[EL] ELB News and Commentary 11/13/12

Rick Hasen rhasen at law.uci.edu
Tue Nov 13 08:20:40 PST 2012


    "Super PACs Make Move to Lobbying"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44194>

Posted on November 13, 2012 8:19 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44194> by Rick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Roll Call reports. 
<http://www.rollcall.com/news/super_pacs_make_move_to_lobbying-219080-1.html>

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | 
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    "Outspent Democratic super PAC made dollars count"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44191>

Posted on November 13, 2012 8:04 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44191> by Rick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

/Politico/ reports <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83699.html>

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | 
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    "2012 Debunked Campaign Finance Fallacies"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44188>

Posted on November 13, 2012 7:56 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44188> by Rick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Jonathan Tobin writes 
<http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2012/11/11/2012-debunked-campaign-finance-fallacies/> 
for /Commentary/.

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Posted in Uncategorized <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1> | Comments Off


    "The Trouble with City of Boerne, and Why It Matters for the
    Fifteenth Amendment As Well" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44185>

Posted on November 13, 2012 7:50 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44185> by Rick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Evan Tsen Lee has postedthis draft 
<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2170578>on SSRN.  
Here is the abstract:

    The Supreme Court's test for the constitutionality of state action
    and its test for the constitutionality of congressional legislation
    enforcing the Fourteenth Amendment are out of synch with one
    another. When a plaintiff challenges state action under the
    Fourteenth Amendment, the degree of scrutiny varies with the type of
    claim. Racial classifications, for example, are examined under
    "strict" scrutiny. Most classifications, such as disability, age, or
    socioeconomic status, are examined on a "rational basis." When
    Congress acts pursuant to its Section 5 powers under the Fourteenth
    Amendment to protect rights, however, the Court has no corresponding
    spectrum of degrees of scrutiny. In this paper I argue that the
    Court should adopt the "mirror image" spectrum of scrutiny for
    congressional enactments pursuant to its Section 5 powers. For
    example, if Congress seeks to protect people from age discrimination
    or discrimination based on disability by permitting individuals to
    sue states without their consent in federal court, the plaintiff
    should have to show that he or she actually suffered a
    constitutional violation in the case at bar. If Congress seeks to
    protect people from race discrimination, the plaintiff should have
    to show only that there is a rational, "means-end" relationship
    between the congressional remedy and the targeted discrimination.
    Applying this test to the Fifteenth Amendment, which prohibits race
    discrimination in voting, the courts should apply rational,
    "means-end" scrutiny to statutes such as the Voting Rights Act,
    including the preclearance condition that is likely to come before
    the Supreme Court in the near future.

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Posted in Voting Rights Act <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15> | 
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    "A Decision Theory of Statutory Interpretation: Legislative History
    by the Rules" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44183>

Posted on November 13, 2012 7:49 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44183> by Rick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Victoria Nourse has posted this article 
<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2161858>on SSRN 
(/Yale Law Journal/).  Here is the abstract:

    We have a law of civil procedure, criminal procedure, and
    administrative procedure, but we have no law of legislative
    procedure. This failure has serious consequences in the field of
    statutory interpretation. Using simple rules garnered from Congress
    itself, this Article argues that those rules are capable of
    transforming the field of statutory interpretation. Addressing
    canonical cases in the field, from Holy Trinity to Bock Laundry,
    from Weber to Public Citizen, this article shows how cases studied
    by vast numbers of law students are made substantially more
    manageable, and in some cases quite simple, through knowledge of
    congressional procedure. No longer need legislative history always
    be a search for one's friends.

    Call this a decision theory of statutory interpretation. This
    approach is based on how Congress does in fact make decisions and
    thus is a positive theory. Normatively, it has the advantage of
    privileging text without blinding judges either to relevant
    information or to their duty to implement Congress's decisions,
    including Congress's own decisionmaking methods. It may also have
    the side benefit of reducing legislative incentives to manipulate
    the rules or to engage in strategic behavior to induce particular
    statutory interpretations.

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Posted in legislation and legislatures 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=27>, statutory interpretation 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=21> | Comments Off


    "Campaign Finance Disclosure and the Information Tradeoff"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44181>

Posted on November 13, 2012 7:47 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44181> by Rick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Michael Gilbert has posted this draft 
<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2168343>on SSRN 
(forthcoming, /Iowa Law Review). /Here is the abstract:

    Campaign finance law is in shambles, and American politics, by many
    accounts, is dominated by wealthy, shadowy interests. Reformers have
    rested their hopes on disclosure -- mandated, public disclosure of
    what individuals, corporations, super PACs, and others spend on
    politics. Reformers argue, and the Supreme Court agrees, that
    disclosure provides valuable information to voters. Opponents, on
    the other hand, vilify disclosure for chilling speech and infringing
    speakers' First Amendment rights. Both positions -- disclosure
    informs voters, disclosure chills speech -- have become conventional
    wisdom.

    This paper challenges that wisdom. First, it shows that disclosure
    does not necessarily inform voters. Rather, it raises an information
    tradeoff. Revealing sources of speech provides voters with
    information, but disclosure can also chill speech, and that takes
    information away -- the information contained in the chilled speech.
    When the second effect outweighs the first, disclosure actually
    reduces voter information. Second, the paper argues that disclosure
    does not necessarily chill speech. It can thaw it. By providing
    potential speakers with information about the positions and
    credibility of candidates, disclosure can prompt actors to speak
    when they otherwise would not. When disclosure thaws speech, there
    is no information tradeoff. Voters gain information in two ways --
    source revelation, more speech acts -- and lose it in none. When
    disclosure thaws speech, it promotes exactly those First Amendment
    values it is thought to undermine.

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | 
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    "Election Academy Receives NSF Grant to Study Pollworkers' Effect on
    Election Security" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44178>

Posted on November 13, 2012 7:44 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44178> by Rick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Good news 
<http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cspg/electionacademy/2012/11/in_case_you_missed_it_election.php>for 
Doug Chapin, and for the country.

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Posted in election administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18> | 
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    With Ham Rove's Passing Colbert Shuts Down Super PAC
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44175>

Posted on November 13, 2012 7:42 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44175> by Rick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

The question not answered by this piece 
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2012/11/13/stephen-colbert-shuts-down-super-pac-2/>is 
what he's doing with the money he raised.  Colbert writes on the Super 
PAC'swebsite: <http://www.colbertsuperpac.com/> "Due to Ham Rove's 
timely passing, I am announcing that Colbert Super PAC is shutting down 
effective immediately. During this time of mourning, we ask that you 
respect our privacy, and more importantly, the privacy of our money. It 
wishes to stay out of the public eye, so please don't go trying to find 
it. Rest assured, you won't. We have a really good lawyer. "

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, 
election law "humor" <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=52> | Comments Off


    "Inside absentee, provisional ballot counting"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44172>

Posted on November 13, 2012 7:39 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44172> by Rick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

This article 
<http://www.berkeleyside.com/2012/11/12/the-inner-workings-of-absentee-provisional-ballot-counting/> 
appears in /Berkeleyside./

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Posted in election administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18> | 
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    Election Truthers.....Part II <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44169>

Posted on November 13, 2012 7:34 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44169> by Rick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

The following statement arrived via email:

    *Voter Fraud in Ohio!*

    *November 12th, 2:15 p.m., Medina, Ohio. The following is a
    statement from the Ohio Christian Alliance:*

    *In the six days following the November 6th Presidential Election,
    *reports are surfacing from eye witness testimony of our volunteers,
    poll workers, poll observers, and election officials, detailing a
    story of widespread voter fraud and in some instances election
    fraud. The Ohio Christian Alliance, working in cooperation with
    other nonprofit organizations and a pool of volunteer researchers,
    will be conducting a detailed investigation of these reports in the
    coming weeks. We will report to the media, the Ohio Legislature, and
    the Ohio Secretary of State's office and the Attorney General of the
    State of Ohio for possible prosecution of violators of election laws
    in response to our findings.

OCA President Chris Long made the following statement, "The integrity of 
the election process is one which the people of the State of Ohio hold 
in high regard. When that process is violated with voter and election 
fraud, it diminishes the vote of every properly registered voter in 
Ohio. It is imperative that these reports be given the full attention 
they deserve in answering the question -- Is our election process fair 
and is it secure from widespread voter fraud? The evidence that is 
mounting is undeniable that voter fraud took place this election in 
Ohio, and that not enough is being done to address the concerns of 
Ohioans in response to it. These initial reports demand a response of a 
full investigation from elected officials, the media, and the Attorney 
General's office so that the public's trust can be restored in the 
election process in Ohio that it is both fair and accurate."

###

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Posted in The Voting Wars <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | 
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    SCOTUS Nixes Nix <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44167>

Posted on November 13, 2012 7:32 am 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44167> by Rick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Not a big surprise: the Supreme Court, after agreeing to hear the 
/Shelby County /case last week raising the question of the Voting Rights 
Act section 5?s continuing constitutionality, denied cert. today 
<http://www.scotusblog.com/2012/11/one-voting-rights-case-denied/> in 
/Nix v. Holder/, raising similar issues.  There was a big mootness 
question hanging over the case (the DOJ belatedly granted preclearance 
in this case), so it was not as good a vehicle as /Shelby County/ to 
decide the constitutional question.  The facts of the /Nix/ case, 
however, were somewhat more compelling for plaintiffs than the /Shelby 
County/ case, and for this reason I think many opponents of section 5 
wanted Nix consolidated with /Shelby County./

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Posted in Supreme Court <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>, Voting 
Rights Act <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15> | Comments Off


    "Calif. election law creates competition, less predictability"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44164>

Posted on November 12, 2012 8:44 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44164> by Rick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

John Myers' video report 
<http://www.news10.net/video/default.aspx?bctid=1964472488001&odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cfeatured>.

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Posted in political parties <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25>, 
primaries <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=32>, redistricting 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6> | Comments Off


    "Arizona's Broken-on-Purpose Election Leaves Race Unresolved"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44160>

Posted on November 12, 2012 8:19 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44160> by Rick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Rachel Maddow segment. 
<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show#49798635>

Watch this.

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


    "Florida's election season chaos no joking matter"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44157>

Posted on November 12, 2012 8:08 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44157> by Rick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Orlando Sentinel editorial. 
<http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-ed-early-voting-chaos-111312-20121112,0,7162806.story>

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


    "Romney earned zero votes in some urban precincts"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44154>

Posted on November 12, 2012 2:42 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=44154> by Rick Hasen 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

CBS News reports 
<http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57548626/romney-earned-zero-votes-in-some-urban-precincts/>.

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Posted in campaigns <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>, The Voting 
Wars <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | 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
Now available: The Voting Wars: http://amzn.to/y22ZTv

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