[EL] ELB News and Commentary 8/19/11

Fri Aug 19 06:28:48 PDT 2011

In this article   
_“Maine Ethics Commission  Seeks Clean Election Law Fix”_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22106)  
Posted on  _August 18, 2011 9:43 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22106)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)  

Maine Public Broadcasting _reports_ 
(http://www.mpbn.net/Home/tabid/36/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3478/ItemId/17668/Default.aspx) . 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22106&title=“Maine%20Ethics%20Commission%20Seeks%20Clean%20Election%20Law%20Fix”
&description=) 

A "reformer" said:

"Smith says it's important to give House and Senate  candidates enough 
money in the initial disbursement to run a viable campaign;  otherwise, 
candidates might be discouraged from using public  funding"

This is exactly the problem with current public funding  and the right fix. 
 The "reformers" have used public funding  schemes to reduce the amount 
spent on campaigns, but then had the problem  of candidates not participating 
because of inadequate funding.  Giving  candidates adequate funds initially, 
thereby abandoning their goal of reducing  campaign funding, would fix this 
problem.  

It will be interesting to see what is the "reformers'"  chief priority now 
-- killing public funding schemes by insisting on reduced  campaign funding 
and then some unconstitutional scheme to "fix" the problem that  they 
created -- or saving public funding schemes by providing adequate  public funds.  
Jim Bopp

In a message dated 8/19/2011 12:59:38 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
rhasen at law.uci.edu writes:

_Extra Light Blogging  through Mid-September_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22114)  
Posted  on _August 18, 2011 9:57 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22114)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)  

I am happy to report that today I agreed to publish my book, The Voting  
Wars, with Yale University Press.   The book covers  controversies over how 
our elections are run from Florida 2000 to the present,  including voter id, 
internet voting, vote suppression claims, post-election  contests 
(Coleman-Franken, Rossi-Gregoire, Murkowski-Miller), and how social  media and Twitter 
would make the next election meltdown much worse. 
In order to meet an August 2012 publication deadline, I need to get my  
manuscript ready for editing by mid-September. 
So I’ll be blogging very lightly for the next three weeks or so.  Many  of 
you who send me tips and links may find that I don’t link to what I usually  
do, and for that I apologize.  Also for those on the election law  
listserv, my emails may be less frequent and if you have a story you think  worthy 
of the list, please send it directly to the list. 
Thanks for your patience and indulgence! 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22114&title=Extra%20Light%20Blogging%20through%20Mid-September&description=) 

Posted in _The Votng Wars_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60)   | 
Comments Off 

_“GOP Rep. Mike  Coffman: All Ballots Should Be In English Only”_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22112)  
Posted  on _August 18, 2011 9:51 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22112)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)  

_TPM_ 
(http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/08/gop_rep_mike_coffman_all_ballots_should_be_in_engl.php) :  “Colorado Rep. Mike Coffman (R) is 
pushing legislation to repeal the part of  the 1973 Voting Rights Act that 
allows districts with heavy populations of  non-English speakers to print 
ballots in multiple languages.” 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22112&title=“
GOP%20Rep.%20Mike%20Coffman:%20All%20Ballots%20Should%20Be%20In%20English%20Only”&description=) 

Posted in _Voting Rights Act_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15)   | 
Comments Off 

_It Will Take a  Scandal…_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22109)  
Posted  on _August 18, 2011 9:46 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22109)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)  

to rein in Super PACS.  So _says  _ 
(http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2011/08/18/super-pacs-changing-2012-landscape?PageNr=2) Sen McCain. 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22109&title=It%20Will%20Take%20a%20Scandal…&description=) 

Posted in _campaign finance_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10)   | 
Comments Off 

_“Maine Ethics  Commission Seeks Clean Election Law Fix”_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22106)  
Posted  on _August 18, 2011 9:43 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22106)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)  

Maine Public Broadcasting _reports_ 
(http://www.mpbn.net/Home/tabid/36/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3478/ItemId/17668/Default.aspx) . 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22106&title=“Maine%20Ethics%20Commission%20Seeks%20Clean%20Election%20Law%20Fix”
&description=) 

Posted in _campaign finance_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10)   | 
Comments Off 

_“Ohio election law  foes OK to resume repeal effort”_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22103)  
Posted  on _August 18, 2011 9:41 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22103)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)  

_AP_ 
(http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Ohio-election-law-foes-OK-to-resume-repeal-effort-2119083.php) :  “Opponents of Ohio’s new election overhaul 
were cleared Thursday to proceed  with their effort to ask voters to repeal 
the law, which makes changes such as  moving the 2012 presidential primary 
from March to May in the traditional  presidential swing state.” 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22103&title=“Ohio%20election%20law%20foes%20OK%20to%20resume%20repeal%20effort”
&description=) 

Posted in _election  administration_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18)  
| Comments Off 

_“A Recusal  Required”_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22099)  
Posted  on _August 18, 2011 9:37 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22099)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)  

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel offers _this  editorial_ 
(http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/127973613.html) .  It begins: ‘Wisconsin Supreme Court 
Justice David Prosser  should recuse himself from a case pending before the 
high court involving a  lawyer whose firm did work for the justice during an 
expensive recount after  last spring’s election.’ 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22099&title=“A%20Recusal%20Required”&description=) 

Posted in _conflict of interest  laws_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=20) 
, _judicial elections_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=19)   | Comments 
Off 

_“Elderly NC veteran  takes issue with voting charge”_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22096)  
Posted  on _August 18, 2011 9:29 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22096)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)  

_AP_ 
(http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Elderly-NC-veteran-takes-issue-with-voting-charge-2105128.php) :  “An 89-year-old Army veteran arrested 
for felony voter fraud after casting two  ballots says his case shows North 
Carolina’s election system  is flawed.” 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22096&title=“Elderly%20NC%20veteran%20takes%20issue%20with%20voting%20charge”
&description=) 

Posted in _election  administration_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18) , 
_voting_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=31)  | Comments Off 

_“6 face charges for  illegal voting in Duluth, Iron Range”_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22094)  
Posted  on _August 18, 2011 9:27 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22094)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)  

_News_ (http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/207079/)  from  
northern Minnesota: 
St. Louis County Auditor election department records show that Brown  voted 
in the November 2008 general election. According to the criminal  complaint 
against him, Brown has been convicted of multiple felonies in  multiple 
states. He told an investigator that his probation officer told him  that he 
could vote because “no one checks up on it.’’ The probation officer  was 
interviewed by police and said that he never told Brown such a thing. He  said 
he typically tells probationers about their loss of such civil  rights. 
Lisa May Burleson, 34, of Hibbing, is accused of voting after pleading  
guilty to felony theft in 2006. She was placed on five years probation.  
According to the criminal complaint, Burleson told a Hibbing police officer  that 
she had no idea that she could not vote and did not remember reading  the 
probation agreement stating that she would lose her civil right to vote  while 
on felony probation.

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22094&title=“
6%20face%20charges%20for%20illegal%20voting%20in%20Duluth,%20Iron%20Range”&description=) 

Posted in _election  administration_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18) , 
_voter registration_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=37) ,  _voting_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=31)  | Comments Off 

_“Why Our Democracy  Needs Disclosure”_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22091)  
Posted  on _August 18, 2011 9:44 am_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22091)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)  

_This  item_ 
(http://www.clcblog.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=428:why-our-democracy-needs-disclosure-8-18-11)  appears on the CLC 
Blog. 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22091&title=“Why%20Our%20Democracy%20Needs%20Disclosure”&description=) 

Posted in _campaign finance_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10)   | 
Comments Off 

_“The One Person One  Vote Standard in Redistricting: The Uses and Abuses 
of Population Deviations  in Legislative Redistricting”_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22088)  
Posted  on _August 18, 2011 8:39 am_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22088)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)  

Tom Brunnell has posted _this  draft_ 
(http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1900877)  on SSRN.  Here is the abstract: 
Since the redistricting revolution of the 1960’s, which began with a  
series of Supreme Court decisions that forced states to draw equally  populated 
districts for the U.S. House and state legislative chambers, the  standards 
for Congress and legislative districts have evolved over time.  Today’s 
standards call for virtually no population deviations for  congressional 
districts, though legislative districts can typically deviate  up to 10 percent. In 
practice this means that districts can vary by as much  as five percent 
above and below the ideal population within a state. In this  paper I 
demonstrate that these population deviations are a simple tool for  those that redraw 
electoral boundaries to create a partisan gerrymander. If  one party 
controls the redistricting process, districts from the opposite  party are 
typically over populated and districts favoring the party in  control are usually 
under populated. I demonstrate this phenomenon using  data from 47 states 
after the 2000 round of redistricting. The paper  concludes with a discussion on 
why that courts ought to abolish the  “10-percent” rule.

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22088&title=“
The%20One%20Person%20One%20Vote%20Standard%20in%20Redistricting:%20The%20Uses%20and%20Abuses%20of%20Population%20Deviations%20in%20Legislative%2
0Redistricting”&description=) 

Posted in _redistricting_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6)   | Comments 
Off 

_“California moves  national popular vote closer”_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22086)  
Posted  on _August 18, 2011 8:37 am_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22086)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)  

Rob Richie has written _this  Politico oped_ 
(http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/61606.html#ixzz1VO0OgDnO) . 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22086&title=“California%20moves%20national%20popular%20vote%20closer”
&description=) 

Posted in _electoral college_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=44)   | 
Comments Off 

_“Astrotweeting” Makes  the Political Dictionary_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22083)  
Posted  on _August 18, 2011 8:31 am_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22083)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)  

“The creation of fake Twitter profiles to show support for a political  
candidate.” See _here_ (http://politicaldictionary.com/words/astrotweeting/) .  
I’m  glad to have had a_ hand_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=21995)  in 
helping _Ben  Smith_ 
(http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0811/Astrotwurfing.html)  to coin this phrase. 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=22083&title=“Astrotweeting”
%20Makes%20the%20Political%20Dictionary&description=) 

Posted in _campaigns_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59)   | Comments Off 

-- 
Rick Hasen
Professor of Law and Political  Science
UC Irvine School of Law
401 E. Peltason Dr., Suite  1000
Irvine, CA 92697-8000
949.824.3072 - office
949.824.0495 -  fax
_rhasen at law.uci.edu_ (mailto:rhasen at law.uci.edu) 
_http://law.uci.edu/faculty/page1_r_hasen.html_ 
(http://law.uci.edu/faculty/page1_r_hasen.html) 
_http://electionlawblog.org_ (http://electionlawblog.org/) 

_______________________________________________
Law-election  mailing  list
Law-election at department-lists.uci.edu
http://department-lists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/law-election
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