[EL] ELB News and Commentary 7/13/12

Rick Hasen rhasen at law.uci.edu
Fri Jul 13 08:51:27 PDT 2012


    "New Voter Registration Laws: Fighting Voter Fraud or Suppressing
    the Vote?" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36906>

Posted on July 13, 2012 8:47 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36906> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

The "Presidential Showcase Program" 
<http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/events/criminal_justice/annual12_voter.doc> 
at the ABA Criminal Justice Section meeting in Chicago is on this topic, 
featuring these panelists:

*Panelists:*

*thomas e. perez, *Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, 
U.S. Department of Justice --- *INVITED*

*alan wilson, *Attorney General, State of South Carolina

*clarissa martinez DE CASTRO, *Director of Immigration and Civic 
Engagement,  National Council of La Raza

*GERALD A. REYNOLDS*, Former Chair, United States Civil Rights Commission**

**

*Moderator: Ashley l. taylor, jr.,* Troutman Sanders, Washington, D.C.

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Posted in election administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, 
The Voting Wars <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>, voter registration 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=37>, Voting Rights Act 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15> | Comments Off


    "'Got Voter ID?' State Efforts At Public Education Vary Widely"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36903>

Posted on July 13, 2012 8:44 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36903> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

TPM reports 
<http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/state_voter_id_education_efforts.php>.

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Posted in election administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, 
The Voting Wars <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>, voter id 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=9> | Comments Off


    "Florida leads nation with 10 % of adults not allowed to vote"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36900>

Posted on July 13, 2012 8:35 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36900> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Tampa Tribune 
<http://www2.tbo.com/news/breaking-news/2012/jul/13/1/state-no-1-in-blocking-votes-study-says-ar-430476/>: 
"Nearly one-fourth of black Florida adults, and one-tenth of the state's 
total voting-age population, aren't allowed to vote because of the 
state's prohibition on voting by former felons, the nation's highest 
rate of disenfranchisement, according to a study by an advocacy group."

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Posted in felon voting <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=66> | Comments Off


    California Citizen Commission a Success, on At Least One Measure
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36896>

Posted on July 13, 2012 8:13 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36896> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

When Californians considered Proposition 11, establishing the 
redistricting commission, I was skeptical that the Rube Goldberg-esque 
machine could actually pass a plan, which could be implemented in time 
for the 2012 elections, which would not be subject to a major court 
challenge or referendum.

Well the measure passed, and it survived some court fights. Now comes 
news that Republicans who qualified a referendum to reconsider the state 
Senate lines are urging a no vote 
<http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2012/07/gop-activists-behind-redistricting-referendum-drop-campaign-plans.html>, 
admitting (quite candidly) that the main purpose of the referendum was 
to try to block the lines from being used in the 2012 elections.

Now I look forward to the debate over whether the lines created by the 
Commission were better or worse than the lines drawn by the California 
legislature (which has been accused of engaging in both partisan 
gerrymandering and bipartisan (sweetheart) gerrymandering in the past.  
But I do think it is significant that the commission was able to produce 
lines which actually are being used, without change, in this year's 
elections.

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Posted in citizen commissions <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=7>, 
redistricting <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6> | Comments Off


    "Single-member districts offer mixed bag for minorities; Montgomery
    wants what Prince George's has --- a majority-Hispanic district"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36894>

Posted on July 13, 2012 8:07 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36894> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

News 
<http://www.gazette.net/article/20120713/NEWS/707139680/1022/single-member-districts-offer-mixed-bag-for-minorities&template=gazette> 
from Maryland. In more Maryland redistricting news see this report 
<http://www.gazette.net/article/20120713/NEWS/707139662/1016/redistricting-petition-drive-meets-signature-goal&template=gazette>, 
"Redistricting petition drive meets signature goal; Supporters expect 
legal challenge to congressional map."

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Posted in alternative voting systems 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=63>, redistricting 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6>, referendum 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=56> | Comments Off


    "Democrats Renew Push For DISCLOSE Act"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36891>

Posted on July 13, 2012 8:04 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36891> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Roll Call reports 
<http://www.rollcall.com/news/Democrats-Renew-Push-For-DISCLOSE-Act-216106-1.html?pos=hftxt>.

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | 
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    "13 reasons why this is the worst Congress ever"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36889>

Posted on July 13, 2012 8:03 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36889> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Ezra Klein column 
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/07/13/13-reasons-why-this-is-the-worst-congress-ever/>.

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Posted in legislation and legislatures 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=27>, political polarization 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=68> | Comments Off


    "Rove hits big: The birth of a mega-donor"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36886>

Posted on July 13, 2012 7:58 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36886> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Politico reports 
<http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=C89FFCF6-12DB-48B2-A97F-372611C8A420>.

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | 
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    "How Pensions Violate Free Speech"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36883>

Posted on July 13, 2012 7:55 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36883> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Benjamin Sach as written this NYT oped 
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/13/opinion/under-citizens-united-public-employees-are-compelled-to-pay-for-corporate-political-speech.html?_r=1&ref=opinion>, 
which begins: "A CENTRAL principle of American political life is that 
everyone gets to choose which candidates to support. The idea that the 
government could force us to support those we oppose is anathema. But 
this unacceptable state of affairs is one of the unintended consequences 
of the Supreme Court's decision in the 2010 Citizens United 
<http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/08-205.ZS.html> case."

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | 
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    "Texas Voter ID Clown Show Ends Today"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36880>

Posted on July 13, 2012 7:52 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36880> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Christian Adams 
<http://pjmedia.com/jchristianadams/2012/07/12/texas-voter-id-clown-show-ends-today/> 
on the DC trial for Texas voter id.

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Posted in Department of Justice <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=26>, 
election administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, The Voting 
Wars <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>, voter id 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=9>, Voting Rights Act 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15> | Comments Off


    "Pennsylvania Is Key to Republican Vote-Blocking"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36878>

Posted on July 13, 2012 7:51 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36878> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Jonathan Alter has written this column 
<http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-12/pennsylvania-is-key-to-republican-vote-blocking.html> 
for Bloomberg View.

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Posted in election administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, 
The Voting Wars <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>, voter id 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=9> | Comments Off


    "Election confusion looms in Florida"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36875>

Posted on July 12, 2012 8:14 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36875> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Howard Simon has written this oped 
<http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/election-confusion-looms-in-florida/1240010>.

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Posted in election administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, 
The Voting Wars <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>, Voting Rights Act 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15> | Comments Off


    "Feds: Cudahy officials threw away ballots, manipulated two
    elections" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36872>

Posted on July 12, 2012 7:50 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36872> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

LA Times 
<http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/07/cudahy-corruption-election-fraud.html> 
reports on local election officials opening absentee ballots in advance 
to decide which ones to count, among other things.

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


    Texas Voter ID Trial Ending <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36869>

Posted on July 12, 2012 7:46 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36869> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

My SA 
<http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Chief-witness-in-voter-ID-trial-backs-3703522.php>: 
"Four days of testimony ended Thursday in a federal trial on the 
legality of a new Texas voter ID law that was rejected by the Justice 
Department 
<http://www.mysanantonio.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Flocal_news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Justice+Department%22> 
under the Voting Rights Act. The case is being watched closely by other 
states that have recently passed restrictive voter laws. 'It's over. The 
trial has ended. It's a tough set of issues, it's a tough case,' said 
U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer 
<http://www.mysanantonio.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Flocal_news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Rosemary+Collyer%22>, 
one of three federal judges hearing the case."

More:

    Dr. Stephen Ansolabehere
    <http://www.mysanantonio.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Flocal_news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Stephen+Ansolabehere%22>,
    a Justice Department witness, testified Thursday that the new ID law
    would disproportionately impact black and Hispanic voters casting
    ballots at precinct polling places --- the basis of the justice
    department's pre-clearance denial of the law --- but admitted that
    his conclusion could be flawed.

    Ansolabehere, a Harvard University
    <http://www.mysanantonio.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Flocal_news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Harvard+University%22>
    professor, said that his analysis of voter registration rolls,
    driver's license and concealed weapons permit records used to draw
    his conclusions were not foolproof.

    The courtroom erupted in laughter several times as lawyers for Texas
    said his list of those potentially affected by the law was a gross
    overestimation and showed that former President George W. Bush
    <http://www.mysanantonio.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Flocal_news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22George+W.+Bush%22>,
    Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison
    <http://www.mysanantonio.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Flocal_news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Kay+Bailey+Hutchison%22>
    and former Sen. Phil Gramm
    <http://www.mysanantonio.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Flocal_news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Phil+Gramm%22>
    were on a list of people that did not have Texas IDs that exactly
    matched the voting rolls.

    "I think it's likely Sen. Hutchison has a photo ID,"
    Ansolabehere admitted

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Posted in Department of Justice <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=26>, 
The Voting Wars <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>, voter id 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=9> | Comments Off


    "California Redistricting Commission Receives Funding, will Continue
    Limited Operations" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36866>

Posted on July 12, 2012 7:36 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36866> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

RedistrictingOnline.org reports 
<http://www.redistrictingonline.org/cacrcfundingfound071212.html>.

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Posted in citizen commissions <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=7>, 
redistricting <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6> | Comments Off


    "Wisconsin: Election Fairness looks to count all paper ballots in
    recall" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36864>

Posted on July 12, 2012 7:35 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36864> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

This item 
<http://recallelections.blogspot.com/2012/07/wisconsin-election-fairness-looks-to.html> 
appears at the Recall Elections Blog.

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Posted in election administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, 
recall elections <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=11>, voting technology 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=40> | Comments Off


    Adler on Constitutional Avoidance, the Chief Justice, and Justice
    Ginsburg <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36861>

Posted on July 12, 2012 7:25 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36861> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Jonathan Adler: 
<http://www.volokh.com/2012/07/12/chief-justice-roberts-and-constitutional-avoidance/>

    As I noted in this post
    <http://www.volokh.com/2012/07/09/making-sense-of-chief-justice-roberts-opinion/>,
    I think the pattern of the Chief Justice's behavior is a product of
    multiple elements within his jurisprudence. First, I think he
    genuinely believes in constitutional avoidance as an important
    principle. He also believes that the Court should strive to bring
    clarity and concreteness. As a consequence he dislikes splintered
    holdings. Thus, in /NAMUDNO/ he was willing to adopt a strained
    reading of the statute on avoidance grounds because other justices
    were willing to go along. Similarly in /FIB/, while other justices
    did not join the portion of his opinion on avoidance, a majority did
    embrace his conclusion that the mandate could be viewed as a valid
    exercise of the taxing power. In /Citizens United/, on the other
    hand, embracing constitutional avoidance would have required the
    Chief to adopt a statutory interpretation that was rejected by all
    eight other justices. Thus, he would have written a controlling
    opinion based on a premise that every other justice rejected. Yet,
    according to Jeffrey Toobin's reporting
    <http://www.volokh.com/2012/05/14/jeffrey-toobin-on-citizens-united/>,
    he was prepared to go the narrow, avoidance-based route when it
    appeared other justices would agree.

    While Prof. Hasen puzzles over the behavior of the Chief, I think it
    is the approach to avoidance taken by other justices that is harder
    to explain. Chief Justice Roberts appears ready to rely on avoidance
    quite aggressively to avoid invalidating statutes, but not at the
    expense of fracturing the Court. But what about, say, Justice
    Ginsburg? She wouldn't join the Chief to adopt a narrow holding in
    /Citizens United/ that would have saved the statute, at the expense
    of a holding with which she would have disagreed, but was in
    /NAMUDNO/. Is there a theory to explain this?

I agree that if the Chief Justice offered to use the avoidance canon in 
Citizens United and the liberals refused to go along, that would indeed 
be puzzling.  But for this reason I am unconvinced that on this point 
Toobin's description is accurate.

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, Supreme 
Court <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29> | Comments Off


    The Anti-Super PAC Super PAC <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36857>

Posted on July 12, 2012 12:52 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36857> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Bonus 
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/son-of-liberal-financier-george-soros-launches-anti-super-pac-super-pac/2012/07/12/gJQABQlufW_story.html>: 
from a Soros.

I think my irony meter just broke.

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | 
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    "Party Strains to Be Heard Now That Its Voice Isn't Nader's"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36854>

Posted on July 12, 2012 12:06 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36854> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

NYT 
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/13/us/politics/jill-stein-green-party-candidate-and-the-chances-of-making-a-difference.html?_r=1&hp>on 
the Green Party.

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Posted in ballot access <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=46>, third 
parties <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=47> | Comments Off


    "Judges Will Rule on Texas Voter ID"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36851>

Posted on July 12, 2012 10:11 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36851> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Roll Call reports 
<http://www.rollcall.com/issues/58_4/Judges-Will-Rule-on-Texas-Voter-ID-216071-1.html?pos=hln>.

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Posted in Department of Justice <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=26>, 
The Voting Wars <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>, voter id 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=9>, Voting Rights Act 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15> | Comments Off


    "Tennessee program to provide photo IDs missing most voters who need
    it" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36849>

Posted on July 12, 2012 10:11 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36849> 
by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Facing South 
<http://www.southernstudies.org/2012/07/tennessee-program-to-provide-photo-ids-missing-most-voters-who-need-it.html>:

    Critics argued the bill posed an especially big problem for the
    elderly: A unique Tennessee law allows residents over 60 to get
    driver's licenses without a picture. According to state records,
    more than 230,000 Tennessee seniors have such licenses
    <http://www.wbir.com/news/article/185824/2/Tennessee-voter-ID-law-awaits-effect-on-seniors>
    --- 126,000 of whom are registered to vote --- meaning they wouldn't
    be able to vote with those IDs.

    The total number of eligible Tennesse citizens without photo IDs is
    likely much higher. Voting rights groups like the Brennan Center
    estimate that up to 10 percent of eligible voters nationally lack
    photo ID cards
    <http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/policy_brief_on_voter_identification/>.
    With nearly 3.9 million registered voters, that would translate to
    more than 380,000 citizens without the needed photo ID in Tennessee.

    But a Facing South public information request to the Tennessee
    Department of Safety and Homeland Security revealed that only a
    fraction of the voters who likely need photo ID cards to vote are
    getting them.

    In an email to Facing South, Jennifer Donnals of the department
    stated, "As of Monday, July 9 our department had issued 20,923 state
    IDs for voting purposes to citizens in Tennessee."

    That figure would only cover 17 percent of Tennessee seniors who are
    registered to vote but lack photos on their driver's licenses,
    potentially leaving as many as 100,000 state citizens aged 60 and up
    without needed identification to vote.

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Posted in election administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, 
The Voting Wars <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>, voter id 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=9> | Comments Off


    "Texas' Road To Victory in Its Decades Long Fight Against Voting
    Rights" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36847>

Posted on July 12, 2012 9:51 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36847> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

ColorLines reports. 
<http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/07/texas_vs_the_voting_rights_act_still.html>

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Posted in election administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, 
The Voting Wars <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>, voter id 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=9>, Voting Rights Act 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15> | Comments Off


    "25% of Romney bundlers hail from finance sector"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36845>

Posted on July 12, 2012 9:50 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36845> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

USA Today reports 
<http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-07-10/romney-bundlers-finance-sector/56156630/1>.

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


    "Senate Dems offer new version of DISCLOSE Act to fight Citizens
    United ruling" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36843>

Posted on July 12, 2012 9:49 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36843> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

The Hill: 
<http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/237377-senate-dems-offer-new-version-of-disclose-act-to-fight-citizens-united-ruling>"Sen. 
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and eight other Senate Democrats proposed 
new legislation on Tuesday that seeks to counteract the 2010 Citizens 
United case in which the Supreme Court ruled that the government cannot 
limit political spending by corporations, unions or other groups...The 
new DISCLOSE Act of 2012, *S. 3369* 
<http://thehill.com/images/stories/blogs/flooraction/jan2012/s3369.pdf>, 
would not require disclosure until these groups spend $10,000 or more in 
aggregate, and would also remove other pieces from the 2010 bill in a 
bid to streamline it and make it easier for companies and other groups 
to comply."

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | 
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    What's the Point? <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36840>

Posted on July 12, 2012 7:49 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36840> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Michigan State Supreme Court 
<http://sbmblog.typepad.com/sbm-blog/2012/07/what-the-supreme-court-wants-to-know-in-the-emergency-manager-referendum-case.html>wants 
to delve into the meaning of "point" and "typeface" in deciding whether 
to kick referendum <http://sbmblog.typepad.com/files/stand-up.pdf> off 
ballot for using slightly smaller typeface in heading than prescribed 14 
point type.

Looks like a good case to resolve with The Democracy Canon 
<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1344476>.

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Posted in direct democracy <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=62>, 
petition signature gathering <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=39>, 
statutory interpretation <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=21> | Comments 
Off


    "Justice Run Amok: Big Money, Partisanship, and State Judiciaries"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36837>

Posted on July 12, 2012 7:44 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36837> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Elizabeth K. Lamphier has written this student note 
<http://msulawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/2011-4_Lamphier.pdf>for 
the Michigan State Law Review.

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, 
judicial elections <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=19> | Comments Off


    "Tandem press briefings" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36835>

Posted on July 12, 2012 7:42 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36835> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Politico 
<http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/07/the-tricky-legal-line-between-governing-and-campaigning-128701.html>: 
"President Barack Obama's White House is taking a new approach to 
straddling the tricky legal line between governing and campaigning: the 
tandem press briefing. Starting last week, Obama for America traveling 
press secretary Jen Psaki joined 
<http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/07/obamas-new-spokesteam-128089.html> 
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney when he was briefing reporters 
aboard Air Force One during Obama political trips. So far, there have 
been three such off-camera gaggles, as the press and White House call 
them. (Transcripts here, 
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/07/05/press-gaggle-press-secretary-jay-carney-en-route-ohio-7512> 
here 
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/07/06/press-gaggle-press-secretary-jay-carney-aboard-air-force-one-7612> 
and here 
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/07/10/press-gaggle-press-secretary-jay-carney-en-route-cedar-rapids-ia-71012>.) 
The White House says the arrangement helps comply with a federal law 
known as the Hatch Act, which prohibits use of taxpayer resources for 
political purposes and bans staffers from using their official posts to 
advance the president's reelection prospects. Obama aides say the tandem 
briefings help keep the hot side hot and the cold side cold, as it were, 
but not everyone is a fan of the practice."

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Posted in conflict of interest laws <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=20> 
| Comments Off


    "No ID? Initiative sees Limited Response"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36833>

Posted on July 12, 2012 7:40 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36833> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Press release <http://www.sos.ms.gov/news_press_release.aspx?id=416>: 
"Jackson, MS---The Secretary of State's Office's outreach initiative 
offering assistance to individuals with no acceptable forms of photo 
voter identification has received limited response in its first two 
weeks. 'We have inundated the State with outreach initiatives requesting 
these individuals contact our Office," says Secretary of State Delbert 
Hosemann.  "So far, only seventy-five (75) individuals have contacted 
our Office, and of those seventy-five (75), only thirty-five (35) had no 
form of identification.'"

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Posted in election administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, 
The Voting Wars <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>, voter id 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=9> | Comments Off


    Average Vote Time of One Hour in Polling Place of 1,588 Voters?
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36831>

Posted on July 12, 2012 7:37 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=36831> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

We can do better 
<http://www.pewstates.org/research/analysis/waiting-to-vote-in-combined-locks-wisconsin-85899404700>.

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

-- 
Rick Hasen
Chancellor's 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
http://law.uci.edu/faculty/page1_r_hasen.html
http://electionlawblog.org
Pre-order The Voting Wars: http://amzn.to/y22ZTv
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