Texas Digs Itself Into a Deeper Hole on Excuses for Absentee Balloting

May 26, 2020, 3:29 pmabsentee ballotsRick Hasen

Why does Texas continue to try to discourage voting during the pandemic? Texas has claimed that lack of immunity to COVID-19 is not a reason enough to vote by absentee. The technical argument is that it is not a “disability”… Continue reading

“DOJ: Witness requirement on Alabama absentee ballots not Voting Rights violation”

May 26, 2020, 3:22 pmVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Montgomery Advertiser: The U.S. Department of Justice argued in a brief filed Tuesday that Alabama’s current requirement to have witnesses sign an absentee ballot is not a violation of the Voting Rights Act. The brief, filed in a lawsuit… Continue reading

“DeSantis to appeal Amendment 4 ruling that allows ex-felons to vote”

May 26, 2020, 3:20 pmfelon votingRick Hasen

Orlando Sentinel: Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday he would appeal a federal judge’s decision to strike down a Florida law requiring felons to pay fines and fees associated with their sentences before getting back their right to vote.“It’ll go… Continue reading

Federal Court in Litigation Over Conduct of Georgia’s Primary Under Pandemic Conditions Doubles Down in Calling It a NonJusticiable Political Question

May 26, 2020, 3:00 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

You can read the order denying reconsideration here. (My earlier coverage.)

June 2 Event: “Vote-by-Mail: Protecting the Ballot during COVID-19”

May 26, 2020, 2:56 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Vote-by-Mail: Protecting the Ballot during COVID-19Tuesday, June 2nd at 10:00am ESTJoin the Eagleton Institute of Politics and The Fund for New Jersey for this special session exploring how we can effectively transition the processes and practices of politics to meet the… Continue reading

May 27 BPC Event: “Election Legitimacy in Peril: Where Do We Go From Here?”

May 26, 2020, 11:58 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Details.

“Federal judge sides with NAACP in voting rights challenge of East Ramapo school district”

May 26, 2020, 11:54 amVoting Rights ActRick Hasen

Gannett: A federal judge struck down the method East Ramapo uses to elect its school board Tuesday, saying the current setup is unfair to black and Latino voters.U.S. District Court Judge Cathy Seibel, in a 77-page decision issued this morning,… Continue reading

Sixth Circuit, in Troubling Decision, Reverses District Court Decision Requiring Ohio to Accept Electronic Signatures for Initiative Petitions

May 26, 2020, 11:42 amballot access, direct democracy, election administrationRick Hasen

You can find the per curiam opinion of the three-judge panel here. This opinion is troubling, and fits into a larger pattern of the court not protecting direct democracy during the pandemic. Indeed, I have this forthcoming piece in… Continue reading

Breaking: Without Noted Dissent, Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Challenge to California Voting Rights Act

May 26, 2020, 6:32 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Order list. This is a very big deal. This was a case backed by Ed Blum, the conservative crusader who brought us the Supreme Court’s Shelby County case gutting Section 5 of the (federal) Voting Rights Act and the… Continue reading

“Coronavirus stay-at-home orders crater voter registration efforts”

May 25, 2020, 7:27 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Axios reports.

In Detailed and Thoughtful Opinion, Federal Court Holds Florida Law Requiring Ex-Felons to Repay Fines Before Restoration of Voting Rights Unconstitutional for Those Who Cannot Afford to Pay and Those Who Cannot Know How Much They Owe

May 25, 2020, 4:24 pmfelon votingRick Hasen

You can find the 125-page opinion at this link. Howard rounds up the news stories. Among other things the court held that if the state of Florida cannot even tell former felons how much they owe to have their… Continue reading