New Montana Initiative Seeks to Use Corporate Law to Restrain Corporate Political Spending

June 18, 2025, 6:14 amcampaign finance, direct democracystate constitutionsTabatha Abu El-Haj

Veteran election leaders today unveiled “The Montana Plan,” a ballot initiative that seeks to eliminate corporate and dark money from Montana politics without running afoul of Citizens United. The initiative would amend Montana’s constitution to prohibit the state from granting… Continue reading

ELB Book Corner: Ciara Torres-Spelliscy: “The Naked 2020 Elections”

June 18, 2025, 6:00 amELB Book CornerRick Hasen

I am pleased to welcome Ciara Torres-Spelliscy to the ELB Book Corner, writing about her new book Corporatocracy. This is the third of four posts: Because of the “Big Lie,” most Republicans to this day think the… Continue reading

“Obama, Back in Public Eye, Offers a Careful Warning of a Democratic Slide”

June 18, 2025, 5:57 amauthoritarian threats in USTabatha Abu El-Haj

N.Y. Times In an appearance with writer Heather Cox Richardson in Connecticut, Obama “pointed to an erosion of traditional values like the rule of law, an independent judiciary, the freedom of the press and the right to protest.” He then went… Continue reading

New Report on Election Security from Brennan Center

June 18, 2025, 5:28 amelection administrationTabatha Abu El-Haj

The Brennan Center has published Election Certification: How to Strengthen State Frameworks by Lauren Miller Karalunas. The report explains the shift since 2020 in the ways some officials have turned a mandatory formality at the end of vote-counting into… Continue reading

“‘Insensitive, to say the least’: Mike Lee deletes Minnesota posts amid GOP criticism”

June 17, 2025, 2:16 pmpolitical polarizationpolitical violenceTabatha Abu El-Haj

Politico “Utah Sen. Mike Lee, amid widespread outrage, has deleted a pair of social media posts associating the deadly Minnesota shootings last weekend with ‘Marxists’ and the state’s Democratic governor.”

“Republicans Add New Barriers to Oklahoma’s Dizzyingly Fast Process for Citizen Initiatives”

June 17, 2025, 12:20 pmdirect democracyTabatha Abu El-Haj

Daniel Nichanian (Bolts Magazine) Yet another profile of Republican efforts to make direct democracy more difficult in states where it has been used for initiatives–such as raising the minimum wage–that reflect public opinion more closely than the party’s… Continue reading

“GOP budget bill faces nearly 2-to-1 opposition with many unaware: Poll”

June 17, 2025, 9:39 ampolitical polarizationgovernance, Policy ReponsivenessTabatha Abu El-Haj

Democracy is about more than elections. It is also about policy responsiveness and addressing the wants and needs of regular people. Washington Post/Washington Post-Ipso Poll: The partisan breakdown: * * * LOTS MORE OF INTEREST . . .

“Bernie Sanders, seven other senators urge Democrats to break with billionaire donors”

June 17, 2025, 9:21 amcampaign financeCitizens United, money in politics, Super PacsTabatha Abu El-Haj

Washington Post Leveraging public concerns about Elon Musk’s role in the 2024 election and in shaping Trump administration policies, Sanders and seven other Democratic Senators are calling on the Democratic Party to break with their own billionaire donors and eschew… Continue reading

“Minnesota senator confronts colleague for ‘terrible’ post on shooting”

June 17, 2025, 9:15 ampolitical polarizationpolitical violence, Politics of Civility, SenateTabatha Abu El-Haj

Washington Post: Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota seeks out Senator Mike Lee to reproach him for his reckless comments. “Smith walked briskly across the chamber and out into the hall and asked where Lee had gone. She said she… Continue reading

Former NJ Senator Menendez Starts 11 year Sentence for Corruption

June 17, 2025, 9:00 amchicanery, ethics investigationscorruption, MenendezTabatha Abu El-Haj

The N.Y. Times has a long profile of Robert Menendez, the former Senator from New Jersey, who is scheduled to start his federal prison sentence for corruption today.

“Scoop: Colorado pauses campaign finance database after Minnesota shootings”

June 17, 2025, 9:00 amauthoritarian threats in USpolitical violence, PrivacyTabatha Abu El-Haj

Axios (Denver) “The Colorado Secretary of State temporarily removed its public campaign finance database from the internet Saturday amid concerns it could reveal home addresses and other personal information about state lawmakers and other officials. “The big picture: The Minnesota… Continue reading

Election Law Academics Update

June 17, 2025, 7:29 amelection law bizRick Hasen

Here’s my yearly roundup of election law academic hires, promotions moves, visits, accolades: James Alcorn started as the Senior Director of the Election Law Program at William and Mary law school. Travis Crum was granted tenure and promoted to professor… Continue reading

ELB Book Corner: Ciara Torres-Spelliscy: “The Musical Influences on Elections”

June 17, 2025, 6:00 amELB Book CornerRick Hasen

I am pleased to welcome Ciara Torres-Spelliscy to the ELB Book Corner, writing about her new book Corporatocracy. This is the second of four posts: My new book Corporatocracy gave me a chance to look at events in recent… Continue reading