[EL] ELB News and Commentary 12/2/13
Rick Hasen
rhasen at law.uci.edu
Sun Dec 1 22:25:26 PST 2013
"New IRS rules add both clarity and confusion about the role of
advocacy groups in politics" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57063>
Posted on December 1, 2013 10:23 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57063>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Important WaPo report.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/new-irs-rules-add-both-clarity-and-confusion-about-the-role-of-advocacy-groups-in-politics/2013/11/28/19e76286-5784-11e3-835d-e7173847c7cc_story.html>
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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, tax law
and election law <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=22>
"Bipartisan group finds bridges hard to build"
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57061>
Posted on December 1, 2013 10:16 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57061>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Boston Globe:
<http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2013/12/01/bringing-partisan-warriors-together-starts-with-basics-akin-sixth-grade-dance/zTeq0xImud9OQHS3zcpTYM/story.html>"No
Labels has been unable to advance, in any meaningful way, a single item
from its relatively modest list of goals. Critics dismiss it as window
dressing, with some congressional staffers comparing it to a high school
civics project and going as far as drafting memos to their bosses urging
them not to join."
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Posted in political polarization <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=68>
NYT Ed Board Looks Forward to Judge Posner's Potential Review of
Wisconsin Voter ID Law <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57059>
Posted on December 1, 2013 10:13 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57059>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
See this editorial.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/01/opinion/sunday/voter-id-gets-another-day-in-court.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss>
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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>
"Decades of poverty and vote-buying led to widespread corruption in
Clay County" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57057>
Posted on December 1, 2013 10:11 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57057>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Deep dive
<http://electionlawblog.org/Decades%20of%20poverty%20and%20vote-buying%20led%20to%20widespread%20corruption%20in%20Clay%20County%20%20Read%20more%20here:%20http://www.kentucky.com/2013/11/30/2963131/decades-of-poverty-and-vote-buying.html#storylink=cpy>from
the /Lexington Herald-Leader./
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Posted in chicanery <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12>, vote buying
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=43>
"SEC drops disclosure of corporate political spending from its
priority list" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57055>
Posted on December 1, 2013 10:09 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57055>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
WaPo
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/sec-drops-disclosure-of-corporate-political-spending-from-its-priority-list/2013/11/30/f2e92166-5a07-11e3-8304-caf30787c0a9_print.html>:
Missing from the Security and Exchange Commission's list of
regulatory priorities for the coming year is any plan to consider
whether public companies should disclose their political spending
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/companies-beefing-up-their-political-spending-disclosures/2013/09/24/3531a21c-252b-11e3-b3e9-d97fb087acd6_story.html>,
a setback for investor advocates who rallied behind the cause.
Last year around this time, when the SEC released its 2013 to-do
list, it signaled that it might consider formally proposing a rule
to require the spending disclosures. But the item slipped off the
2014 agenda released this past week without any formal explanation.
And here's the WSJ ed board
<http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304017204579228462943326716?mod=ITP_opinion_2>on
a possible SEC turnabout.
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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>
"Soldiers will be able to vote overseas; S.D. among first to use
technology to enable voting while deployed"
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57053>
Posted on December 1, 2013 10:06 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57053>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Argus Leader
<http://www.argusleader.com/article/20131130/NEWS/311300019/Soldiers-will-able-vote-overseas?gcheck=1>:
Absentee voting proved so cumbersome for Maj. Anthony Deiss when the
Army National Guardsman was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 that he
admits he "didn't take advantage of it."
But that was then. Now thanks to technological advancements that
will be unveiled Monday by Secretary of State Jason Gant, South
Dakota service members stationed overseas are going to have a new
online option for absentee voting.
And Deiss, for one, is all for it.
Not everyone is happy. A longtime reader emails:
Many questions can be raised about this internet voting initiative.
-- is the military CAC card only used for
identification/authentication of the voter?
-- Are any DoD servers used in this initiative? If so, in what
manner? Are DoD servers being used for transmitting voted ballots,
and if so, what privacy and security for secret ballots hidden from
the employer (DoD) are provided?
-- Has any independent security assessment (e.g., of the type and
strength of any encryption used) been conducted, and have the
results been published before placing real votes in this voting system?
-- Is any proprietary IV Sw used in the project? If so, what company?
-- Was it initiated by the South Dakota SoS or by FVAP/DoD?
-- Has any Federal funding/DoD/FVAP grant $ been used in the project?
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Posted in election administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>,
military voting <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=48>, voting technology
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=40>
"Long Division: Measuring the polarization of American politics."
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57051>
Posted on December 1, 2013 10:02 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57051>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Jill Lepore
<http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2013/12/02/131202crat_atlarge_lepore>
in the /New Yorker/:
The study of government, like the government itself, is in a tight
spot. In 2009, during a vote on a House appropriations bill, Tom
Coburn, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, tried to abolish the
National Science Foundation's Political Science Program, which
supports academic research in "citizenship, government, and
politics." The motion was tabled after the American Political
Science Association staged a same-day e-mail campaign to oppose it.
Last year, the measure met with success in the House; House members
who have few qualms about closing the Centers for Disease Control
are not, generally speaking, daunted by the prospect of stifling the
pursuit of social science. And, earlier this year, when Coburn
re-introduced his amendment in the Senate, it passed with no more
quibbling than the addition of a proviso that /some/ political
science could be funded: research whose purpose is "promoting
national security or the economic interests of the United States."
The President signed the bill into law in March.
The movement to defund political science stems from the belief that
the National Science Foundation has no business funding political
science, because political science is all politics and no
science---except when it advances national security or boosts the
American economy, in which case it is, naturally, apolitical and
scientific. The political and unscientific stuff is the study of,
for instance, gridlock. According to Coburn, one reason the federal
government should not pay for political-science research is that
"studies of presidential executive power and Americans' attitudes
about the Senate filibuster hold little promise to save an
American's life from a threatening condition or to advance America's
competitiveness in the world"---a statement that is difficult to
square with the damage done to the U.S. economy by the ongoing
budgetary brinkmanship. . .
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Posted in election law biz <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=51>,
political parties <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25>, political
polarization <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=68>
"Rethinking Congress: A revolutionary plan to make it more
responsive" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57049>
Posted on December 1, 2013 9:59 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57049>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Rob Richie and Devin McCarthy oped.
<http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_24597794/rethinking-congress-revolutionary-plan-make-it-more-responsive>
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Posted in alternative voting systems
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=63>, political parties
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25>, political polarization
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=68>
"Racially polarized voting in ballot measure going to
winner-take-all in Pasadena, Texa"
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57047>
Posted on December 1, 2013 9:57 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57047>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Pretty dramatic data on Anglo v. Hispanic support for controversial
measure
<http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/2013/11/an-analysis-of-voter-support-for-city-of-pasadena-proposition-1-november-2013/?cmpid=houtalkshcat>:
percent voting age hispanic
<http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/files/2013/11/percent-voting-age-hispanic1.png>
percent voting age anglo
<http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/files/2013/11/percent-voting-age-anglo3.png>
/Table 1. Percent vote cast for City of Pasadena Proposition 1 by
percent of voting age population Anglo and Hispanic/
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Posted in Voting Rights Act <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15>
"Arizona's Campaign Finance Limits Remain Unclear as Election
Approaches" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57043>
Posted on December 1, 2013 9:53 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57043>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Sarah Gonski has written this analysis
<http://www.arizonalawreview.org/2013/syllabus/arizonas-campaign-finance-limits-remain-unclear-as-election-approaches>at
the online companion to the /Arizona Law Review /about a case the
Arizona Supreme Court just decided to review.
*CLEAN ELECTIONS et al v HON. BRAIN/BENNETT et al*
Arizona Supreme Court No. CV-13-0341-PR
Oral Argument scheduled for 12/17/2013
Case Summary not yet available
Petition for Review granted on 11/26/2013
Opinion
<http://azcourts.gov/Portals/0/OpinionFiles/Div1/2013/1CA-SA13-0239.docx.pdf>
issued by the Court of Appeals, Division One, No. 1CA-SA 13-0239
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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>
Happy Thanksgiving! <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57040>
Posted on November 27, 2013 12:36 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57040>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
A safe, peaceful, and happy holiday to all!
Regular blogging to resume Monday.
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Posted in Uncategorized <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>
Recall Elections Blog on the Colorado State Senate Resignation to
Avoid Recall <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57038>
Posted on November 27, 2013 12:29 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57038>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Here
<http://recallelections.blogspot.com/2013/11/colorado-state-senator-hudak-resigns.html>.
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Posted in recall elections <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=11>
"AFJ: Treasury, IRS Proposal Endangers Citizen Participation in
Democracy" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57036>
Posted on November 27, 2013 12:28 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57036>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
The Alliance for Justice issued this press release. <http://bit.ly/1aVIzql>
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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, tax law
and election law <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=22>
#VAAG: "Alexandria may have to recount ballots by hand"
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57034>
Posted on November 27, 2013 11:37 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57034>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Oy
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/alexandria-may-have-to-recount-ballots-by-hand/2013/11/27/46f8b76c-577e-11e3-835d-e7173847c7cc_story.html?Post+generic=%3Ftid%3Dsm_twitter_washingtonpost>.
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Posted in election administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>,
recounts <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=50>
"Poster Boy for Dysfunction: Redistricting and Citizens United in
the Texas 27th" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57032>
Posted on November 27, 2013 11:36 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57032>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Meredith McGehee blogs
<http://www.clcblog.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=540:poster-boy-for-dysfunction-redistricting-and-citizens-united-in-the-texas-27th>.
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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,
redistricting <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6>
"Exclusive: A look at the ATM for the country's most conservative
groups" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57030>
Posted on November 27, 2013 9:11 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57030>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Daily Caller
<http://dailycaller.com/2013/11/27/exclusive-a-look-at-the-atm-for-the-countrys-most-conservative-groups/?utm_content=buffer6f068&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer>:
"You may not have heard of the Center to Protect Patient Rights, but the
organization doled out millions to some of the country's most active
conservative groups in 2012, according to new tax documents provided to
The Daily Caller."
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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, tax law
and election law <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=22>
"Hudak will resign seat to end recall threat, hold Democrats' Senate
majority" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57028>
Posted on November 27, 2013 9:03 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57028>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Big news
<http://kdvr.com/2013/11/27/hudak-will-resign-seat-to-end-recall-threat-hold-democrats-senate-majority/>
from Colorado.
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Posted in recall elections <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=11>
"Private Association and Public Brand: The Dualistic Conception of
Political Parties in the Common Law World"
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57026>
Posted on November 27, 2013 8:35 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57026>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Graeme Orr has postedthis draft
<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2354809>on SSRN
((2014) Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy
'Political Parties, Partisanship and Political Theory,' Special Issue,
Forthcoming). Here is the abstract:
This paper examines the legal conception of political parties. It
does so by unearthing the history and ontology of the common law
relating to political parties, in international perspective. The
flexibility of the unincorporated association, in which parties are
understood through the private law of contract as networks of
internal rules or agreements, rather than as legal entities, has
proven to be a mask. In the common law's imagination, the ideal
party is a ground-up organisation animated by its membership. But
the law mandates no such thing, and in its statutory and
constitutional conception intra-party democracy is sublimated as
parties need be no more than an electoral persona or brand.
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Posted in political parties <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25>
"Sore Loser Laws and Congressional Polarization"
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57024>
Posted on November 27, 2013 8:34 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=57024>by Rick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Barry Burden, Bradley Jones, and Michael Kang have posted this draft
<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2354168> on SSRN
(forthcoming, /Legislative Studies Quarterly/). here is the abstract:
To enhance explanations for party polarization in the U.S. Congress,
we focus on an unappreciated legal structure known as the sore loser
law. By restricting candidates who lose partisan primaries from
subsequently appearing on the general election ballot as
independents or nominees of other parties, these laws give greater
control over ballot access to the party bases, thus producing more
extreme major party nominees. Using several different measures of
candidate and legislator ideology, we find that sore loser laws
account for as much as a tenth of the ideological distance between
the major parties.
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Posted in campaigns <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>, political
parties <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25>, political polarization
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=68>
--
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://www.law.uci.edu/faculty/full-time/hasen/
http://electionlawblog.org
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