[EL] ELB News and Commentary 11/4/15
Rick Hasen
rhasen at law.uci.edu
Wed Nov 4 07:07:47 PST 2015
“Some Supreme Doubts on Super-PACs”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77276>
Posted onNovember 4, 2015 7:05 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77276>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Frank Wilkinson
<http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-11-04/super-pacs-spoil-justice-kennedy-s-fantasy>for
Bloomberg View:
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy having second thoughts about
the campaign finance system he helped to create? The author of
Citizens United v. FECdefended
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77126>his handiwork before an
audience of Harvard Law School students last week. But his
confidence seemed shaken.
“In my own view, what happens with money in politics is not good,”
he said.
It’s hard to imagine what part of the system Kennedy believes is
working. It takes a lot of money to organize political campaigns and
communicate with tens of millions of voters. And the supply side of
campaign finance has simplyoverwhelmed
<http://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/koch-brothers-wealthy-donors-gop-2016-freedom-partners-seminar-california-120663>the
enforcement side.
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,Supreme
Court <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>
“Checks and Balance: Let the Sun Shine, Conservatives!”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77274>
Posted onNovember 4, 2015 7:04 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77274>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Eliza Newlin Carneybehind the CQ paywall
<https://library.cqpress.com/cqweekly/>(butsoon to be free
<https://twitter.com/ElizaRules/status/661214713162932224>! yay!):
In theory, a recent report that finds American companies are taking
steps to shed more light on their political spending should score a
conservative home run.
That’s because the stepped-up disclosures described in the report,
released last month by the watchdog group the Center for Political
Accountability, are entirely voluntary. Conservatives typically
champion self-regulation as preferable to government regulation. And
the Fortune 500 companies ramping up their disclosures — from
Prudential to JP Morgan Chase, Exelon and General Mills — are
mainstream corporate leaders often allied with the GOP.
But last month’s report, released in tandem with the Zicklin Center
for Business Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton
School, drew instant fire from the Center for Competitive Politics,
which promotes political deregulation. The CPA-Zicklin Index “is a
deceptive tool used to sell more and more companies on the idea of
corporate ‘transparency’ with the partisan goal of removing these
voices from the public policy debate altogether,” declared a center
blog post.
Bradley Smith, who heads the center and chaired the Federal Election
Commission in the George W. Bush administration, says the report
falsely asserts that corporate political activity poses reputational
and ethical risks. He assails what he calls the report’s “illiberal
purposes of attempting to silence political speech through
intimidation and harassment.”
But corporate executives say political disclosure is simply good
business practice. Some are responding to shareholders who have
petitioned to draw back the curtain on political activities. Others
describe political transparency as part of a broader culture of
corporate accountability that helps their companies’ bottom lines.
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>
“Attorney: Arizona voting maps don’t hurt GOP”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77272>
Posted onNovember 4, 2015 6:50 am
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77272>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Arizona Daily Star
<http://tucson.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/attorney-arizona-voting-maps-don-t-hurt-gop/article_c5b2181f-ee80-597b-acbc-7c6b3584e88f.html>:
A Republican claim of bias in the legislative redistricting process
does not stand up under scrutiny, according to an attorney for the
Independent Redistricting Commission.
In legal briefs filed at the U.S. Supreme Court, Mary O’Grady points
out that challengers to the maps drawn by the five-member commission
claim it purposely created unequal districts for partisan purposes.
They charge that the panel “packed” Republicans into some districts
in a deliberate effort to give Democrats an edge.
O’Grady said that was not the primary purpose, a conclusion backed
by the majority of a three-judge panel in a ruling last year. She
said the real aim was to protect minority voting strength as
required by the federal Voting Rights Act.
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Posted inredistricting <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6>,Supreme Court
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>,Voting Rights Act
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15>
“Maine, Seattle Voters Pass Money-In-Politics Reforms to Empower
Everyday People” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77270>
Posted onNovember 3, 2015 9:29 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77270>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Adam Smith writes
<http://everyvoice.org/press-release/maine-seattle-voters-pass-money-politics-reforms-empower-everyday-peopl>for
Every Voice.
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>
“Seattle liking ‘democracy vouchers’; An initiative to make Seattle
the first place in the country to try taxpayer-funded ‘democracy
vouchers’ is leading.” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77268>
Posted onNovember 3, 2015 8:45 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77268>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Winning by 20 points.
<http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/democracy-vouchers/>Wow.
I’ve been advocating campaign finance vouchers for20
<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1961263>years
<http://www.amazon.com/Plutocrats-United-Campaign-Distortion-Elections/dp/0300212453/ref=la_B0089NJCR2_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430416698&sr=1-7>.
It will be exciting to watch this in practice.
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Posted incampaign finance
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,Plutocrats United
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=104>
“Voters approve issue to reform Ohio’s redistricting process”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77266>
Posted onNovember 3, 2015 8:03 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77266>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Columbus Dispatch
<http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/public/2015/election/ohio-state-issue-1-redistricting.html>:
Voters overwhelmingly backed a plan to reform Ohio’s hyper-partisan
process for drawing legislative districts, and supporters are
already looking ahead to passing the same reforms for congressional
districts next year. …The current five-member redistricting panel,
which includes the governor, secretary of state, auditor and two
legislative appointees, will be expanded to seven members with two
additional legislative selections.
If at least two minority party members vote to approve the new maps,
they take effect for 10 years. If not, then the maps must be redrawn
again in four years.
Supporters say the issue also creates clearer rules for drawing
districts that will limit gerrymandering and give the Ohio Supreme
court clearer guidance if a map is challenged. It also says the
panel “shall attempt to draw” a map that does not primarily favor a
political party, and corresponds closely to the statewide
preferences of voters.
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Posted inredistricting <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6>
“Dems win all 3 open seats on Pennsylvania Supreme Court, lock in
majority for a decade” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77264>
Posted onNovember 3, 2015 7:59 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77264>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
AP
<http://www.tribtown.com/view/story/ff7fea2c34334d8e856ed42a992092a7/PA--Judicial-Races>:
“Democrats have won all three open seats on Pennsylvania’s Supreme
Court. The victory secures them a majority on the high court for at
least a decade, after a campaign that drew a record $11.5 million in
contributions.”
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,judicial
elections <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=19>
“Mainers bolster clean election law”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77262>
Posted onNovember 3, 2015 7:55 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77262>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
AP
<http://www.wgme.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/mainers-bolster-clean-election-law-29833.shtml#.VjmBo67nugQ>:
Mainers have approved changes aimed at bolstering the state’s
campaign finance rules and clean election law.
The proposal will make more money available to qualifying
candidates, increase fines for violators of the campaign finance
laws and require groups to disclose some donors on political ads,
the group has said.
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,campaigns
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>
“Judge: State can’t force political parties to hold open primaries”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77260>
Posted onNovember 3, 2015 6:45 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77260>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
News from Utah.
<http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=37220905&nid=757&title=judge-state-cant-force-political-parties-to-hold-open-primaries&s_cid=queue-3>
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Posted inpolitical parties
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25>,primaries
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=32>
WI: “Senate GOP reaches deal on campaign finance, elections
oversight” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77258>
Posted onNovember 3, 2015 6:20 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77258>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
<http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/senate-gop-reaches-deal-on-campaign-finance-elections-oversight-b99609416z1-340002181.html>:
Making an apparent breakthrough, Republicans in the state Senate
plan to modify legislation Friday that would overhaul campaign
finance laws and the agency that runs elections.
That sets the stage for the measures to get to GOP Gov. Scott Walker
by next week.
One Republican lawmaker who has been briefed on the changes said one
would require a new ethics commission to include two former judges.
Myranda Tanck, a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Scott
Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), on Tuesday announced the plans to meet
Friday, but declined to say what changes to the legislation could be
in store. She said details may not be available until Thursday, a
day before the Senate is to vote.
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Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>,election
administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>,The Voting Wars
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>
Shelby County Case Could Be Heading Back to SCOTUS
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77254>
Posted onNovember 3, 2015 6:17 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77254>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
On attorneys fees issue. Read thecert. petition
<http://electionlawblog.org/wp-content/uploads/shelby-lynch.pdf>. Here
is my earlier coverage from theChutzpah Dept
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=75763>.
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Posted inSupreme Court <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29>,Voting
Rights Act <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15>
“Kris Kobach dismisses criticism over appearance discussing
immigration policy” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77252>
Posted onNovember 3, 2015 5:04 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=77252>byRick Hasen
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Bryan Lowry:
<http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/article42738360.html>
Secretary of State Kris Kobach brushed off any controversy
surrounding his appearance at an immigration policy conference last
month.
Kobach attended the annual Writers Workshop held by the Social
Contract Press in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 25. The group is
considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which
criticized Kobach’s presence at the eventin a post
<https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2015/11/02/what%E2%80%99s-matter-kansas%E2%80%99-kris-kobach>.
In a phone call Tuesday afternoon, Kobach described the Social
Contract Press as “a think tank for pro-enforcement immigration
policies.” He said he discussed President Obama’s recent executive
order on immigration, which halted millions of deportations, and the
lawsuit brought against the Obama administration by agents for U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, for which he is an attorney.
Kobach’s attendance was highlighted by national news websites,
includingSalon
<http://www.salon.com/2015/11/03/kris_kobach_just_got_busted_leader_of_gops_voter_suppression_crusade_spoke_before_white_nationalist_group/>andTalking
Points
Memo,<http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/kris-kobach-social-contract-press>after
the Southern Poverty Law Center and other groups raised concerns.
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Posted inchicanery <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12>
--
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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