[EL] ELB News and Commentary 5/4/17

Thu May 4 07:31:36 PDT 2017

Minnesota: “Republicans aim to erase campaign spending laws”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92370>
Posted on May 4, 2017 7:16 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92370> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
AP:<http://www.startribune.com/republicans-aim-to-erase-campaign-spending-laws/421194353/> “Republicans are moving to erase Minnesota’s public campaign subsidies, which could reshape the fundraising fight in next year’s gubernatorial election and unleash more money into statewide and local elections.”
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Posted in Uncategorized<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>

“‘I feel violated’: Senior citizens rattled by voter fraud in West Dallas, Grand Prairie”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92368>
Posted on May 4, 2017 7:14 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92368> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
The Dallas Morning News reports.<https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-county/2017/05/04/feel-violated-senior-citizens-rattled-voter-fraud-west-dallas-grand-prairie>
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Posted in absentee ballots<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=53>, chicanery<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12>, election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>

“The Emoluments Lawsuit: The United States’ Position and the Defense of President Trump”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92366>
Posted on May 4, 2017 7:13 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92366> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Bauer blogs.<http://www.moresoftmoneyhardlaw.com/2017/05/emoluments-lawsuit-united-states-position-defense-president-trump/>

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Posted in conflict of interest laws<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=20>

“The Morning Risk Report: An Easier Way to Track Corporate Political Spending”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92364>
Posted on May 4, 2017 7:09 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92364> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
WSJ:<https://blogs.wsj.com/riskandcompliance/2017/05/04/the-morning-risk-report-an-easier-way-to-track-corporate-political-spending/>
At the same time that shareholders are pushing for greater disclosure<https://blogs.wsj.com/riskandcompliance/2017/04/19/investors-to-seek-political-disclosure-in-u-s-proxy-season/> of corporate political spending, it is getting easier to follow the money.
The Center for Political Accountability, a non-profit organization that tracks disclosures of corporate political spending, launched a new search too<http://www.trackyourcompany.org/>l that allows users to drill down into its database and download information on corporate contributions to candidates and parties, trade associations, ballot measures and other direct or indirect payments. The data is collated from S&P 500 companies’ voluntary disclosures posted on their websites, and users can sort it variously, including by company, type of contribution, sector or state. The freely available database builds on the organization’s CPA-Zicklin Index<http://politicalaccountability.net/index>, which was started in 2011 by CPA and the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and ranks companies according to how transparent they are about political spending. “We wanted to create a one-stop-shop” for those interested in tracking this type of spending, said Bruce Freed, president of the CPA. The organization also helps design resolutions for shareholders to put to companies, and it also offers model policies for boards to implement best practices in political spending.
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Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>

“Google + GIS maps help shed light on gerrymandering”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92360>
Posted on May 3, 2017 4:19 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92360> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
The following is a guest post from Joseph Elfelt:
Google + GIS maps help shed light on gerrymandering
Like so many others, last year’s election caused me to wonder how I could best volunteer some time toward civic improvement.  Somehow I got to reading articles on gerrymandering and reviewing various online state and federal district maps.  It quickly became apparent that there was a need for high quality online state and federal district maps that worked well on any device and had a consistent look and feel.
Fortunately I happen to be a software developer in the field of online maps.  And I had a running start on this project since several years ago I launched an enhanced Google map viewer called Gmap4.  So early this year I took on the task of adding features to Gmap4 so anyone can easily display high quality state legislature or congressional district maps.  Recently that work went ‘live’.
There are two ways to see the maps.  Below are a few examples.  For more information please open any of these maps and then click “Map Tips” in the upper left corner.
Method #1 – Parameters in the link
Display Wisconsin state house districts:
https://mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?t=m&state=WI,house
Display Virginia state senate districts with #28 highlighted:
https://mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?t=m&state=VA,senate,28
Display North Carolina congressional districts:
https://mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?t=m&congress=NC
Display Maryland congressional districts and highlight #6:
https://mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?t=h&congress=MD,6

Method #2 – Basemap button
1. Open Gmap4. https://mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?t=m
2. Click or tap the basemap button (next to the “Menu” button).
3. Look under the “Overlay” heading. Mobile users need to scroll down.
4. Select “State_legislature_districts” or “Congress_house_districts”.
Click a district and a popup will appear with information about the person(s) elected to represent that district.
Among other things, the “Map Tips” show how to turn geolocation on and how to search on an address.
One of the next things I plan to do is to update the congress maps so they have the same look-and-feel as the state maps.
Got questions?  The “Map Tips” include a link to my contact page.
Joseph Elfelt
Redmond, WA
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Posted in Uncategorized<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>

Indiana: “Common Cause, NAACP sue over Marion County early voting”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92358>
Posted on May 3, 2017 4:17 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92358> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Indiana Lawyer:<http://www.theindianalawyer.com/common-cause-naacp-sue-over-marion-county-early-voting/PARAMS/article/43598>
Marion County’s single location for early voting provides unequal access to the ballot, argues a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday by Common Cause and the NAACP. Plaintiffs in the case allege Indianapolis’ sole early voting precinct is discriminatory and constitutes voter suppression.
The suit takes aim at the system in which one of the three unelected members of the Marion County Election Board, most recently Republican Party member Maura Hoff, has vetoed multiple early voting locations in the state’s most populous county. The result has been sometimes-long lines at the sole location for early voting, the Marion County Clerk’s office in the Indianapolis City-County Building….
“What we’re dealing with here is both a fundamental constitutional right to vote as well as a statutory right to participate in the early voting exercise on the same terms that are available to voters in counties other than Marion County, where we’ve consistently been restricted to one location, even though we’re by far the largest in population,” said lead plaintiff’s attorney Bill Groth.
Groth filed the complaint<http://media.ibj.com/Lawyer/websites/opinions/index.php?pdf=2017/may/early-voting.pdf> that’s before Senior Judge Sarah Evans Barker in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. The suit alleges 14th Amendment equal protection and due process violations, violations of the Voting Rights Act, and a violation of the Indiana Constitution’s provision under Article 2, Section 1 that “elections shall be free and equal.
Blog readers might recall that Groth litigated the Crawford voter id litigation before Judge Barker as well.
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Posted in election administration<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>

“Rep. Sewell Reports on Voting Rights in State of Black America”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92356>
Posted on May 3, 2017 4:12 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92356> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Release:<https://sewell.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-sewell-reports-voting-rights-state-black-america>
Today, the National Urban League released the 2017 edition of its annual State of Black America report. This year’s report, “Protect Our Progress,” examines the state of job creation, living wages, voting rights, criminal justice reform, education, health care, financial literacy, and threats to progress in those areas. Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) authored the voting rights section of the report.
Read Rep. Sewell’s Voting Rights Report in the 2017 State of Black America.<http://soba.iamempowered.com/node/261>

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Posted in The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>

“Trump Is Expected to Relax Tax Rules on Churches Taking Part in Politics”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92354>
Posted on May 3, 2017 2:00 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92354> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
NYT:<https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/03/us/politics/trump-religion-executive-order-gay-rights.html?action=Click&contentCollection=BreakingNews&contentID=65245550&pgtype=Homepage&_r=0>
President Trump plans to mark National Day of Prayer on Thursday by issuing an executive order that makes it easier for churches and other religious groups to actively participate in politics without risking their tax-exempt status, several administration officials said.
Taking action as he hosts conservative religious leaders Thursday morning, Mr. Trump’s executive order would attempt to overcome a provision in the federal tax code that prohibits religious organizations like churches from directly opposing or supporting political candidates….
It is unclear exactly how the executive order will get around the tax code provision, since eliminating it would require legislation by Congress.
But faith leaders who have had discussions with White House officials about the issue said Mr. Trump could direct the Internal Revenue Service not to actively investigate or pursue cases of political activism by members of the clergy.
Such a directive might be quickly challenged in court. But in the meantime, pastors could feel freer to actively participate in coming elections without fear of being investigated and having their tax-exempt status revoked by the federal government.
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Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, tax law and election law<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=22>

“Trump Gets a Win He Wasn’t Counting On: He Saved the Filibuster”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92352>
Posted on May 3, 2017 7:52 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92352> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
NYT:<https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/03/us/politics/trump-filibuster.html?ref=politics&_r=0>
President Trump may have lost the spending fight, but he can celebrate at least one significant congressional accomplishment this week: He single-handedly saved the Senate filibuster<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/filibusters_and_debate_curbs/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier>.
By demanding in two Twitter posts<https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/859392449181093888> on Tuesday morning that the Senate change one of its signature legislative rules, Mr. Trump created an uncharacteristic cause for bipartisan unity. Senators in both parties rushed on Tuesday to categorically embrace the filibuster and profess that it would remain untouched.
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Posted in legislation and legislatures<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=27>

“Noncitizens Will Soon Be Able To Vote In San Francisco — For School Board”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92350>
Posted on May 3, 2017 7:50 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92350> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
NPR reports.<http://www.npr.org/2017/05/03/526703128/non-citizens-will-soon-be-able-to-vote-in-san-francisco-for-school-board>
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Posted in Uncategorized<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>

--
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
rhasen at law.uci.edu<mailto:rhasen at law.uci.edu>
http://www.law.uci.edu/faculty/full-time/hasen/
http://electionlawblog.org<http://electionlawblog.org/>
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