[EL] ELB News and Commentary 9/19/19

[Rick Hasen]

“The Changing Shape of the Parties Is Changing Where They Get Their Money”<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=107376>
Posted on September 18, 2019 9:19 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=107376> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Tom Edsall:<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/18/opinion/trump-fundraising-donors.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage>

Money is the mother’s milk of politics, as the old saying goes, and the slow motion realignment of our two major political parties has changed who raises more money from the rich and who raises more from small donors.

A pair of major developments give us a hint about how future trends will develop on the partisan battleground.

First: Heading into the 2020 election, President Trump is on track to far surpass President Barack Obama’s record in collecting small donor contributions — those under $200 — lending weight to his claim of populist legitimacy.

Second: Democratic candidates and their party committees are making inroads in gathering contributions from the wealthiest of the wealthy, the Forbes 400, a once solid Republican constituency. Democrats are also pulling ahead in contributions from highly educated professionals — doctors, lawyers, tech executives, software engineers, architects, scientists, teachers and so on.
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Posted in Uncategorized<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>


“Democracy vouchers are supposed to be an answer, but big money is swamping Seattle’s elections”<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=107374>
Posted on September 18, 2019 9:12 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=107374> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Seattle Times<https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/wait-theyre-saying-seattles-a-model-of-democracy-big-money-pacs-are-swamping-our-elections-like-never-before/>:

What Yang’s talking about was Initiative 122<https://ballotpedia.org/City_of_Seattle_Restrictions_on_Campaign_Finance_and_Elections,_Initiative_Measure_No._122_(November_2015)>, which Seattle voters approved in 2015 as an experiment in public financing of elections. Through a property tax it gives every Seattle voter $100 worth of “democracy vouchers” to give to candidates. It also lowered contribution limits and capped campaign spending.

The total effect was supposed to be as described in the 2015 voters’ guide<https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/depts/elections/how-to-vote/voters-pamphlet/2015/201511-voters-pamphlet-ed1.ashx?la=en>: “Powerful special interests are spending record amounts to influence elections … I-122 keeps Seattle of, by and for the people.”

Yet there has never been a Seattle City Council election so dominated by special interests, big businesses and the superwealthy as this year. As of this week, outside influence PACs — mostly business and labor — have raised more money to pour into the 2019 council elections than was spent by outside committees in all previous council races combined, going back to 1995 (that’s as far back as the city’s online records go<http://web6.seattle.gov/ethics/elections/archive.aspx?cycle=2019>).

Put another way: Of the top seven money-raising committees seeking to influence the 2019 city vote, only one is connected to a candidate (Kshama Sawant’s campaign). The other six are special interest PACs, representing business, labor or the wealthy (such as the developer-dominated People for Seattle<http://web6.seattle.gov/ethics/elections/poplist_v2.aspx?cid=686&listtype=contributors>).

The result is a crazy quilt of campaign ads and themes, some of which aren’t true (like flyers with homeless tents Photoshopped into parks<https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/pacs-with-big-money-launch-negative-ads-as-voters-complete-ballots-in-seattle-city-council-primary/>). And none of which is controlled or sanctioned by the candidates themselves.
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Posted in campaign finance<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, campaigns<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59>


“‘Alexa, I want to make a political contribution.’ Amazon to start voice-controlled donations to 2020 presidential campaigns”<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=107371>
Posted on September 18, 2019 3:36 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=107371> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

WaPo reports.<https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/alexa-i-want-to-make-a-political-contribution-amazon-to-start-voice-controlled-donations-to-2020-presidential-campaigns/2019/09/18/6432e73e-da2d-11e9-a688-303693fb4b0b_story.html>
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Posted in Uncategorized<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>


Brian Newby, Controversial Executive Director of EAC, is OUT Followed Deadlocked, Party-Line Vote<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=107369>
Posted on September 18, 2019 1:06 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=107369> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Politico Pro:<https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsubscriber.politicopro.com%2Fstates%2Fflorida%2Fstory%2F2019%2F09%2F18%2Felection-assistance-commission-votes-not-to-reappoint-controversial-top-staffer-1194842&data=02%7C01%7Cehustings%40naleo.org%7Ccacca788b5814b94f40a08d73c5bf66f%7C11b16086163944a1affb6211d6f34d79%7C0%7C0%7C637044238000725613&sdata=NR2s7fu1SaYXyDtb4ib52fUyUJYtTqHFMXZ2LQpCZRI%3D&reserved=0>

The embattled executive director of the Election Assistance Commission, whose tenure has been marked by internal turmoil, will not serve another term, two people told POLITICO.

EAC commissioners voted over the weekend of Sept. 7-8 not to reappoint Brian Newby for four more years, according to an agency staffer and a House aide, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. The commissioners also voted not to retain Cliff Tatum, the agency’s general counsel. Both men joined the EAC on Oct. 22, 2015.

The vote on the two appointments was 2-2, splitting the Democratic and Republican commissioners, said the House aide. A decision to reappoint them would have required a majority.

The vote came three months after a POLITICO story <https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com%2Fstory%2F2019%2F06%2F15%2Ffederal-election-brian-newby-2020-1365841&data=02%7C01%7Cehustings%40naleo.org%7Ccacca788b5814b94f40a08d73c5bf66f%7C11b16086163944a1affb6211d6f34d79%7C0%7C0%7C637044238000685633&sdata=vn09bWkmuw6Cc6YPN5nfxw0Wp2FxIjUDRX3Cocj4wuE%3D&reserved=0> about how Newby has faced extensive criticism from inside and outside the EAC for undermining its election security work and ignoring, micromanaging and mistreating staff.
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Posted in Election Assistance Commission<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=34>


--
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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