“Democrats Overhaul Party’s Primary Calendar, Upending a Political Tradition”

February 4, 2023, 9:02 pmpolitical parties, primariesRick Hasen

NYT: Upending decades of political tradition, the Democratic National Committee on Saturday approved a sweeping overhaul of the Democratic primary process, a critical step in President Biden’s effort to transform the way the party picks its presidential nominees. For years,… Continue reading

“Do We Need to Party Better to Fix U.S. Democracy?”

February 4, 2023, 7:58 ampolitical parties, political polarizationNew ScholarshipTabatha Abu El-Haj

Didi Kuo and I recently spoke with Daniel Stid, Executive Director of Lyceum Labs about our recent article, Associational Party Building: A Path to Rebuilding Democracy. Daniel pushed us on the questions such as whether we are calling… Continue reading

Henry Olsen WaPo Oped: “Republicans have a big Kari Lake problem”

February 4, 2023, 7:35 amfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Olsen column: Attend a Kari Lake rally, as I did Sunday night, and you will see why so many conservatives will follow her to the ends of the Earth. Lake has star power. She lights up a stage and can… Continue reading

Breaking: North Carolina Supreme Court Grants Rehearing in Case Striking Down Congressional Districts as a Partisan Gerrymander, Potentially Mooting U.S. Supreme Court’s Independent State Legislature Case, Moore v. Harper

February 3, 2023, 3:46 pmjudicial elections, legislation and legislatures, redistricting, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

On a 5-2 vote along party lines, the North Carolina Supreme Court has granted rehearing to reconsider its decision striking the state’s congressional districts as unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders under the state constitution. It is also considering the state districts as… Continue reading

“Trump campaign staff on 2020 election lies: ‘fan the flame'”

February 3, 2023, 7:19 amfraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

AP: A newly released audio recording offers a behind-the-scenes look at how former President Donald Trump’s campaign team in a pivotal battleground state knew they had been outflanked by Democrats in the 2020 presidential election. But even as they acknowledged… Continue reading

“Did Kansas criminalize voter registration drives? Supreme Court weighs election law case”

February 3, 2023, 7:09 amThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

Topeka Capital-Journal: Voter advocacy organizations are asking the Kansas Supreme Court to block a new state law that they argue criminalizes voter registration drives, despite lower courts rejecting the argument. The justices of the state’s high court indicated in Wednesday’s… Continue reading

“North Carolina Supreme Court Signals It May Roll Back Voting Rights for Thousands”

February 3, 2023, 7:04 amfelon votingRick Hasen

Bolts: The state supreme court on Thursday held a hearing on whether North Carolinians should have the right to vote while on probation or parole. The case, CSI vs. Moore, is a challenge to North Carolina’s felony disenfranchisement law, which bars… Continue reading

“FEC announces 2023-2024 campaign cycle contribution limits”

February 2, 2023, 2:32 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Release: The Federal Election Commission announced updated contribution limits that have been indexed for inflation and are effective for federal elections in 2023 and 2024. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) included provisions that indexed some contribution limits… Continue reading

“Two years after Jan. 6, Trump is still promoting violent rhetoric”

February 2, 2023, 1:58 pmchicanery, election subversion riskRick Hasen

Aaron Blake for WaPo: It has been some 25 months since supporters of Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol. Trump was later impeached for allegedly inciting the mob, with a historic number of Republicans voting to convict, though… Continue reading

“‘I feel duped’: Inside the fast-food industry’s push to dismantle a new California labor law”

February 2, 2023, 12:59 pmdirect democracy, petition signature gatheringRick Hasen

LAT: Susan Bushnell was in a hurry when a man, clipboard in hand, approached her outside a Walmart Supercenter in Vista, Calif., one afternoon last September. The man asked Bushnell to sign a petition as she wrangled her fussing… Continue reading

“Election officials say democracy is still at risk in 2024: ‘The gun is still loaded'”

February 2, 2023, 9:13 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Jane Timm for NBC News: The November midterms gave election officials and pro-democracy advocates their first sigh of relief in years: The election system they’d spent years defending and shoring up operated almost seamlessly, and most of the election deniers… Continue reading

Does Michigan’s decision to move up its presidential primary violate the state’s new constitutional right to vote?

February 2, 2023, 7:56 amlegislation and legislatures, primariesDerek Muller

The Democratic National Committee recently approved changes to the presidential primary calendar. One of those changes permits Michigan to move into February for its presidential primary. Michigan just changed its primary to February. But the Republican National Committee… Continue reading

“Lawmakers Call for Inquiry Into Durham’s Review of Russia Investigation”

February 2, 2023, 6:49 amchicanery, Department of JusticeRick Hasen

NYT: Two House Democrats urged the Justice Department’s independent inspector general on Wednesday to open an investigation into the special counsel review of the Russia inquiry, citing “alarming” disclosures in a recent New York Times article. The article, which showed… Continue reading

“Nonpartisan in name only. Wisconsin Supreme Court race has political overtones.”

February 2, 2023, 6:31 amjudicial electionsRick Hasen

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz is focusing her campaign for the state Supreme Court on her belief that women should be able to choose whether to continue pregnancies and has characterized the state’s Republican-written legislative maps as … Continue reading