[EL] ELB News and Commentary 5/18/17

Wed May 17 21:31:25 PDT 2017

“Trump’s commission on voter fraud is, well, fraudulent”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92600>
Posted on May 17, 2017 9:22 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92600> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
WaPo editorial.<https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-commission-on-voter-fraud-is-well-fraudulent/2017/05/17/e6ffc564-39ae-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html?utm_term=.d07fc1e359f7>
[hare]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D92600&title=%E2%80%9CTrump%E2%80%99s%20commission%20on%20voter%20fraud%20is%2C%20well%2C%20fraudulent%E2%80%9D>
Posted in fraudulent fraud squad<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=8>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>

“Nearly Half of Recent Campaign Money From Undisclosed Sources”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92598>
Posted on May 17, 2017 6:47 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92598> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Bloomberg BNA:<http://news.bna.com/mpdm/MPDMWB/split_display.adp?fedfid=111939600&vname=mpebulallissues&jd=a0m4v0k7j3&split=0>
Undisclosed donors provided nearly half of the more than $20 million in outside campaign spending in three closely watched, current congressional election races, a Bloomberg BNA review of Federal Election Commission reports found.
Bloomberg BNA looked at FEC independent expenditure reports filed in the special election campaigns for U.S. House seats for Georgia, Montana and South Carolina. These races, for seats vacated by Republican lawmakers who joined President Donald Trump’s administration, are being treated by both Republicans and Democrats as important bellwethers reflecting the mood of the electorate following Trump’s first months in office and have drawn record campaign spending.
Of a total $20.7 million, so far, in independent expenditures of $50,000 or more in the three House races, just under $4 million—nearly 20 percent—is from trade associations and nonprofit groups that disclose none of their donors.
This direct spending by non-disclosing nonprofits is only part of the story, however. Much of the rest of the outside campaign spending has come from super political action committees receiving large contributions from nonprofits or other entities that keep their original donors under wraps.
[hare]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D92598&title=%E2%80%9CNearly%20Half%20of%20Recent%20Campaign%20Money%20From%20Undisclosed%20Sources%E2%80%9D>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, campaigns<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>, tax law and election law<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=22>

“FSFP Releases Part II of Report On The SpeechNow Case and the Real World of Campaign Finance”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92595>
Posted on May 17, 2017 1:23 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92595> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Post:<https://freespeechforpeople.org/part-2-speechnow-real-world-campaign-finance/>
“Part II: Undermining Federal Limits on Contributions to Political Parties<https://freespeechforpeople.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Research-Report-2017_01.pdf>“, explores the top 100 donors to six official national party committees (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee, Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee) and then compares how much money those same donors gave to “unofficial” super PACs in the 2012 and 2014 elections.
In the present study, I examine the same universe of top outside money donors to the 2012 and 2014 elections. The analysis focuses on donors who contributed to national party committees in a particular cycle while simultaneously donating to independent, party-linked Super PACs in the same elections. It turns out that a considerable proportion of top individual and organizational donors to independent groups – approximately 40 to nearly 50% – followed a two-track policy of making legally limited 1 Available for download from https://freespeechforpeople.org/research-reports/. 2 contributions to party committees while also providing massive funds to party-linked Super PACs for the same elections.
[https://freespeechforpeople.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Research-Report-2017_01-Cover-771x998.png]<https://freespeechforpeople.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Research-Report-2017_01.pdf>
Weissman’s report found that most of the top donors to “official” national party committees also gave significant amounts to “unofficial”, party-linked super PACs. This is an important distinction because there are federal limits on how much a donor can give to an official party committee per year, but following the SpeechNow ruling, there are no set limits on contributions to party-linked super PACs.
[hare]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D92595&title=%E2%80%9CFSFP%20Releases%20Part%20II%20of%20Report%20On%20The%20SpeechNow%20Case%20and%20the%20Real%20World%20of%20Campaign%20Finance%E2%80%9D>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>

“I’m Just a Lie” from Jimmy Kimmel<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92591>
Posted on May 17, 2017 1:18 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92591> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
I’ll have to add this “I’m just a Bill” parody<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6LZ8G992pA&feature=youtu.be> to my collection<http://electionlawblog.org/?s=%22i%27m+just+a+bill%22&x=0&y=0> for my Legislation class.
Great stuff!
[hare]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D92591&title=%E2%80%9CI%E2%80%99m%20Just%20a%20Lie%E2%80%9D%20from%20Jimmy%20Kimmel>
Posted in election law "humor"<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=52>

“Reflections of a Voting Rights Litigator on the Sixtieth Anniversary of Martin Luther King’s ‘Give us the Ballot’ Speech”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92588>
Posted on May 17, 2017 1:09 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92588> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Bryan Sells writes.<http://www.bryansellslaw.com/news/2017/5/17/reflections-of-a-voting-rights-litigator-on-the-sixtieth-anniversary-of-martin-luther-kings-give-us-the-ballot-speech>
[hare]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D92588&title=%E2%80%9CReflections%20of%20a%20Voting%20Rights%20Litigator%20on%20the%20Sixtieth%20Anniversary%20of%20Martin%20Luther%20King%E2%80%99s%20%E2%80%98Give%20us%20the%20Ballot%E2%80%99%20Speech%E2%80%9>
Posted in Voting Rights Act<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=15>

Fresh Air Talks with Ari Berman on Trump’s “Voter Fraud” Commission<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92586>
Posted on May 17, 2017 1:05 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92586> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
LIsten.<http://www.npr.org/2017/05/17/528769195/trumps-election-integrity-commission-could-have-a-chilling-effect-on-voting-righ>
[hare]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D92586&title=Fresh%20Air%20Talks%20with%20Ari%20Berman%20on%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20%E2%80%9CVoter%20Fraud%E2%80%9D%20Commission>
Posted in The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>

24 Groups Oppose Judge Thapar’s Nomination to 6th Circuit Because of His Money in Politics Views<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92584>
Posted on May 17, 2017 1:04 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92584> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Release.<http://www.demos.org/press-release/24-groups-write-letter-opposing-judge-thapar%E2%80%99s-confirmation-us-court-appeals-sixth-cir> [corrected spelling in my heading]
[hare]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D92584&title=24%20Groups%20Oppose%20Judge%20Thapar%E2%80%99s%20Nomination%20to%206th%20Circuit%20Because%20of%20His%20Money%20in%20Politics%20Views>
Posted in campaign finance<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>

“If You Care About the Right to Vote, Here Are Six Things You Need to Know About Kris Kobach”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92582>
Posted on May 17, 2017 1:02 pm<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92582> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
ACLU blog.<https://www.aclu.org/blog/speak-freely/if-you-care-about-right-vote-here-are-six-things-you-need-know-about-kris-kobach>
[hare]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D92582&title=%E2%80%9CIf%20You%20Care%20About%20the%20Right%20to%20Vote%2C%20Here%20Are%20Six%20Things%20You%20Need%20to%20Know%20About%20Kris%20Kobach%E2%80%9D>
Posted in The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>

“5 Points On What Trump’s Bogus Elections Commission Is Really About”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92580>
Posted on May 17, 2017 9:08 am<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=92580> by Rick Hasen<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
Tierney Sneed<http://talkingpointsmemo.com/fivepoints/voter-fraud-trump-commission-decoder> for TPM.
[hare]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D92580&title=%E2%80%9C5%20Points%20On%20What%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20Bogus%20Elections%20Commission%20Is%20Really%20About%E2%80%9D>
Posted in chicanery<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12>, The Voting Wars<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60>

--
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<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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