[EL] ELB News and Commentary 8/4/11

Thu Aug 4 10:07:47 PDT 2011

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21389> “DSCC asks Justice to halt Florida voting law” 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21389> August 4, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

Ben Smith has this post <http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0811/DSCC_asks_Justice_to_halt_Florida_voter_ID_law.html>  on Politico, regarding a letter <http://www.politico.com/static/PPM187_demsenate.html>  from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to DOJ’s voting rights section, asking that it deny preclearance of Florida’s recent changes to third-party voter registration, early voting, and provisional voting rules.  In so doing, DSCC joins a similar request <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=20465>  from civil and voting rights groups.  But according to this post <http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2011/07/browning-asks-court-to-pull-review-of-floridas-election-law-from-obama.html>  from the Miami Herald blog and this editorial <http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/03/2344048/making-an-end-run-around-justice.html> , Florida’s Secretary of State has now asked for judicial preclearance of some provisions of the law, including those concerning registration and early voting.

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Posted in  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18> election administration,  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=37> voter registration,  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15> Voting Rights Act | Comments Off 

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21381> House and Senate Working on “Honest Services” Amendment 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21381> August 4, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

BNA reports here <http://news.bna.com/mpdm/MPDMWB/split_display.adp?fedfid=21714580&vname=mpebulallissues&fn=21714580&jd=a0c8r7d5m5&split=0>  ($) that “[t]he Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced new legislation to close gaps in federal anti-corruption laws created by recent court decisions, and key Senate lawmakers said they now are working closely with their House colleagues to craft a bill that can be enacted into law.”  The bill reportedly includes amendments to the “honest services” mail and wire fraud statute, which Skilling v. United States held includes bribery and kickbacks but not undisclosed self-dealing.

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Posted in  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=54> bribery,  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=20> conflict of interest laws,  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=27> legislation and legislatures | Comments Off 

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21383> CO SOS Won’t Allow County to Enforce Its Own Campaign Finance Rules 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21383> August 4, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

An interesting state/local relations issue <http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/148378> , arising from Pitkin County’s campaign finance rules, which include a $500 contribution limit.

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

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21376> Sunshine on the Supercommittee 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21376> August 4, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

Sunlight Foundation is calling for transparency <http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2011/08/03/opensupercongress-debt-committee-must-be-transparent/>  by the debt-reduction supercommittee.  Sunlight also has posted a debt ceiling legislative action calendar <http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2011/08/03/debt-ceiling-legislative-action-calendar/> .

Update:  AP reports here <http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/campaigns/campaign-finance-watchdog-says-those-to-be-picked-for-deficit-panel-shouldnt-keep-fundraising/2011/08/04/gIQAhysCuI_story.html>  on Public Campaign’s demand <http://www.publicampaign.org/pressroom/2011/08/04/groups-deficit-super-committee-stop-fundraising>  that supercommittee members refrain from all political fundraising.

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Posted in  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> campaign finance,  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=27> legislation and legislatures,  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=28> lobbying | Comments Off 

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21372> “Firm gives $1 million to pro-Romney group, then dissolves” 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21372> August 4, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

Michael Isikoff has this report <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44011308/#.TjqEEYKwVnw>  on MSNBC.com.  “Mysterious, very mysterious,” as the Backyardigans might say <http://backyardiganslyrics.blogspot.com/2009/12/mysterious-very-mysterious.html>  (sorry, but this is what happens to your pop culture references when you have a two-year old).

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

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21369> Gift Cards for Absentee Ballots in WI? 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21369> August 4, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports here <http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/126734203.html>  on an email announcing that WRTL and Family Action coalition were ”offering rewards [in the form of $25 and $75 gift cards] for volunteers who make an impact over the weekend by educating and encouraging family and friends to voted [sic] by absentee ballot” in the July recall primary.  Milwaukee Assistant DA Bruce Landgraf, who’s got a strong record of prosecuting election crimes, is reportedly looking into whether there’s been a violation of state law.

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Posted in  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=54> bribery,  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=11> recall elections | Comments Off 

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21366> “Obama fundraising targets very large, very small donors” 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21366> August 4, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

The WaPo reports here <http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-fundraising-targets-very-large-very-small-donors/2011/08/03/gIQA8QblsI_story.html> .

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

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21363> Hasen Tweets 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21363> August 4, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

If you’re missing Rick’s wit and insight during his blogging break, make sure to check him out on Twitter <https://twitter.com/#!/rickhasen> .  Recent tweets include ones on the Obama fundraiser, Wisconsin recall, and “fraudulent fraud squad.”

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Posted in  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=51> election law biz | Comments Off 

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21359> “Is the Democratic Party’s Superdelegate System Unfair to Voters?” 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21359> August 3, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

Josh Ryan addresses the question in this manuscript <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261379411000941> , to be published in Electoral Studies.  Here’s the abstract:

Among the reasons for the historic nature of the 2008 Democratic primary race was the attention paid to the “superdelegates”. The competitiveness of the primary and the important role the superdelegates played has led to calls for reform. This paper develops a formal model that explains why superdelegates selected one candidate over the other and why some superdelegates committed early in the primary season while others waited. Hypotheses are tested using an original dataset collected during the 2008 Democratic primary. The results suggest that although some superdelegates made their decision based on personal, idiosyncratic factors, for many superdelegates, Democratic voters played the most important role in their commitment process.

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

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21357> “Rivals in G.O.P. Struggle to Woo Bush’s Donors” 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21357> August 3, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

The NYT has this report <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/04/us/politics/04donate.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&hp> .

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

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21354> Wang: An Orwellian campaign finance system 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21354> August 3, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

Eric Wang has this this op-ed <http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/2/an-orwellian-campaign-finance-system-britains-rest/print/>  on the UK’s campaign finance system in today’s Washington Times.

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

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21348> Maine EDR Supporters Claim They Have Enough Signatures for Referendum 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21348> August 3, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

According to this report <http://www.sunjournal.com/state/story/1068337> , groups seeking to reverse the elimination of election day registration say they’ve collected enough signatures to get their referendum on the November ballot, but those signatures still need to be verified.  In related news, the Portland Press Herald has this column <http://www.pressherald.com/news/voting-fraud-or-not-two-charlies-investigating_2011-08-03.html>  on the allegations of voter fraud that helped fuel the Maine legislature’s elimination of EDR.

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Posted in  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12> chicanery,  <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=37> voter registration | Comments Off 

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21344> Open Secrets Interview with Trevor Potter. 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21344> August 3, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

Available here <http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2011/08/money-talks-trevor-potter.html> .

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

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21340> National Defense PAC Gets Stay of Discovery Against FEC 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21340> August 3, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

CCP has this press release <http://www.campaignfreedom.org/blog/detail/court-rules-in-favor-of-ccp-client> .

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

 <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21336> “Redistricting Journal: Dems, GOP fighting to a draw” 

Posted on  <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21336> August 3, 2011 by  <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=5> Dan Tokaji 

So says Mark Gersh <http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20087110-503544.html> .

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