“Assessing the Validity of an Election’s Result: History, Theory, and Present Threats”

February 9, 2020, 8:12 pmelection administrationRick Hasen

Ned Foley has posted this timely draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: In the wake of President Trump’s acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial, the United States will need to hold a presidential election in unprecedented circumstances. Never before… Continue reading

Options for Avoiding a NV Caucus Meltdown

February 9, 2020, 10:25 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

In the next few days, the Democratic Party in Nevada and nationally faces an urgent and difficult choice. In an admirable desire to expand access to the caucuses, four days of early voting for the NV caucuses are scheduled… Continue reading

“Election Meltdown, Part 3 Delving into the big bag of dirty tricks ahead of the 2020 election.”

February 8, 2020, 9:23 amchicanery, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

You can listen to the third episode of the Election Meltdown podcast (in conjunction with Dahlia Lithwick and Slate Amicus) at this link. (Episode 1 on voter suppression/voter fraud is here and Episode 2 on election administrator incompetence (timely!)… Continue reading

“Iowa Democrats to undergo independent review of caucus chaos”

February 8, 2020, 9:17 amelection administrationRick Hasen

AP reports.

I Talked Iowa and Election Meltdown on KCRW’s “Left, Right, and Center”

February 8, 2020, 9:16 amElection MeltdownRick Hasen

Listen.

Koch Bros. Reportedly Helped Fund Buckley v. Valeo Litigation to Start Early Attack on Campaign Finance Laws

February 8, 2020, 9:15 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Lisa Graves oped in The Guardian.

“Docs: Shadow Inc. Directly Tied to Left-Wing Media Operation”

February 7, 2020, 4:09 pmchicaneryRick Hasen

This is troubling, especially this part: McGowan said that Courier journalists have full editorial independence. Asked whether they had license to report freely on Democratic politicians or were tasked with, as the document says, “Reach[ing] voters with strategic narratives… Continue reading

“The Lawfare Podcast Special Edition: An ‘Election Meltdown’ in Iowa”

February 7, 2020, 3:03 pmElection MeltdownRick Hasen

Great to talk with Ben Wittes for the Lawfare podcast about the Iowa fiasco and my new book, Election Meltdown. Listen.

“IRS Urged to Complete Rollback of Donor Disclosure Rules (2)”

February 7, 2020, 2:58 pmUncategorizedRick Hasen

Bloomberg Law: Conservative groups pressed the IRS to move ahead with its proposal to drop a requirement that certain tax-exempt nonprofits disclose identities of their significant donors.The groups dominated a list of 16 witnesses set to testify at an… Continue reading

“Inside the Iowa Democratic Party’s “boiler room” meltdown; A review of materials left on desks revealed it was unprepared on many levels for Monday’s meltdown.”

February 7, 2020, 1:32 pmelection administration, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

Steven Rosenfeld reports.

“On The Trail: Iowa disinformation hints at a challenging year ahead”

February 7, 2020, 1:30 pmElection MeltdownRick Hasen

Reid Wilson for The Hill.

“Campaign Finance: Federal Framework, Agency Roles and Responsibilities, and Perspectives”

February 7, 2020, 1:28 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

New GAO report.

“Partisan Gerrymandering: Weeds in the Political Thicket”

February 7, 2020, 1:26 pmredistrictingRick Hasen

Richard Engstrom has written this article for Social Science Quarterly. Here is the abstract: Abstract Objective To highlight the extent of the partisan gerrymandering problem in the United States. Methods Bring both original and secondary sources to bear on the… Continue reading

My Wall Street Journal “Saturday Essay” Cover Story: “How to Prevent the Next Election Meltdown; As the Iowa fiasco suggests, the most likely reason that your 2020 vote may not be counted isn’t fraud, suppression or hacking—it’s incompetence”

February 7, 2020, 8:36 amelection administration, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

I have written this piece as the Saturday Essay for the weekend Wall Street Journal. It begins: Will your vote be fairly and accurately counted in the 2020 elections? It’s a question on a lot of people’s minds after this… Continue reading