[EL] ELB News and Commentary 8/1/11

Mon Aug 1 08:29:52 PDT 2011

Thanks to Rick for allowing me to guest blog.  The word of the day is super.  As in super-committee, super-PAC, and super-districts.  Have a super day.  Dan

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21179> Is the Super-Committee an Antidote to Hyperpolarization? 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21179> August 1, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

This is at the outskirts of election law, but this <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/60373.html>  Politico story on liberal and conservative bloggers’ shared wariness of the debt agreement got me thinking.  As Rick <http://balkin.blogspot.com/2010/11/political-polarization-and.html>  Pildes <http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1646989>  has explained, extreme party polarization has made governance increasingly difficult.  The (hopefully) about-to-be-concluded debate over the debt limit is an example.  Can the bipartisan, 12-member joint select committee that’s part of the debt deal provide a way around the hyperpolarization of American politics?   If seven members approve a deficit reduction plan, it goes to Congress for an up-or-down vote.  If it can’t, or if Congress votes against the super-committee plan, then $1.2 million in across-the-board cuts kick in.  The threat of Medicare cuts (for Democrats) and defense cuts (for Republicans) may pressure Congress to agree to the super-committee’s recommendation – assuming, that is, it can come up with one.

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Posted in  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=27> legislation and legislatures | Comments Off |

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21176> Romney SuperPAC Raises $12.2 Million 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21176> August 1, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

… from just 90 donors, according to HuffPost <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/01/mitt-romney-super-pac-raises-12-million_n_914553.html> , based on a disclosure report <http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/dcdev/forms/C00490045/740090/>  filed yesterday.

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Posted in  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> campaign finance | Comments Off | 

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21173> FairVote on the “Super-District Alternative” in NC 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21173> August 1, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

Rob Richie and Jais Mehaji argue here <http://www.fairvote.org/mitigating-the-pernicious-effects-of-gerrymandering-in-north-carolina-the-super-district-alternative/>  for a three-super-district map with proportional voting for the state’s congessional districts.

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Posted in  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6> redistricting | Comments Off | 

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21170> “Stop the Shenanigans over the Voter ID Bill” 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21170> August 1, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

The Charlotte Observer editorializes here <http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/08/01/2494688/stop-the-shenanigans-over-the.html>  against Republican efforts to enact a photo ID requirement, so far stymied by Democratic Governor Bev Perdue’s veto.  The editorial relies in part on data <http://elections.gmu.edu/Turnout_2008G.html>  from Michael McDonald’s U.S. Elections Project <http://elections.gmu.edu/index.html> , showing that North Carolina (which didn’t have a photo ID requirement in 2008) had a larger increase in turnout than Georgia (which did).  A fair comparison?

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Posted in  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=9> voter id | Comments Off | 

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21167> “Latest CA Redistricting Maps Satisfy Most Minorities—But Not Latinos” 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21167> August 1, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

New America Media reports here <http://newamericamedia.org/2011/08/latest-ca-redistricting-maps-satisfy-most-minoritiesbut-not-latinos.php>  on the plan drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, observing that:  “While groups that represent Asian-Americans and blacks are mostly satisfied with the maps, representatives for Latino organizations are dismayed that the redrawn districts don’t give Hispanics more political power, considering the Latino population boom over the past decade.”

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Posted in  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6> redistricting,  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15> Voting Rights Act | Comments Off | 

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21159> “As Redistricting Looms, Legislators Face Anxiety, or Even Extinction” 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21159> August 1, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

The NYT reports here <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/nyregion/as-redistricting-plays-out-lawmakers-face-uncertainty.html?_r=1&ref=politics>  on potential changes to New York’s congressional districts.

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Posted in  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6> redistricting | Comments Off | 

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21156> “Teaching Bush v. Gore as History” 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21156> July 31, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3> Rick Hasen 

I have posted this draft <http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1898755>  on SSRN (forthcoming, St. Louis University Law Review symposium on teaching election law).  Here is the abstract:

This short essay, part of a symposium in the St. Louis University Law Review on teaching election law, examines what it means to teach the Supreme Court’s opinion in Bush v. Gore to students who did not experience the 2000 Florida controversy as adults. It offers three approaches to teaching Bush v. Gore as history: (1) The Florida debacle as Rashomon; (2) Bush v. Gore and Equal Protection Law in the Supreme Court; and (3) Bush v. Gore as the Beginning of History.

This is still a draft very much in progress.  Comments welcome!

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Posted in  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=5> Bush v. Gore reflections,  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=23> pedagogy | Comments Off

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21153> “50 Politicos to Watch” 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21153> July 31, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

This year’s list <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/60126.html>  from Politico includes litigators to keep your eye on during the 2012 election cycle.

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Posted in  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18> election administration,  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25> political parties | Comments Off | 

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21151> CRS Reports on Campaign Finance Policy and Honest Services Fraud 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21151> July 31, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

Congressional Research Service’s report “The State of Campaign Finance Policy:  Recent Developments and Issues for Congress” may be found here <http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41542.pdf> .  It provides an overview of recent developments, up through Arizona Free Enterprise Club.  Also of interest is this CRS <http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41930.pdf>  report on mail and wire fraud (as well as an abridged version <http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41931.pdf> ), including the “honest services” statute that was at issue in Skilling v. United States.

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Posted in  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=54> bribery,  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> campaign finance,  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=20> conflict of interest laws | Comments Off |

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=20970> Wisconsin Recall Expenditures 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=20970> July 31, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

You can find stories here <http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/29/us-wisconsin-recalls-idUSTRE76S68Q20110729>  and here <http://lacrossetribune.com/news/statebudget/article_5158b598-ba6b-11e0-ae4a-001cc4c03286.html>  on spending in the recall elections, which will take place on August 9 and 16.

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Posted in  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> campaign finance,  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=11> recall elections | Comments Off | 

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21140> Have Republicans Conceded that Obama Will Be Reelected in 2012? 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21140> July 31, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3> Rick Hasen 

Check out this screen shot from GOP.com <https://www.gop.com/2012ChangeDirection/2012ChangeDirection.htm>  (courtesy of Justin Levitt):

 <http://electionlawblog.org/wp-content/uploads/20171.png> Description: http://electionlawblog.org/wp-content/uploads/20171.png

How long until someone changes the 2017 to 2013?

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Posted in  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1> Uncategorized | Comments Off 

Daniel Tokaji | Professor of Law

The Ohio State University | Moritz College of Law

55 W. 12th Ave. | Columbus, OH 43210

614.292.6566 | tokaji.1 at osu.edu 

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