[EL] nonpartisan election administration

[Vladimir Kogan]

Rick calls for: “An election czar or board nominated by the president and confirmed by a three-quarters vote of the U.S. Senate.”
Given the current judicial and FEC vacancies under the existing much lower three-fifths filibuster threshold, it’s hard to believe that this model would work. As Jim Bopp points out, there would have to be some provision to deal with what happens if there is deadlock, and that provision would almost certainly favor one party over the other in any given year. Which would give that side incentive to hold out and prevent the appointment(s) from being filled.
I think the California redistricting commission provides another cautionary example: The process was designed – to an absurd degree – to purge the commission from partisanship. Party leaders even had the power to veto applicants. Yet Republicans are still convinced the commission’s maps stacked the deck to help Democrats (despite evidence to the contrary).
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