[EL] ELB News & Commentary 10/9/17

Justin Levitt levittj at lls.edu
Mon Oct 9 18:39:34 PDT 2017
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    “Now, Microsoft is reviewing its records for potential Russian
    meddling during the 2016 election” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95379>

Posted onOctober 9, 2017 6:37 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95379>byJustin Levitt 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>

Recode reports 
<https://www.recode.net/2017/10/9/16450320/microsoft-2016-presidential-election-russia-bing-investigation>:

    Microsoft is currently reviewing its sales records to determine
    whether trolls aligned with the Russian government purchased ads on
    Bing or other company products during the 2016 U.S. presidential race.

I’ll be interested indeed to see whether Russians bought ads on Bing.

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Posted incampaigns <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>,chicanery 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12>


    “EAC’s Brian Hancock On ‘The Last Mile’ In Election Security”
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95377>

Posted onOctober 9, 2017 5:32 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95377>byJustin Levitt 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>

Doug Chapin 
<http://editions.lib.umn.edu/electionacademy/2017/10/09/eacs-brian-hancock-on-the-last-mile-in-election-security/>coversBrian 
Hancock 
<https://www.eac.gov/challenges-to-better-security-in-us-elections-the-last-mile/>on 
the local tip of the electoral cybersecurity spear.

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Posted invoting technology <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=40>


    “If Russia Comes Calling, Feds and States United for Election
    Cybersecurity” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95375>

Posted onOctober 9, 2017 5:28 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95375>byJustin Levitt 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>

Here’s a more optimisticassessment of electoral cybersecurity 
preparedness 
<https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/if-russia-comes-calling-feds-states-united-election-cybersecurity-n808566>thanyesterday’s 
version <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95336>; it’s focused on the 
28-member federal-state Election Critical Infrastructure Government 
Coordinating Council.

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Posted inchicanery <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12>,voting 
technology <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=40>


    “Google uncovers Russian-bought ads on YouTube, Gmail and other
    platforms” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95373>

Posted onOctober 9, 2017 5:27 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95373>byJustin Levitt 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>

It spreads beyond Facebook: 
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/10/09/google-uncovers-russian-bought-ads-on-youtube-gmail-and-other-platforms/?utm_term=.dc3895f3622a>

    Google for the first time has uncovered evidence that Russian
    operatives exploited the company’s platforms in an attempt to
    interfere in the 2016 election, according to people familiar with
    the company’s investigation.

    The Silicon Valley giant has found that tens of thousands of dollars
    were spent on ads by Russian agents who aimed to spread
    disinformation across Google’s many products, which include YouTube,
    as well as advertising associated with Google search, Gmail, and the
    company’s DoubleClick ad network, the people said, speaking on
    condition of anonymity to discuss matters that have not been made
    public. Google runs the world’s largest online advertising business,
    and YouTube is the world’s largest online video site.

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Posted incampaigns <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>


    60 Minutes Report on Brad Parscale, Trump campaign’s digital
    director <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95371>

Posted onOctober 9, 2017 5:27 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95371>byJustin Levitt 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>

Aninteresting profile <https://www.cbsnews.com/videos/secret-weapon/>on 
Parscale, including a bit on his interaction with the leading social 
media companies.

More here at NBC, with atantalizing headline 
<https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/09/donald-trumps-digital-campaign-directors-company-paid-94-million.html>:

    Trump’s digital campaign director was paid $1,500 to set up his
    election website. Then he raked in $94 million when Trump won.

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Posted incampaigns <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>


    “Twitter takes down GOP lawmaker’s campaign ad”
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95369>

Posted onOctober 9, 2017 5:26 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95369>byJustin Levitt 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>

And the issues for social media companies around political ads don’t get 
any easier. The Hill reports 
<http://thehill.com/policy/technology/354609-twitter-takes-down-blackburn-campaign-ad-that-references-baby-body-parts>:

    Twitter took down a campaign ad from Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)
    that referenced “baby body parts,” the congresswoman’s campaign said
    on Monday. . . .

    A Twitter spokesman confirmed that the platform had suspended the
    promoted advertisement from the campaign’s account, though he
    emphasized that the original tweet remains up.

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Posted incampaigns <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>


    “Hacker study: Russia could get into U.S. voting machines”
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95367>

Posted onOctober 9, 2017 5:25 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95367>byJustin Levitt 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>

APolitico preview 
<http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/09/russia-voting-machines-hacking-243603>of 
the report coming tomorrow from the DEFCON hacker conference in July, 
about the security of voting machines.

Voting system security is vitally important, and I wish that more 
attention were paid to the market for and regulation of such systems 
generally.  But I’ll be interested to see the report itself, the extent 
to which it describes threats_under realistic conditions_, and the 
extent to which it describes solutions_under realistic conditions_.  As 
in any public demonstration of a threat, it’s possible to conflate real 
analysis with stunts – and not all of the recent public messaging about 
hacking voting machines has been realistic or responsible.

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Posted invoting technology <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=40>


    “These Groups Offer to Secure the Next Elections From Hackers”
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95365>

Posted onOctober 9, 2017 5:25 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95365>byJustin Levitt 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>

Fortune 
<http://fortune.com/2017/10/09/governors-hackers-academics-secure-elections/>has 
a different scoop from the same report:

    Ethical hackers will team up with U.S. governors, academics and
    others to help prevent election results from being hacked, according
    to a person familiar with the plan.

    The coalition’s members include organizers of the Def Con hacking
    conference, the National Governors Association, the Center for
    Internet Security, the Atlantic Council and several universities,
    said the person, who was not authorized to discuss the alliance
    ahead of a formal announcement on Tuesday.

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Posted inchicanery <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12>,voting 
technology <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=40>


    Putin pledges to prosecute vote violations
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95363>

Posted onOctober 9, 2017 5:24 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95363>byJustin Levitt 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>

He’slooking carefully 
<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-election-fraud/russias-putin-eyeing-election-next-year-pledges-to-prosecute-vote-violations-idUSKBN1CE1HR>into 
Russian elections, at least.

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Posted inchicanery <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12>


    “The future of gerrymandering” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95361>

Posted onOctober 9, 2017 5:23 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95361>byJustin Levitt 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>

Dan Tokaji and Michael Morley star 
<https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/podcast-the-future-of-gerrymandering>in 
a National Constitution Center podcast.

Michael’s also got a Prawfs piece up on theCongressional enforcement 
power 
<http://prawfsblawg.blogs.com/prawfsblawg/2017/10/the-overlooked-issue-in-gill-v-whitford-the-supreme-courts-political-gerrymandering-case.html>that 
may follow from a holding in/Gill./

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Posted inredistricting <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6>


    “‘Partisan’ Gerrymandering Is Still About Race”
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95359>

Posted onOctober 9, 2017 5:23 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95359>byJustin Levitt 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>

The subhead fromProPublica 
<https://www.propublica.org/article/partisan-gerrymandering-is-still-about-race>:

    The Wisconsin case before the Supreme Court claims to be about
    partisanship. But race is a factor in this case and many others
    nationwide.

A few briefs in /Gill/(includingone on behalf of law professors 
<http://www.scotusblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/16-1161-bsac-law-profesors.pdf>, 
andone on behalf of civil rights groups 
<http://www.scotusblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/16-1161-bsac-NAACP.pdf>– 
the latter of which I helped with) attempted to make the point that some 
cases about partisanship can really be about partisanship (even if 
voters of different races are involved), and some cases about race can 
really be about race (even if voters with different partisan preferences 
are involved) … but that there’s also currently an unhealthy incentive 
to force a square peg into a round hole because the doctrinal path to 
claims based on partisanship has been unnecessarily muddy.

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Posted inredistricting <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6>


    “Dear Supremes, Stay Out of the Gerrymandering Business”
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95357>

Posted onOctober 9, 2017 5:15 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95357>byJustin Levitt 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>

Over atNational Review 
<http://www.nationalreview.com/article/452446/supreme-court-should-not-strike-down-partisan-gerrymandering>, 
Jay Cost asks the Court to leave redress of gerrymandering to the 
political process.

When the cause of action is a complaint that adherents of a plausible 
majority party have been intentionally and durably prevented from 
obtaining controlling power in the political process, in a state that 
has no mechanism for an independent ballot initiative, I confess that 
I’m not sure what “allow[ing] the people to sort these issues out for 
themselves” actually means.

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Posted inredistricting <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6>


    “Bannon expands his list of Senate Republican targets for 2018”
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95355>

Posted onOctober 9, 2017 5:14 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95355>byJustin Levitt 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>

CNN covers the expanding GOP civil war 
<http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/08/politics/steve-bannon-senate-races/index.html>.

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Posted incampaigns <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>,political 
parties <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25>,primaries 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=32>


    “Democratic Senator Feinstein, 84, ‘all in’ on re-election”
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95353>

Posted onOctober 9, 2017 5:14 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95353>byJustin Levitt 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>

Reuters 
<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-feinstein/democratic-senator-feinstein-84-all-in-on-re-election-idUSKBN1CE1TA>:

    Feinstein is the oldest U.S. senator but among several
    octogenarians, including Republicans Chuck Grassley, Orrin Hatch,
    Richard Shelby, Jim Inhofe, Pat Roberts and John McCain.

Share 
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Posted incampaigns <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>


    “NDP announces B.C. referendum on proportional representation”
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95351>

Posted onOctober 8, 2017 2:32 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95351>byJustin Levitt 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>

 From the CBC 
<http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-referendum-proportional-representation-referendum-1.4329417>:

    Delivering on a promise to give British Columbians a choice in how
    future elections will be decided, Attorney General David Eby has
    announced plans for a referendum on proportional representation.

    “Today we have taken the first step toward asking British Columbians
    if they want a change from the current voting system,” said Eby.

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Posted inalternative voting systems <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=63>


    Notorious RBG holds forth on partisan gerrymandering, among other
    things <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95349>

Posted onOctober 8, 2017 1:15 pm 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=95349>byJustin Levitt 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?author=4>

Or, at least, theKate McKinnon SNL version 
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uyay0nH7L3c>did.

“That’s not a district, that’s a tapeworm.”  Looking forward to more 
Ginsburns in the future.

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Posted inelection law "humor" 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=52>,redistricting 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6>

-- 
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_

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