[EL] ELB News and Commentary 11/5/12

[Greenberg, Kevin]

Jim,

That’s almost cute.

May I suggest a more likely hypothetical.

Now let’s assume instead that each of A and B had a single corporate parent organized in a second state (C and D).  And that C is D’s primary funder.

And that C’s funds primarily come from two people, let’s call them Charles and David Koo, each of whom are foreign nationals.

Or, let’s keep it legal, they are two Californians who just want to try to avoid the transparency requirements of California law because, hypothetically, their economic interests would point out how hypocritical their position is.

It may be legal, but don’t try and make an argument that there isn’t active circumvention going on here.

And yes, it happens on both sides (see LCV intervention in Montana), but it is a massive distortion to assert that there is approaching equivalency.

Kevin

From: law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu [mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] On Behalf Of JBoppjr at aol.com
Sent: Monday, November 05, 2012 2:29 PM
To: henryelliotweinstein at gmail.com; rhasen at law.uci.edu
Cc: law-election at uci.edu
Subject: Re: [EL] ELB News and Commentary 11/5/12

Regarding this:
“Controversial Arizona nonprofit releases name of contributors — more nonprofits”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43391>
Posted on November 5, 2012 9:32 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43391> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

LA Times:<http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2012/11/arizona-group-releases-names.html> ”In a stunning reversal, an obscure Arizona nonprofit at the center of a legal battle over secret political contributions released on Monday morning the identity of its contributors, which it had been fighting tooth and nail to keep secret. But the disclosure did little to shed light on who was behind the $11-million donation to a California campaign fund. The Arizona group, Americans for Responsible Leadership, identified its contributors only as other nonprofits. The money was passed from Americans for Job Security to the Center to Protect Patient Rights to Americans for Responsible Leadership, according to state authorities. From there, the money was sent to a California campaign committee fighting Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax-hike plan, Proposition 30, and pushing a separate ballot measure to curb unions’ political influence, Proposition 32.”

More from TPM.<http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/11/americans_responsible_leadership_donors_revealed.php>

This is a very important fight.  California’s disclosure law has been particularly effective in preventing the kind of shell game we see here.  It is crucial for California to continue to pursue this case aggressively (kudos all around), otherwise this shell game model would become the norm in CA.


Apparently, Rick is not satisfied with this first level of "disclosure," even though apparently Calif is (though I am not sure from reading the article), so I assume he wants to go to the second level.  Let's play that game with the following hypothetical:

Lets say that the Ariz group, which made the California ballot measure committee a $10 million dollar contribution (to keep it simple), had 10 donors, nonprofits A through J, and each of these 10 nonprofits had1,000 donors each.  Lets say that each of these nonprofits, A through J, each gave the Ariz group $!,000,000, but each had total contributions of $10,000,000 from their 1,000 donors.  Thus, nonprofits A though J gave 10% of their money to the Arizona nonprofit.

Now what possible relevance would it be force nonprofits A through J to disclose their 1,000 donors, assuming none of those contributions were earmarked to contribute to the Ariz group or the Calif ballot measure committee?  What is the "shell game" here that Rick wants to uncover?

What if each of these nonprofits, A through J, got one donation from another nonprofit who also had 1,000 donors.  Should this nonprofit also reveal its donors?  What if it only gave 10% of its total contributions during the year?

Since the federal government is the only one with a money tree, there is actually no original source of money -- everyone get it from someone else -- so where does this end and at what point does it no longer become relevant?  Jim Bopp


In a message dated 11/5/2012 1:00:43 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, henryelliotweinstein at gmail.com<mailto:henryelliotweinstein at gmail.com> writes:
To quote the great Yogi Berra, ``Deja Vu, All Over Again.''
On Mon, Nov 5, 2012 at 9:53 AM, Rick Hasen <rhasen at law.uci.edu<mailto:rhasen at law.uci.edu>> wrote:
Miami Dade Again Shuts Down in Person Absentee Balloting.<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43409>
Posted on November 5, 2012 9:52 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43409> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Even though Ohio is giving it a run for its money, Florida is doing whatever it can to be the next Florida.

My prediction is that FL beats OH in the Election Incompetency Bowl, broadcast live tomorrow (all stations).

A national embarassment.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43409&title=Miami Dade Again Shuts Down in Person Absentee Balloting.&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43409&title=Miami%20Dade%20Again%20Shuts%20Down%20in%20Person%20Absentee%20Balloting.&description=%0A>
Posted in The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“This Morning’s Ohio Provisional Ballot Counting Motions”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43407>
Posted on November 5, 2012 9:49 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43407> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

The latest<http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/analysis/index.php?ID=10025> from Ohio.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43407&title=“This Morning’s Ohio Provisional Ballot Counting Motions”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43407&title=%E2%80%9CThis%20Morning%E2%80%99s%20Ohio%20Provisional%20Ballot%20Counting%20Motions%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, provisional ballots<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=67>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
A Few Media Interviews<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43404>
Posted on November 5, 2012 9:47 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43404> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

You can listen to me on the Diane Rehm Show<http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-11-05/casting-your-vote-2012> (with Norm Ornstein and Michael McDonald) and on Ian Masters.<http://www.npr.org/2012/11/05/164335487/polls-put-race-within-the-margin-of-litigation?ft=1&f=1014&sc=tw>  A little later I’ll be on Bloomberg TV, with Sirius XM, and a few more things coming up.

Unfortunately, there’s lots of problems to talk about.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43404&title=A Few Media Interviews&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43404&title=A%20Few%20Media%20Interviews&description=%0A>
Posted in The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“Polls Put Race Within ‘The Margin Of Litigation’”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43402>
Posted on November 5, 2012 9:44 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43402> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

NPR’s “Tell Me More.<http://www.npr.org/2012/11/05/164335487/polls-put-race-within-the-margin-of-litigation?ft=1&f=1014&sc=tw>“
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43402&title=“Polls Put Race Within ‘The Margin Of Litigation’”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43402&title=%E2%80%9CPolls%20Put%20Race%20Within%20%E2%80%98The%20Margin%20Of%20Litigation%E2%80%99%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“Whose votes count, whose don’t? The legal landscape before Election Day”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43399>
Posted on November 5, 2012 9:42 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43399> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

The Christian Science Monitor reports.<http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/2012/1105/Whose-votes-count-whose-don-t-The-legal-landscape-before-Election-Day>
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43399&title=“Whose votes count, whose don’t? The legal landscape before Election Day”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43399&title=%E2%80%9CWhose%20votes%20count%2C%20whose%20don%E2%80%99t%3F%20The%20legal%20landscape%20before%20Election%20Day%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“Florida’s Early Voting Meltdown”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43396>
Posted on November 5, 2012 9:40 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43396> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

This item<http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2012/11/05/floridas-early-voting-meltdown/> appears in Commentary.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43396&title=“Florida’s Early Voting Meltdown”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43396&title=%E2%80%9CFlorida%E2%80%99s%20Early%20Voting%20Meltdown%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18> | Comments Off
“McCain Strategist Admits Voter Fraud ‘Doesn’t Really Exist’”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43393>
Posted on November 5, 2012 9:36 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43393> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Steve Schmidt, John McCain’s former campaign manager, told MSNBC<http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/11/05/1139141/mccain-strategist-admits-voter-fraud-doesnt-really-exist/>: “I think that all of this stuff that has transpired over the last two years is in search of a solution to a problem, voting fraud, that doesn’t really exist when you look deeply at the question. It’s part of the mythology now in the Republican Party that there’s widespread voter fraud across the country.”

Remember what John McCain said during the 2008 campaign at a debate: ” “We need to know the full extent of Senator Obama’s relationship with ACORN, who is now on the verge of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy.”
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43393&title=“McCain Strategist Admits Voter Fraud ‘Doesn’t Really Exist’”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43393&title=%E2%80%9CMcCain%20Strategist%20Admits%20Voter%20Fraud%20%E2%80%98Doesn%E2%80%99t%20Really%20Exist%E2%80%99%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in fraudulent fraud squad<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=8>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“Controversial Arizona nonprofit releases name of contributors — more nonprofits”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43391>
Posted on November 5, 2012 9:32 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43391> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

LA Times:<http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2012/11/arizona-group-releases-names.html> ”In a stunning reversal, an obscure Arizona nonprofit at the center of a legal battle over secret political contributions released on Monday morning the identity of its contributors, which it had been fighting tooth and nail to keep secret. But the disclosure did little to shed light on who was behind the $11-million donation to a California campaign fund. The Arizona group, Americans for Responsible Leadership, identified its contributors only as other nonprofits. The money was passed from Americans for Job Security to the Center to Protect Patient Rights to Americans for Responsible Leadership, according to state authorities. From there, the money was sent to a California campaign committee fighting Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax-hike plan, Proposition 30, and pushing a separate ballot measure to curb unions’ political influence, Proposition 32.”

More from TPM.<http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/11/americans_responsible_leadership_donors_revealed.php>

This is a very important fight.  California’s disclosure law has been particularly effective in preventing the kind of shell game we see here.  It is crucial for California to continue to pursue this case aggressively (kudos all around), otherwise this shell game model would become the norm in CA.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43391&title=“Controversial Arizona nonprofit releases name of contributors — more nonprofits”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43391&title=%E2%80%9CControversial%20Arizona%20nonprofit%20releases%20name%20of%20contributors%20%E2%80%94%20more%20nonprofits%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | Comments Off
“Why No One Should Have To Wait Two Hours To Vote”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43389>
Posted on November 5, 2012 9:29 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43389> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Emily Bazelon writes at Slate.<http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2012/11/early_voting_republicans_have_tried_to_restrict_access_to_voting_for_partisan.html>
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43389&title=“Why No One Should Have To Wait Two Hours To Vote”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43389&title=%E2%80%9CWhy%20No%20One%20Should%20Have%20To%20Wait%20Two%20Hours%20To%20Vote%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in Uncategorized<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1> | Comments Off
“Ohio 2012: What to Watch For”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43386>
Posted on November 5, 2012 9:19 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43386> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Indispensable<http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/comments/index.php?ID=10023> Dan Tokaji cheatsheet.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43386&title=“Ohio 2012: What to Watch For”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43386&title=%E2%80%9COhio%202012%3A%20What%20to%20Watch%20For%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“Mystery firm is election’s top corporate donor at $5.3 million”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43383>
Posted on November 5, 2012 9:12 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43383> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

The Center for Public Integrity reports<http://www.publicintegrity.org/2012/11/02/11689/mystery-firm-elections-top-corporate-donor-53-million>.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43383&title=“Mystery firm is election’s top corporate donor at $5.3 million”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43383&title=%E2%80%9CMystery%20firm%20is%20election%E2%80%99s%20top%20corporate%20donor%20at%20%245.3%20million%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | Comments Off
State of Elections Blog<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43380>
Posted on November 5, 2012 9:10 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43380> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

William & Mary Law’s student-run “State of Elections<http://www.stateofelections.com/>” blog is running a two day series, “Battleground 2012,” featuring original analysis and reporting by W&M law students. Topics range from shoehorning third party candidates onto ballots in Oklahoma, to the finance free-for-all in Missouri, and the aftermath of September’s early-voting battle in Ohio. Click here<http://www.stateofelections.com/> to read.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43380&title=State of Elections Blog&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43380&title=State%20of%20Elections%20Blog&description=%0A>
Posted in Uncategorized<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1> | Comments Off
“Presidential Election Seen Spurring New Wave of Lawsuits”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43378>
Posted on November 5, 2012 9:09 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43378> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Bloomberg reports.<http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-11-05/presidential-election-seen-spurring-new-wave-of-lawsuits>
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43378&title=“Presidential Election Seen Spurring New Wave of Lawsuits”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43378&title=%E2%80%9CPresidential%20Election%20Seen%20Spurring%20New%20Wave%20of%20Lawsuits%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“No One in America Should Have to Wait 7 Hours to Vote”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43376>
Posted on November 5, 2012 9:08 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43376> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Andrew Cohen’s latest<http://bit.ly/RKXCql> in The Atlantic.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43376&title=“No One in America Should Have to Wait 7 Hours to Vote”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43376&title=%E2%80%9CNo%20One%20in%20America%20Should%20Have%20to%20Wait%207%20Hours%20to%20Vote%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
Gronke on the Oregon Insufficient Postage for Ballots Spat<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43373>
Posted on November 5, 2012 9:02 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43373> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Here<http://earlyvoting.net/commentary/the-vote-by-mail-and-insufficient-postage-spat-in-oregon-big-pot-money-signature-gathering-and-more/>, at his important Early Voting site.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43373&title=Gronke on the Oregon Insufficient Postage for Ballots Spat&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43373&title=Gronke%20on%20the%20Oregon%20Insufficient%20Postage%20for%20Ballots%20Spat&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18> | Comments Off
“Huge turnout, long lines for early voting in Ohio”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43370>
Posted on November 4, 2012 8:36 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43370> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.<http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/11/huge_turnout_long_lines_for_ea.html#incart_river_default>

It is worth recalling the words of Judge White, concurring in the Sixth Circuit case which forced the state of Ohio to restore<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=41187> this final weekend of early voting which the legislature had taken away from all except military voters: “The key distinguishing factor here is that Ohio voters were granted the statutory right to in-person absentee voting through the close of business hours on the Monday before election day, and the election boards of the largest counties broadly embraced and facilitated that right, in response to the unacceptably burdensome situation at many Ohio polling sites during the 2004 election where, in some counties, voters were required to stand in line for long hours and until late at night.”
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43370&title=“Huge turnout, long lines for early voting in Ohio”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43370&title=%E2%80%9CHuge%20turnout%2C%20long%20lines%20for%20early%20voting%20in%20Ohio%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>, voting<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=31> | Comments Off
“America Braces for Election Squeaker”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43365>
Posted on November 4, 2012 8:23 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43365> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

RIA Novosti reports.<http://en.rian.ru/world/20121105/177156694.html>
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43365&title=“America Braces for Election Squeaker”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43365&title=%E2%80%9CAmerica%20Braces%20for%20Election%20Squeaker%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“Fraud, voting rights groups will keep vigil at polls”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43362>
Posted on November 4, 2012 8:14 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43362> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

News from Minnesota<http://www.startribune.com/politics/177190921.html?refer=y>.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43362&title=“Fraud, voting rights groups will keep vigil at polls”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43362&title=%E2%80%9CFraud%2C%20voting%20rights%20groups%20will%20keep%20vigil%20at%20polls%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“Five things that could go wrong on Election Day in Florida”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43359>
Posted on November 4, 2012 8:12 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43359> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Only five<http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/national/five-things-that-could-go-wrong-on-election-day-in-florida/1260003>?  Apparently newspaper was tight for space.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43359&title=“Five things that could go wrong on Election Day in Florida”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43359&title=%E2%80%9CFive%20things%20that%20could%20go%20wrong%20on%20Election%20Day%20in%20Florida%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“As Candidates Make Final Pleas, Legal Battles Begin”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43356>
Posted on November 4, 2012 8:09 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43356> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

NYT reports.<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/05/us/politics/candidates-make-final-dash-as-race-winds-down.html?pagewanted=1>
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43356&title=“As Candidates Make Final Pleas, Legal Battles Begin”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43356&title=%E2%80%9CAs%20Candidates%20Make%20Final%20Pleas%2C%20Legal%20Battles%20Begin%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“Will Election Day be a ‘perfect storm?’ Four nightmare scenarios for what could go wrong”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43352>
Posted on November 4, 2012 8:05 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43352> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

NBC News reports.<http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/04/14923543-will-election-day-be-a-perfect-storm-four-nightmare-scenarios-for-what-could-go-wrong?lite&ocid=msnhp&pos=1>
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43352&title=“Will Election Day be a ‘perfect storm?’ Four nightmare scenarios for what could go wrong”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43352&title=%E2%80%9CWill%20Election%20Day%20be%20a%20%E2%80%98perfect%20storm%3F%E2%80%99%20Four%20nightmare%20scenarios%20for%20what%20could%20go%20wrong%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
VIDEO: “Top Ohio Elections Official Accuses Critics Of ‘Trying To Introduce Chaos’”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43349>
Posted on November 4, 2012 8:03 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43349> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Don Lemon CNN interview<http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/top-ohio-elections-official-accuses-critics-of-tr>, via BuzzFeed.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43349&title=VIDEO: “Top Ohio Elections Official Accuses Critics Of ‘Trying To Introduce Chaos’”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43349&title=VIDEO%3A%20%E2%80%9CTop%20Ohio%20Elections%20Official%20Accuses%20Critics%20Of%20%E2%80%98Trying%20To%20Introduce%20Chaos%E2%80%99%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, provisional ballots<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=67>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
Las Vegas Journal Rev. Ed Writer Says He Met with Noncitizens Registered by Unions to Vote and Pressured to Vote<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43346>
Posted on November 4, 2012 7:53 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43346> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Glenn Cook<http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/how-many-noncitizens-are-registered-to-vote-177141441.html>: “Last week, I met with two immigrant noncitizens who are not eligible to vote, but who nonetheless are active registered voters for Tuesday’s election. They said they were signed up by Culinary Local 226. They speak and understand enough English to get by. But they don’t read English especially well. They say the Culinary official who registered them to vote didn’t tell them what they were signing and didn’t ask whether they were citizens. The immigrants said they trusted that the union official’s request was routine, thought nothing of it and went about their work. Then the election drew closer. Then the Culinary canvassers started seeking them out and ordering them to go vote.”

This definitely requires further investigation.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43346&title=Las Vegas Journal Rev. Ed Writer Says He Met with Noncitizens Registered by Unions to Vote and Pressured to Vote&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43346&title=Las%20Vegas%20Journal%20Rev.%20Ed%20Writer%20Says%20He%20Met%20with%20Noncitizens%20Registered%20by%20Unions%20to%20Vote%20and%20Pressured%20to%20Vote&description=%0A>
Posted in term limits<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=65>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>, voter registration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=37> | Comments Off
“GOP’s push to suppress vote threatens democracy”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43343>
Posted on November 4, 2012 7:49 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43343> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Ilyse Hogue has written this opinion piece<http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/04/opinion/hogue-voter-suppression/index.html?npt=NP1> for CNN.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43343&title=“GOP’s push to suppress vote threatens democracy”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43343&title=%E2%80%9CGOP%E2%80%99s%20push%20to%20suppress%20vote%20threatens%20democracy%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“Voter fraud or voter supression? Party chairmen rattle sabres as Election Day nears in Ohio”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43340>
Posted on November 4, 2012 7:45 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43340> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Unfortunately, the new normal.<http://dispatchpolitics.dispatch.com/content/blogs/the-daily-briefing/2012/11/4-november-2012---chairman-battle.html>
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43340&title=“Voter fraud or voter supression? Party chairmen rattle sabres as Election Day nears in Ohio”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43340&title=%E2%80%9CVoter%20fraud%20or%20voter%20supression%3F%20Party%20chairmen%20rattle%20sabres%20as%20Election%20Day%20nears%20in%20Ohio%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“Arizona Group Plans Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court in Funding Case”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43337>
Posted on November 4, 2012 7:42 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43337> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Trying to run out the clock.<http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2012/11/arizona-nonprofit-supreme-court.html>

The group should be called Americans for Irresponsible Leadership.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43337&title=“Arizona Group Plans Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court in Funding Case”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43337&title=%E2%80%9CArizona%20Group%20Plans%20Appeal%20to%20U.S.%20Supreme%20Court%20in%20Funding%20Case%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | Comments Off
“A voting debacle in Doral causes chaos and confusion”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43334>
Posted on November 4, 2012 5:54 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43334> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Miami Herald<http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/04/3081614/florida-democratic-party-files.html>:

       On the surface, officials blamed technical equipment and a lack of staff for the shutdown. But behind the scenes, there was another issue: Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez.

The Republican had never signed off on the additional in-person absentee voting hours in the first place.

“That was counter to what I said on Friday, which was we were not going to change the game mid-stream,” he said. “I said, ‘No, there’s no way we did this.’”

But Gimenez, who is in a nonpartisan post, quickly realized it was better to let the voting go on, and the voting resumed.

The mayor said he found out early Sunday afternoon — from his daughter-in-law — about the extra voting hours.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43334&title=“A voting debacle in Doral causes chaos and confusion”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43334&title=%E2%80%9CA%20voting%20debacle%20in%20Doral%20causes%20chaos%20and%20confusion%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18> | Comments Off
“In Ohio Vote, A Form-Checking Nightmare”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43331>
Posted on November 4, 2012 5:50 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43331> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

BuzzFeed reports<http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/in-ohio-vote-a-form-checking-nightmare>.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43331&title=“In Ohio Vote, A Form-Checking Nightmare”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43331&title=%E2%80%9CIn%20Ohio%20Vote%2C%20A%20Form-Checking%20Nightmare%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, provisional ballots<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=67>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“Florida Early Voting Fiasco: Voters Wait For Hours At Polls As Rick Scott Refuses To Budge”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43327>
Posted on November 4, 2012 4:12 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43327> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Huffington Post reports<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/04/florida-early-voting_n_2073119.html>.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43327&title=“Florida Early Voting Fiasco: Voters Wait For Hours At Polls As Rick Scott Refuses To Budge”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43327&title=%E2%80%9CFlorida%20Early%20Voting%20Fiasco%3A%20Voters%20Wait%20For%20Hours%20At%20Polls%20As%20Rick%20Scott%20Refuses%20To%20Budge%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
CA Supreme Court Orders Arizona Group Making Prop. 32 Donations to Submit to Audit Immediately<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43324>
Posted on November 4, 2012 4:03 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43324> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

So reports John Myers<https://twitter.com/johnmyers/status/265238681009418240>.  Details to come.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43324&title=CA Supreme Court Orders Arizona Group Making Prop. 32 Donations to Submit to Audit Immediately&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43324&title=CA%20Supreme%20Court%20Orders%20Arizona%20Group%20Making%20Prop.%2032%20Donations%20to%20Submit%20to%20Audit%20Immediately&description=%0A>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | Comments Off
“Democrats Sue to Extend Florida’s Early Voting”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43321>
Posted on November 4, 2012 2:17 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43321> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

NYT’s “The Caucus” reports<http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/democrats-sue-to-extend-floridas-early-voting/?partner=rss&emc=rss>.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43321&title=“Democrats Sue to Extend Florida’s Early Voting”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43321&title=%E2%80%9CDemocrats%20Sue%20to%20Extend%20Florida%E2%80%99s%20Early%20Voting%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“New Jersey to Allow Voting by E-mail and Fax”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43318>
Posted on November 4, 2012 2:15 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43318> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Politico reports.<http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83282.html?hp=l10>
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43318&title=“New Jersey to Allow Voting by E-mail and Fax”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43318&title=%E2%80%9CNew%20Jersey%20to%20Allow%20Voting%20by%20E-mail%20and%20Fax%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
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“Legal arms race begins as both sides prepare to do battle in court”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43315>
Posted on November 4, 2012 2:13 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43315> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

The Independent reports<http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-elections/legal-arms-race-begins-as-both-sides-prepare-to-do-battle-in-court-8281279.html>.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43315&title=“Legal arms race begins as both sides prepare to do battle in court”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43315&title=%E2%80%9CLegal%20arms%20race%20begins%20as%20both%20sides%20prepare%20to%20do%20battle%20in%20court%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“Miami-Dade to resume in-person absentee voting after temporarily shutting it down”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43312>
Posted on November 4, 2012 2:07 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43312> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Florida reverting<http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/04/3081614/florida-democratic-party-files.html> to its normal position as election laughingstock.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43312&title=“Miami-Dade to resume in-person absentee voting after temporarily shutting it down”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43312&title=%E2%80%9CMiami-Dade%20to%20resume%20in-person%20absentee%20voting%20after%20temporarily%20shutting%20it%20down%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“New Dispute over Ohio’s Provisional Voting Procedures”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43309>
Posted on November 4, 2012 1:49 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43309> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Ned Foley<http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/comments/index.php?ID=10019> [corrected link]: “For all three of these reasons, it seems problematic for the federal court to grant the relief the plaintiffs now request, even if it were appropriate for the court to reach the merits of plaintiffs’ new claim. Ordinarily, I am hesitant to evaluate the merits of a pending issue before a court until I’ve had the opportunity to read and reflect upon the full briefing of the issue, from all sides to the litigation. In the present situation, there are more briefs to come this week from both plaintiffs and the Secretary of State (and perhaps others), according to a schedule<http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/litigation/documents/BriefingSchedule_001.pdf> set by the court. But because there has been considerable media attention<http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/11/ohios-provisional-ballot-order-the-biggest-legal-story-of-the-weekend/264498/> to this issue over the weekend, I thought it might be helpful (for members of the public trying to understand what is going on) to offer this preliminary analysis of the issue—even though it is necessarily tentative in light of the still-unfolding nature of litigation.”
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43309&title=“New Dispute over Ohio’s Provisional Voting Procedures”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43309&title=%E2%80%9CNew%20Dispute%20over%20Ohio%E2%80%99s%20Provisional%20Voting%20Procedures%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, provisional ballots<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=67>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
Thought for Today<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43306>
Posted on November 4, 2012 1:33 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43306> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

What if Sandy hit Florida or Ohio, and it was up to election officials there to decide what do to about voters who cannot reach their polling places?  What if a Democrat election official allowed voting by email for displaced voters?

We need a national emergency plan for our elections.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43306&title=Thought for Today&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43306&title=Thought%20for%20Today&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“N.J., N.Y. make more voting changes due to Sandy”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43303>
Posted on November 4, 2012 12:29 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43303> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

CBS News reports.<http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-34222_162-57544864/n.j-n.y-make-more-voting-changes-due-to-sandy/>
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43303&title=“N.J., N.Y. make more voting changes due to Sandy”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43303&title=%E2%80%9CN.J.%2C%20N.Y.%20make%20more%20voting%20changes%20due%20to%20Sandy%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18> | Comments Off
Legal Quirk in NJ E-Voting for Sandy Victims<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43300>
Posted on November 4, 2012 11:55 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43300> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Andrew Appel explains<https://freedom-to-tinker.com/blog/appel/nj-lt-governor-invites-voters-to-submit-invalid-ballots/>.  Sounds like officials are working on it.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43300&title=Legal Quirk in NJ E-Voting for Sandy Victims&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43300&title=Legal%20Quirk%20in%20NJ%20E-Voting%20for%20Sandy%20Victims&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18> | Comments Off
“Eleventh-Hour GOP Voter Suppression Could Swing Ohio”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43297>
Posted on November 4, 2012 11:05 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43297> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Ari Berman writes<http://www.thenation.com/blog/171011/eleventh-hour-gop-voter-suppression-could-swing-ohio> for The Nation.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43297&title=“Eleventh-Hour GOP Voter Suppression Could Swing Ohio”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43297&title=%E2%80%9CEleventh-Hour%20GOP%20Voter%20Suppression%20Could%20Swing%20Ohio%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, provisional ballots<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=67>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“Recount Roulette”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43294>
Posted on November 4, 2012 11:02 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43294> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Barbara Simons and Mark Halverson blog.<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-simons/voting-ballots-recount_b_2069192.html>
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43294&title=“Recount Roulette”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43294&title=%E2%80%9CRecount%20Roulette%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in recounts<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=50>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>, voting technology<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=40> | Comments Off
Face the Nation Flashback: Bush v. Gore<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43291>
Posted on November 4, 2012 10:49 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43291> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Enough<http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50134472n> to turn your stomach if you are old enough to remember 2000.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43291&title=Face the Nation Flashback: Bush v. Gore&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43291&title=Face%20the%20Nation%20Flashback%3A%20Bush%20v.%20Gore&description=%0A>
Posted in Bush v. Gore reflections<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=5> | Comments Off
“Behind the voting wars, a clash of philosophies”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43289>
Posted on November 4, 2012 10:02 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43289> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

I have written this cover piece<http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/03/4958430/republicans-have-pursued-election.html> for the Sacramento Bee’s Sunday Forum section.  It begins:

On Tuesday, voters will go to the polls in what is expected to be a nail-bitingly close presidential election. Indeed, we may wake up Wednesday morning, as voters did in 2000 and 2004, not knowing who won. If we are extremely unlucky, the election will be so close that it will go to a recount and possibly to the courts. The state whose votes are pivotal to the election outcome – Ohio, Florida, who knows? – will see its election process go under a microscope with full dissection in real time over Twitter and Facebook. It would get very ugly very quickly.

If the election comes down to the wire in this way, and if Mitt Romney<http://topics.sacbee.com/Mitt+Romney/> ekes out a win, then a series of election changes and administrative actions pursued by Republican legislatures and election officials, as well as challenges pursued by tea party activists, may prove to have given him the winning margin. While crass political calculation is part of the explanation for Republican pursuit of these tough new voting rules, there is also a deeper philosophical divide between Republicans and Democrats over the nature of voting and democracy, a divide that the most recent skirmishes in the voting wars have laid bare.

Another snippet:

Whether or not Republicans are genuinely concerned about voter fraud<http://topics.sacbee.com/voter+fraud/> – and if they were, the first thing they should do is get rid of absentee ballots,<http://topics.sacbee.com/absentee+ballots/> which would eliminate the lion’s share ofvoter fraud<http://topics.sacbee.com/voter+fraud/> issues – a voter fraud<http://topics.sacbee.com/voter+fraud/> rationale cannot explain recent Republican cutbacks on early voting.

In Ohio, Doug Preisse, chair of the Franklin County Republican Party and elections board member, offered the Columbus Dispatch a different explanation for his vote against extended weekend early voting: “I guess I really actually feel we shouldn’t contort the voting process to accommodate the urban – read African American – voter-turnout machine. … Let’s be fair and reasonable.”

But Republican cutbacks on voting go beyond the naked political calculation to a philosophical divide with Democrats over the nature of voting and elections. To many Republicans, voting is an exercise in choosing the best candidate. Under that philosophy, it makes sense to make voting harder to weed out those who might care less, or be less tied to the community, or be less educated or intelligent.

And:

The Democrats’ philosophy about voting and elections could not be more different. Democrats tend to see elections as about the allocation of power among political equals, and it is not the state’s job to decide who is smart enough or motivated enough to vote. Indeed, Democrats’ concerns about these new Republican laws is not really that they literally will disenfranchise many voters; it is that by adding additional effort to the requirements to cast a ballot, these new Republican restrictions will deter casual voters from bothering to take the steps necessary to cast a ballot that will count.

As with Republicans, the Democrats’ philosophy on voting neatly ties in with the party’s self-interest. These casual voters are going to be more likely to vote Democratic. Thus, proclaiming a high-minded commitment to universal enfranchisement also is good for Democratic candidates. It is no surprise that states which have adopted Election Day registration – as California recently did for future elections – tend to be states with Democratic-dominated legislatures. Nor have Democrats shown any interest in removing noncitizens from the rolls in the off-season, although noncitizen voting remains a real, if small, problem.

The latest skirmishes in the voting wars have laid bare the underlying voting philosophies of the two major parties, and the connection of those philosophies to each party’s self- interest. This is a fight that’s taken place at the margin, in technical changes to voting rules. Perhaps these changes will have no effect at all on the identity of the next president. Or perhaps they will be the difference between four more years of Barack Obama and a new presidency under Mitt Romney.


[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43289&title=“Behind the voting wars, a clash of philosophies”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43289&title=%E2%80%9CBehind%20the%20voting%20wars%2C%20a%20clash%20of%20philosophies%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in Uncategorized<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1> | Comments Off
“Democrats, Republicans lawyer-up for US election”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43286>
Posted on November 4, 2012 9:53 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43286> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

AFP reports.<http://www.citizen.co.za/citizen/content/en/citizen/world-news?oid=343723&sn=Detail&pid=40&Democrats--Republicans-lawyer-up-for-US-election>
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43286&title=“Democrats, Republicans lawyer-up for US election”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43286&title=%E2%80%9CDemocrats%2C%20Republicans%20lawyer-up%20for%20US%20election%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
“Al Benn’s Alabama: One person, seven votes? Chilton County voting is different”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43283>
Posted on November 4, 2012 9:50 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43283> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Cumulative voting<http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20121104/NEWS02/311040019/Al-Benn-s-Alabama-One-person-seven-votes-Chilton-County-voting-different> in Alabama.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43283&title=“Al Benn’s Alabama: One person, seven votes? Chilton County voting is different”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43283&title=%E2%80%9CAl%20Benn%E2%80%99s%20Alabama%3A%20One%20person%2C%20seven%20votes%3F%20Chilton%20County%20voting%20is%20different%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in alternative voting systems<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=63> | Comments Off
“Voting by Email in New Jersey”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43280>
Posted on November 4, 2012 9:43 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43280> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Computer security analyst:<http://www.crypto.com/blog/njvoting/> “I hope all goes well.”
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43280&title=“Voting by Email in New Jersey”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43280&title=%E2%80%9CVoting%20by%20Email%20in%20New%20Jersey%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18> | Comments Off
“Mail-in ballots: the hanging chads of 2012?”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43277>
Posted on November 4, 2012 9:14 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43277> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Reuters reports<http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/04/us-usa-campaign-mailin-idUSBRE8A308I20121104?feedType=RSS&feedName=politicsNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FPoliticsNews+%28Reuters+Politics+News%29>.  So processing mail-in ballots are trying to dethrone processing provisional ballots as the worse feature of the current election system?
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43277&title=“Mail-in ballots: the hanging chads of 2012?”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43277&title=%E2%80%9CMail-in%20ballots%3A%20the%20hanging%20chads%20of%202012%3F%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in absentee ballots<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=53>, election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18> | Comments Off
“Ohio’s Provisional Ballot Order: The Biggest Legal Story of the Weekend”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43274>
Posted on November 3, 2012 10:05 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43274> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Andrew Cohen writes<http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/11/ohios-provisional-ballot-order-the-biggest-legal-story-of-the-weekend/264498/> at The Atlantic.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43274&title=“Ohio’s Provisional Ballot Order: The Biggest Legal Story of the Weekend”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43274&title=%E2%80%9COhio%E2%80%99s%20Provisional%20Ballot%20Order%3A%20The%20Biggest%20Legal%20Story%20of%20the%20Weekend%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, provisional ballots<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=67>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off
Diane Rehm Show<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43271>
Posted on November 3, 2012 9:47 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43271> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Scheduled to be on Diane Rehm Monday<http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-11-05/casting-your-vote-2012> at 10 am Eastern talking about election and voting issues before Tuesday.
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43271&title=Diane Rehm Show&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43271&title=Diane%20Rehm%20Show&description=%0A>
Posted in Uncategorized<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1> | Comments Off
“In Ohio, a Study in Contrasts as 2 Campaigns Get Out Vote”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43268>
Posted on November 3, 2012 9:42 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43268> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Extensive NYT report.<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/us/politics/in-ohio-2-campaigns-offer-a-study-in-contrasts.html>
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43268&title=“In Ohio, a Study in Contrasts as 2 Campaigns Get Out Vote”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43268&title=%E2%80%9CIn%20Ohio%2C%20a%20Study%20in%20Contrasts%20as%202%20Campaigns%20Get%20Out%20Vote%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in campaigns<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59> | Comments Off
“Minorities Donating Little to Presidential Races”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43265>
Posted on November 3, 2012 9:38 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43265> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

AP:<http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/11/03/us/politics/ap-us-campaign-minority-contributions.html?ref=politics> ” Americans living in predominantly wealthy, white neighborhoods account for nearly all the sizable campaign contributions in this year’s presidential election, according to an Associated Press analysis, even as the presidential candidates have aggressively courted Hispanics. Latino voters are widely viewed as pivotal for victories in some battleground states Tuesday.”
[http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=43265&title=“Minorities Donating Little to Presidential Races”&description=]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D43265&title=%E2%80%9CMinorities%20Donating%20Little%20to%20Presidential%20Races%E2%80%9D&description=%0A>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | 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<tel:949.824.3072> - office

949.824.0495<tel: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://electionlawblog.org<http://electionlawblog.org/>

Now available: The Voting Wars: http://amzn.to/y22ZTv



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