“Election security aid is on the chopping block, rattling local officials”

March 5, 2025, 1:20 pmchicanery, election administration, voting technologyRick Hasen

NBC News: State and local election officials who have grown to rely on the federal government’s cybersecurity assistance fear that the Trump administration may permanently block that aid by Thursday. Such funding, which began in President Donald Trump’s first… Continue reading

Rob Richie: “Introducing Expand Democracy; My new organization will promote pro-democracy ideas by helping others succeed”

March 5, 2025, 9:31 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

Congrats to Rob Richie on this announcement, and the new organization, Expand Democracy. Here is their list of “Democracy Topics” from their website: Ranked choice voting: We help to grow and sustain ranked choice voting in the United States… Continue reading

“‘Election integrity’ still top of mind for some House Republicans”

March 5, 2025, 7:42 amThe Voting WarsRick Hasen

Roll Call: After a cycle that delivered them full power in Washington, Republicans are still pushing to change federal election law — and some Democrats are sounding a renewed alarm. A proposal that aims to bar noncitizens from voting could… Continue reading

“A Kennedy Ally Puts Money Into a Push to Recall Karen Bass”

March 5, 2025, 7:30 amcampaign finance, Plutocrats United, recall electionsRick Hasen

NYT: The first serious effort to recall Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles after the city’s devastating fires is taking shape, with financial backing from Nicole Shanahan, who was Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate in last year’s presidential election.… Continue reading

“The reality is anything that empowers online donors mechanically disempowers non-white and working class Democrats”

March 4, 2025, 1:48 pmUncategorizedRichard Pildes

That line is from this tweet, by David Shor, who is one of the top political data analysts on the Democratic side. You will see that he references a new academic study that makes this point. As readers of this… Continue reading

“The downballot roll-off effect in action”

March 4, 2025, 11:41 amrecall electionsRick Hasen

Joshua Spivak: The November 2024 election ballot in Alameda County saw an unusual occurrence: overlapping recalls of the Alameda district attorney and the Oakland mayor. Media coverage of these recalls portrayed those separate county and city contest results as being… Continue reading

“People Are Paying Millions to Dine With Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago”

March 4, 2025, 11:00 amcampaign finance, conflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

Wired: Guests are paying millions of dollars to dine and meet with President Donald Trump at special events held at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Business leaders can secure a one-on-one meeting with the president at Mar-a-Lago for… Continue reading

“Jail Voting Soars in Colorado After State Mandates Polling Places in County Lockups”

March 4, 2025, 8:33 amUncategorizedRick Hasen

New from Bolts.

“Justice Dept. to Review Election Tampering Conviction of Pro-Trump Clerk”

March 4, 2025, 7:35 amchicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: The Justice Department said on Monday that it would review the conviction of the former clerk of Mesa County, Colo., who was found guilty of state charges last summer of tampering with voting machines under her control in… Continue reading

“Democracy Reform for Donald Trump’s America: A Review Essay” (Reviewing My Book, “A Real Right to Vote”)

March 3, 2025, 8:33 pmauthoritarian threats in US, Real Right to VoteRick Hasen

Corey Brettschneider and Aidan Calvelli have posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, Political Science Quarterly). Here is the abstract: Richard Hasen’s A Real Right to Vote powerfully critiques barriers to voting and persuasively defends a proposed constitutional amendment to address… Continue reading

“Can the Media’s Right to Pursue the Powerful Survive Trump’s Second Term?”

March 3, 2025, 1:27 pmauthoritarian threats in US, First Amendment theory, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

David Enrich in NYT Magazine.

Democrats Currently Hold a Net of 7 More Seats in Congress Than They Would With “Fair” Maps

March 3, 2025, 7:56 amUncategorizedRichard Pildes

That’s one of the bottom-line findings that will surprise many in today’s Washington Post article that Nick Stephanopoulos co-authored and blogs about below. The five states most biased toward one party or the other are CA (+4.5 D seats); IL… Continue reading

“Wisconsin Supreme Court race puts Trump and Musk at center stage”

March 3, 2025, 7:21 amcampaign finance, judicial electionsRick Hasen

Patrick Marley for WaPo: President Donald Trump and adviser Elon Musk’s policies will get their first major test at the ballot box this spring in an election that will determine who controls the Wisconsin Supreme Court and shape the future… Continue reading

“Donald Trump’s Authoritarian Playbook Is Based on Failures of US Corporate Democracy, not Foreign Dictators”

March 3, 2025, 7:10 amauthoritarian threats in USRick Hasen

Sarah Haan: Six weeks into President Donald Trump’s second term, experts are sounding the alarm for democracy. Trump quickly followed his inauguration with an attack on the bureaucratic state, threats to the rule of law, and the invitation of… Continue reading