[EL] ELB News & Commentary 10/5/17
Justin Levitt
levittj at lls.edu
Fri Oct 6 00:22:00 PDT 2017
Please remember: send the tips and the hate mail to Justin
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95231>
Posted onOctober 5, 2017 7:02 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95231>byJustin Levitt
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>
Hi, everybody. Justin here, with the keys to the blog for just a few
days. Please dosend me news
<http://www.lls.edu/faculty/facultylistl-r/levittjustin/>, if you’ve got
it. And please don’t blame Rick for what happens next.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D95231&title=Please%20remember%3A%20send%20the%20tips%20and%20the%20hate%20mail%20to%20Justin>
Posted inUncategorized <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>
IRS Audit Report on Criteria to Identify Tax-Exempt Applications for
Review <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95263>
Posted onOctober 5, 2017 7:18 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95263>byJustin Levitt
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has another audit
report released today, on the IRS screening of nonprofits for further
scrutiny based on their names or perceived policies. (TIGTA also
emphasizes
<https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/press/press_tigta-2017-25.htm> that that
IRS policy is no longer in effect.)
Thereport is here
<https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/auditreports/2017reports/201710054fr.pdf>;highlights
are here
<https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/auditreports/2017reports/201710054_oa_highlights.html>;
the TIGTApress release is here
<https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/press/press_tigta-2017-25.htm>.
There was anearlier report in 2013
<https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/auditreports/2013reports/201310053fr.pdf>,
examining IRS activity in 2010-2012, and held up as evidence that the
IRS was targeting conservative organizations. The latest report has a
wider sweep, from 2004-2013. The WaPo headline: “Liberal groups got IRS
scrutiny, too, inspector general suggests
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/liberal-groups-got-irs-scrutiny-too-inspector-general-finds/2017/10/04/e9b6e3c4-a929-11e7-850e-2bdd1236be5d_story.html?utm_term=.cbfc8e592962>.”
Public Citizen
<https://www.citizen.org/media/press-releases/irs%E2%80%99-targeting-liberal-groups-shows-further-need-enact-bright-line-rules>thinks
this is further reason to support theirBright Lines Project
<http://www.brightlinesproject.org/>.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D95263&title=IRS%20Audit%20Report%20on%20Criteria%20to%20Identify%20Tax-Exempt%20Applications%20for%20Review>
Posted intax law and election law <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=22>
“Candidate, Party Fundraising Skyrockets in Latest FEC Summary”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95260>
Posted onOctober 5, 2017 7:16 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95260>byJustin Levitt
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>
BNA
<http://news.bna.com/mpdm/MPDMWB/split_display.adp?fedfid=121766526&vname=mpebulallissues&split=0>:
fundraising by parties and congressional candidates reached a record
high in the first six months of the 2018 federal election cycle. The
article is behind a (ahem) paywall.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D95260&title=%E2%80%9CCandidate%2C%20Party%20Fundraising%20Skyrockets%20in%20Latest%20FEC%20Summary%E2%80%9D>
Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>
St. Petersburg Limits Contributions to Super PACs, Spending by
Corporations with Some Foreign Ownership
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95258>
Posted onOctober 5, 2017 7:15 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95258>byJustin Levitt
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>
Coverage by theTampa Bay Times
<http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/baybuzz/is-the-sunshine-city-headed-to-the-us-supreme-court-st-pete-passes/2340023>.
The new provision appears to bepremised on the notion
<https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3015462>that even
if Super PACs can spend unlimited amounts, that doesn’t automatically
imply that contributions_to_Super PACs have to be unlimited.
I’vewritten <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=53982>on the distinction
between contributions and expenditures before – they serve different
values, and at least ostensibly, are viewed with different levels of
scrutiny. But recent SCOTUS cases have chipped away at the
distinction. And the Tampa Bay Times headline asks, not improbably,
“Is the Sunshine City headed to the U.S. Supreme Court?”
Litigation over this provision is going to be/very/interesting to watch.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D95258&title=St.%20Petersburg%20Limits%20Contributions%20to%20Super%20PACs%2C%20Spending%20by%20Corporations%20with%20Some%20Foreign%20Ownership>
Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>
Questions about contributions from Trump’s lawyer to Manhattan DA
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95255>
Posted onOctober 5, 2017 7:14 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95255>byJustin Levitt
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>
A sizable story inthe New Yorker
<https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-ivanka-trump-and-donald-trump-jr-avoided-a-criminal-indictment>:
. . . Kasowitz, who by then had been the elder Donald Trump’s
attorney for a decade, is primarily a civil litigator, with little
experience in criminal matters. But, in 2012, Kasowitz donated
twenty-five thousand dollars to the reëlection campaign of the
Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus Vance, Jr., making Kasowitz one
of Vance’s largest donors. Kasowitz decided to bypass the
lower-level prosecutors and went directly to Vance to ask that the
investigation be dropped.
. . . Ultimately, Vance overruled his own prosecutors. Three months
after the meeting, he told them to drop the case. . . .
Just before the 2012 meeting, Vance’s campaign had returned
Kasowitz’s twenty-five-thousand-dollar contribution, in keeping with
what Vance describes as standard practice when a donor has a case
before his office. Kasowitz “had no influence, and his contributions
had no influence whatsoever on my decision-making in the case,”
Vance said.
But, less than six months after the D.A.’s office dropped the case,
Kasowitz made an even larger donation to Vance’s campaign, and
helped raise more from others—eventually, a total of more than fifty
thousand dollars. After being asked about these donations as part of
the reporting for this article—more than four years after the
fact—Vance said he now plans to give back Kasowitz’s second
contribution, too. “I don’t want the money to be a millstone around
anybody’s neck, including the office’s,” he said.
And the other shoe: that latter donationhas now apparently been returned
<http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/manhattan-da-vance-back-31g-donation-trump-lawyer-article-1.3540956>.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D95255&title=Questions%20about%20contributions%20from%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20lawyer%20to%20Manhattan%20DA>
Posted inbribery <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=54>,campaign finance
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>
Brazil sets up significant public campaign finance fund
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95253>
Posted onOctober 5, 2017 7:13 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95253>byJustin Levitt
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>
Reuters
<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-politics-reform/brazils-congress-sets-up-fund-to-cover-lack-of-campaign-finance-idUSKBN1CA04U>has
the report.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D95253&title=Brazil%20sets%20up%20significant%20public%20campaign%20finance%20fund>
Posted incampaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>
The partisan political impact of automatic voter registration
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95251>
Posted onOctober 5, 2017 7:13 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95251>byJustin Levitt
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>
/Governing
<http://www.governing.com/topics/politics/gov-automatic-voter-registration-illinois-states.html>/explores
how the impact may be surprising.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D95251&title=The%20partisan%20political%20impact%20of%20automatic%20voter%20registration>
Posted invoter registration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=37>
Continuing reaction to the Gill v. Whitford argument
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95249>
Posted onOctober 5, 2017 7:12 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95249>byJustin Levitt
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>
Dave Daley in theNew Yorker
<https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/who-will-justice-kennedy-believe-when-it-comes-to-gerrymandering>.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D95249&title=Continuing%20reaction%20to%20the%20Gill%20v.%20Whitford%20argument>
Posted inredistricting <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6>
More changes coming for North Carolina judicial elections
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95247>
Posted onOctober 5, 2017 7:11 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95247>byJustin Levitt
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>
Now looks like 2018 primaries may be going away
<http://www.wral.com/lawmakers-plan-to-cancel-2018-judicial-primaries/16994979/>,
and the filing date for races may be pushed back … which allows more
time for a pending redistricting bill.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D95247&title=More%20changes%20coming%20for%20North%20Carolina%20judicial%20elections>
Posted injudicial elections <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=19>
“The ‘unique’ nature of the US voting system could help Russia tip
the scales of future elections, experts say”
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95245>
Posted onOctober 5, 2017 7:11 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95245>byJustin Levitt
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>
The Electoral College meets Russia meets theBusiness Insider
<http://www.businessinsider.com/did-russia-swing-the-election-electoral-college-meddling-2017-10>.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D95245&title=%E2%80%9CThe%20%E2%80%98unique%E2%80%99%20nature%20of%20the%20US%20voting%20system%20could%20help%20Russia%20tip%20the%20scales%20of%20future%20elections%2C%20experts%20say%E2%80%9D>
Posted inchicanery <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12>
“Field hearing” on Native voting rights in the Great Lakes region
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95242>
Posted onOctober 5, 2017 7:10 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95242>byJustin Levitt
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>
Coming up October 16
<http://electionlawblog.org/wp-content/uploads/Great-Lakes-Voting-Rights-Hearing_Oct-2017-2.pdf>.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D95242&title=%E2%80%9CField%20hearing%E2%80%9D%20on%20Native%20voting%20rights%20in%20the%20Great%20Lakes%20region>
Posted inelection administration
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>,Uncategorized
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>
Comparing registered voters and CVAP
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95240>
Posted onOctober 5, 2017 7:09 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95240>byJustin Levitt
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>
There have been a number of stories recently about litigation (there are
afew pending cases
<http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/07/these-three-lawyers-are-quietly-purging-voter-rolls-across-the-country/>),
or threats of litigation, premised on the notion that fraud or
mismanagement must account for discrepancies between the number of
entries on registration rolls and Census estimates of citizen
population. There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical about such
claims: even apart from the fact that the measures cover different time
periods, involve comparisons of survey estimates to individual counts,
and are often inflated by pending entries slated for impending deletion,
the measures fundamentally involve apples and oranges. Census depends
on usual physical presence and registration (usually) depends on
domicile. Those are often, but not always, the same. Members of the
military stationed domestically, for example, are counted by the Census
where they are stationed, which may or may not be their voting
residence: those still domiciled “back home” are often validly
registered there even if they’re counted elsewhere by the Census.
PILF recently issued another in a series of letters claiming
mismanagement of 248counties’ voter rolls
<https://publicinterestlegal.org/blog/248-counties-registered-voters-live-adults/>based
on comparisons like this; the claims have drawn extra attention recently
because the organization’s President and General Counsel is also a
member of Sec. Kobach’s Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.
Yesterday, Politifactbestowed a “false” rating
<http://www.politifact.com/georgia/statements/2017/oct/04/public-interest-legal-foundation/anti-vote-fraud-group-levels-false-charge-corrupte/>on
a PILF claim about the voter rolls in one Georgia county. And Talking
Points Memo weighed in with alittle more context
<http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/voter-purge-crusade-continuing-election-commission>.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D95240&title=Comparing%20registered%20voters%20and%20CVAP>
Posted inNVRA (motor voter) <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=33>
“Prosecutor asked to investigate case of Trump nominee who
apparently voted illegally” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95238>
Posted onOctober 5, 2017 7:06 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95238>byJustin Levitt
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>
Following up onthis story <https://electionlawblog.org/?p=94945>, local
elections officialshave asked prosecutors
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/10/04/prosecutor-asked-to-investigate-case-of-trump-nominee-who-apparently-voted-illegally/>to
investigate fraud by the current nominee for deputy US trade
representative: specifically, the potential misrepresentation of his
home residence on voter registration forms.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D95238&title=%E2%80%9CProsecutor%20asked%20to%20investigate%20case%20of%20Trump%20nominee%20who%20apparently%20voted%20illegally%E2%80%9D>
Posted inchicanery <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12>
“Ko-Bach Off” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95235>
Posted onOctober 5, 2017 7:06 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95235>byJustin Levitt
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>
A Texas state courtissued a TRO
<http://electionlawblog.org/wp-content/uploads/TRO-Oct-3-2017.pdf> on
Tuesday, blocking Texas from giving voters’ data to the Kobach election
integrity commission. Morehere
<https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trumps-voter-fraud-commission-just-suffered-a-court-defeat>.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D95235&title=%E2%80%9CKo-Bach%20Off%E2%80%9D>
Posted inUncategorized <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>
More aftermath of the Kobach Commission email log
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95233>
Posted onOctober 5, 2017 7:04 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95233>byJustin Levitt
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>
ProPublica
<https://www.propublica.org/article/whos-really-in-charge-of-the-voting-fraud-commission>:
On Friday, in response to a judge’s order, the Department of Justice
released data showing the authors, recipients, timing, and subject
lines of a group of emails sent to and from the Presidential
Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. They show that in the
weeks before the commission issued a controversial letter requesting
sweeping voter data from the states, co-chair Kris Kobach and the
commission’s staff sought the input of Hans von Spakovsky and J.
Christian Adams on “present and future” state data collection, and
attached a draft of the letter for their review — at a moment when
neither had yet been named to the commission.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D95233&title=More%20aftermath%20of%20the%20Kobach%20Commission%20email%20log>
Posted inUncategorized <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>
Remember the picture of Kris Kobach and his plans for the year
ahead? <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95226>
Posted onOctober 5, 2017 7:04 pm
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95226>byJustin Levitt
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>
Specifically,remember this document
<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=89415>? This one
<https://twitter.com/CJOnline/status/800766763545796608>?
Well,here it is
<http://electionlawblog.org/wp-content/uploads/Kobach-agenda-1.pdf>.
(Sort of.)
Andhere
<http://electionlawblog.org/wp-content/uploads/Kobach-agenda-2.pdf> are
the non-redacted NVRA amendments Kobach was apparently proposing.
The APhas more context
<https://www.apnews.com/e942be4512d6402fb94a6291d1b00fae/Kobach-plan-for-Trump-included-federal-voting-laws-changes>.
Share
<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D95226&title=Remember%20the%20picture%20of%20Kris%20Kobach%20and%20his%20plans%20for%20the%20year%20ahead%3F>
Posted inchicanery <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12>,NVRA (motor
voter) <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=33>,Uncategorized
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>
--
Justin Levitt
Professor of Law
Associate Dean for Research
Loyola Law School | Los Angeles
919 Albany St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
213-736-7417
ssrn.com/author=698321
@_justinlevitt_
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://webshare.law.ucla.edu/Listservs/law-election/attachments/20171006/35d6c2b2/attachment.html>
View list directory