Paul Smith and Mark Gaber: “Florida Voters Ask Supreme Court to Lift Stay”

July 13, 2020, 7:09 amfelon voting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

The following is a guest post from Paul Smith and Mark Gaber of the Campaign Legal Center: In a one-line decision issued on July 1, the en banc Eleventh Circuit stayed a district court order enjoining Florida’s “pay-to-vote” system for… Continue reading

“One Billionaire vs. the Mail A new report details Charles Koch’s 50-year war on the U.S. Postal Service”

July 13, 2020, 7:05 amabsentee ballots, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

TAP: This year, the Postal Service will also be essential to the national elections, as more Americans than ever opt to vote by mail because of the coronavirus. Weakening, privatizing, or eliminating the Postal Service at this critical time… Continue reading

“Why is Maryland’s governor making mail-in voting harder in November?”

July 13, 2020, 7:03 amabsentee ballots, election administrationRick Hasen

WaPo editorial: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) seems not to have learned them. He presided over a largely mail-in primary election in his state last month that saw strong turnout based on extremely high levels of absentee voting — but… Continue reading

“Texas voter registration surges to 16.4 million, despite the pandemic”

July 12, 2020, 8:14 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

San Antonio Express News reports.

“Trump gets some good election news: GOP voter registrations outpace Dems”

July 12, 2020, 8:12 pmvoter registrationRick Hasen

Politico: It was a flicker of hope for Donald Trump in an otherwise dismal summer.Late last month, the Democratic data firm TargetSmart found that while new voter registrations had plummeted amid the coronavirus pandemic, those who were registering in… Continue reading

“There are two easy steps to avoiding chaos this election. We haven’t taken them yet.”

July 12, 2020, 8:09 pmElection MeltdownRick Hasen

Kevin Johnson and Yuval Levin WaPo oped: There is no easy way to avert such problems. The management of elections inherently raises concerns about politicization, with each party worrying that the other will try to manipulate the rules to gain… Continue reading

Michigan Goes to Supreme Court to Reverse Laws Easing Initiative Signature Gathering Restrictions During Pandemic

July 12, 2020, 8:06 pmdirect democracy, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

You can find the petition (No. 20A1) at this link. [Corrected link]

“There are two easy steps to avoiding chaos this election. We haven’t taken them yet.”

July 11, 2020, 12:47 pmUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Glad to see more support for my view that, for this fall’s election, Congress should move back the dates in the Electoral Count Act that govern the Electoral College process. From today’s Washington Post: Second, Congress can take a simple… Continue reading

“Facebook Said to Consider Banning Political Ads”

July 10, 2020, 8:42 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

NYT: Facebook is considering banning political advertising across its network before the November general election, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions, after facing intense pressure for allowing hate speech and misinformation to flourish across its site.The decision… Continue reading

Election Fortnight?

July 10, 2020, 4:13 pmUncategorizedRichard Pildes

Sixteen days after Election Day, the winner of the Democratic primary in NY’s CD #1 has now been determined. The race involved 36,500 absentee ballots, which, as a result of NY laws on absentee ballot casting and processing, accounts for… Continue reading

“Editorial: California’s independent redistricting commission has no Latinos? That’s an embarrassment”

July 10, 2020, 1:50 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

LAT editorial.

California Appeals Court Smacks Down Trial Court in Case over Governor’s Authority to Issue Mail-in Ballot Order

July 10, 2020, 1:37 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

The appeals court rejected trial court emergency order against Gov. Newsom’s executive orders when plaintiffs failed to give proper notice to the governor and there was no showing of imminent harm

“Darrell Issa Quietly Drops Lawsuit over Gov. Newsom’s Mail-in Election Order”

July 10, 2020, 10:53 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Times of San Diego: Three weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a November 2020 vote-by-mail election, former U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa and Republican co-plaintiffs dropped their lawsuit over the issue.On Thursday, Issa’s legal team wrote federal Judge … Continue reading

Trump Falsely Says Absentee Ballots Will Lead Election Results to Be Delayed for Months, Falsely Suggests 20 Percent Rate of Fraudulent Ballots, Falsely Draws Distinction Between Absentee and Mail-In Ballots

July 10, 2020, 10:44 amabsentee ballots, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

CNN: President Donald Trump has railed against “mail-in voting” while defending “absentee voting,” baffling experts who say those voting systems are essentially the same thing.Trump made the claims in a series of tweets Friday morning, which included some of… Continue reading