one of key information platforms on what could be a chaotic evening…. Mr. Musk is joining the… Continue reading

A Moment of Thanks to Our Election Officials and Election Workers, the Real Election Heroes

November 5, 2024, 10:48 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Those who work or volunteer in elections have always had a tiring, stressful, and often thankless job. Now, these workers should be entitled to combat pay– but they at least deserve our thanks. Some have faced harassment, intimidation, insults, and… Continue reading

“Flaw in Right-Wing ‘Election Integrity’ App Exposes Voter-Suppression Plan and User Data; A bug that WIRED discovered in True the Vote’s VoteAlert app revealed user information—and an election worker who wrote about carrying out an illegal voter-suppression scheme.”

November 5, 2024, 10:25 amchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Wired: An app developed by the right-wing nonprofit True the Vote to crowdsource claims of voter fraud contained a security flaw that exposed the email addresses of all users who posted or commented on the platform, along with other… Continue reading

“RNC walks back claims on election observer limits at Milwaukee polling places”

November 5, 2024, 10:18 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: The Republican National Committee conceded in court Tuesday no elections observers were being restricted at Milwaukee’s polling places, walking back claims it made in a lawsuit filed a day earlier on the eve of the 2024 General Election.… Continue reading

“Non-credible bomb threats against Atlanta-area polling places were from Russia, secretary of state says”

November 5, 2024, 10:17 amchicaneryRick Hasen

CNN: Several non-credible bomb threats that briefly disrupted voting at two Georgia polling places originated from Russia, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told reporters Tuesday. “We’ve heard some threats that were of Russian origin. I don’t know how to… Continue reading

William & Mary Election Law Society’s State of Elections Blog

November 5, 2024, 10:10 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

As the nation anxiously awaits results, consider perusing the William & Mary Election Law Society’s State of Elections blog where law students have been posting on state election law topics (new posts up each week).

“Elon Musk Pushes ‘Ballot Curing’ in Pennsylvania, Eyeing Tight Margin”

November 5, 2024, 8:45 amabsentee ballots, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: Elon Musk’s super PAC has been emphasizing “ballot curing” in the final days of the presidential campaign, a highly expensive strategy meant to pick up a few additional votes in a razor-thin election. Mr. Musk’s group, America PAC,… Continue reading

My New One at MSNBC Opinion on Why Where You Live Shouldn’t Determine How Easy or Hard It is to Vote

November 5, 2024, 7:52 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

I have written this piece for MSNBC Opinion. It begins: As the United States reaches yet another Election Day, it’s worth a reminder that although casting a ballot is easy for most, voting is still too hard for many… Continue reading

“Could This Presidential Election Be Decided by the Supreme Court? It is unlikely that the court ends up playing a major role in the outcome, according to elections experts, but it is possible. Here’s why.”

November 5, 2024, 7:29 amSupreme Court, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

NYT: As the polls open on Election Day, the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump appears to be a dead heat, leading some to fear that the election will be dragged out and the… Continue reading

“Russia Escalates Effort to Subvert Election and ‘Instill Fear in Voters,’ U.S. Says”

November 5, 2024, 7:25 amchicanery, election subversion riskRick Hasen

NYT: Russian groups and other foreign adversaries have unleashed an extensive disinformation campaign to undermine confidence in the election, and senior U.S. officials are worried that Moscow’s efforts could continue to stoke political discord until the election is certified in… Continue reading

“How Trump used the ‘red mirage’ in vote counting to deny his 2020 loss”

November 5, 2024, 7:22 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

WaPo: Shortly after Election Day came and went in 2020 with no presidential decision, then-president Donald Trump declared himself the winner, even though millions of votes had yet to be counted. A little more than three days later,… Continue reading

“Elon Musk promotes video referencing QAnon in support of Trump”

November 5, 2024, 7:20 amcheap speech, chicanery, election subversion risk, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

WaPo: Elon Musk shared a video in support of Donald Trump that appeared to includereferences to the extremistQAnon ideology and footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, elevating the radicalized movement on the eveningbefore millions… Continue reading

“Judge denies Missouri’s effort to block federal election monitors”

November 5, 2024, 7:18 amDepartment of JusticeRick Hasen

WaPo: A federal judge late Monday denied an effort by Missouri’s Republican leaders to ban Justice Department election monitors from gaining access to polling sites in St. Louis County on Election Day. U.S. District Judge Sarah Pitlyk said state officials… Continue reading