[EL] ELB News and Commentary 4/18/20

Sat Apr 18 15:49:10 PDT 2020

“Election Modifications to Avoid During the COVID-19 Pandemic”<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110836>
Posted on April 18, 2020 3:40 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110836> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Michael Morley<https://www.lawfareblog.com/election-modifications-avoid-during-covid-19-pandemic> for Lawfare:

As we approach the presidential election this November, election officials are developing plans to deal with the unique risks posed by the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. I have written about<https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3160436> how states have grappled with past election emergencies and am participating in a nonpartisan task force<https://www.electiontaskforce.org/> and interdisciplinary working groups to offer recommendations to ensure that election officials are adequately prepared to face the challenge before us. The recent crisis<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/us/politics/wisconsin-primary-election.html> with the Wisconsin presidential primaries demonstrates the importance of states having election emergency statutes that adequately empower election officials to respond to unexpected crises, as well as contingency plans for implementing that discretion. Just as important as discussing the affirmative steps that officials should take to address the COVID-19 crisis, however, is identifying those they should avoid. Because so many groups and experts, along with my previous work<https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3160436>, have focused on the first task<https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e70e52c7c72720ed714313f/t/5e7ba6fc6ec60c0341aa7d2d/1585161982796/COVID-19+Election+Guide+-+FINAL+Draft+3_25_20+%281%29.pdf>, it’s time to tackle the second.
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Posted in absentee ballots<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=53>

“Voting by Mail and Ballot Rejection: Lessons from Florida for Elections in the Age of the Coronavirus”<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110834>
Posted on April 18, 2020 3:37 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110834> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

 Anna Baringer, Michael C. Herron, and Daniel A. Smith have posted this draft<https://electionscience.clas.ufl.edu/files/2020/04/Baringer_Herron_Smith_VBM_FL.pdf>. Here is the abstract:

The coronavirus and its concomitant need for social distancing have increased the attractiveness of voting by mail (VBM). VBM voting is nonetheless not a panacea for election administration in the time of a pandemic, and this is because a widespread move to this form of voting risks exacerbating existing inequities in mail-in ballot rejection rates across voters and jurisdictions. This motivates our examination of over 8.2 million ballots cast in the 2018 General Election in Florida, including 2.6 million VBM ballots, of which approximately 1.2 percent were rejected by local election officials. We theorize as to why rejected VBM ballots might be linked to individual voter characteristics and to election official discretion, offer a battery of descriptive statistics detailing rejected ballots in Florida’s 2018 election, and provide results from a selection
model that analyzes all of the state’s voters in 2018. We find that younger voters and voters needing assistance are disproportionately likely to have their VBM ballots rejected. We also find disproportionately high rejection rates for out-of-state and military dependents. Lastly, we find significant variation in the rejection rates of VBM ballots cast across Florida’s 67 counties,  suggesting a non-uniformity in the way local election officials verify these ballots. As interest in VBM swells in light of the coronavirus, protecting the rights of all voters requires understanding why some voters’ mail ballots are rejected—diminishing their ability to participate in electoral politics—and how this might be rectified.
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Posted in absentee ballots<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=53>

“Federal Court DISMISSES Request To Force State To Allow Online Petition-Gathering For Initiatives During Pandemic”<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110832>
Posted on April 18, 2020 3:35 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110832> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Arizona’s Politics reports<https://arizonaspolitics.blogspot.com/2020/04/breaking-federal-court-dismisses.html>.
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Posted in direct democracy<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=62>

Chad Flanders and Kristen Spina in Slate: Texas Courts Should Use the “Democracy Canon” To Interpret Excuse Restrictions in Absentee Ballot Laws to Cover COVID-19 Fears<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110830>
Posted on April 17, 2020 5:08 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110830> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

I like this<https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/04/texas-coronavirus-pandemic-voting-rights.html> a lot:

As the ACLU stated it in its motion in the case, though, it’s arguable that everyone now has a “physical condition” that increases the “likelihood” that going to the polls might “injure[] the voter’s health.” (New Hampshire has interpreted its analogous “physical disability” provision in precisely this way<https://www.governor.nh.gov/news-media/press-2020/documents/20200410-absentee-voting.pdf>) Paxton’s construction of the statute, meanwhile, also might mean that someone who actually tests positive for COVID-19 but is asymptomatic may not qualify for an absentee ballot, which seems absurd. As Vox’s Ian Millhiser wrote<https://www.vox.com/2020/4/17/21223994/texas-disenfranchise-millions-ken-paxton-physical-condition-democratic-party-debeauvoir>: “Either one of these interpretations of the Texas law is plausible, and a judge could reach either conclusion using methods of statutory interpretation that are widely accepted as legitimate.”

This is where Texas’ judges should turn to the so-called “democracy canon,” a method of interpreting statutes that is tailor-made for cases like this one. In his 2009 Stanford Law Review article about the method<https://www.stanfordlawreview.org/print/article/the-democracy-canon/>, University of California, Irvine law professor Richard Hasen offered a case citation that perfectly captures the heart of the democracy canon: “[a]ll statutes tending to limit the citizen in his exercise of [the right of suffrage] should be liberally construed in his favor.” In other words, when there is a “tie” in how to interpret the statute, the tie goes to the voter.

The case Hasen cited—Owens v. State ex rel. Jennett—was, in fact, a Texas Supreme Court case. Indeed, Texas historically adopted a fairly strong version of what Hasen called the democracy canon. In one appeals court case from the 1950s on the very subject of absentee ballots, Sanchez v. Bravo, a Texas court established a “clear statement” rule regarding restrictions on the right to vote. If a state is going to prevent someone from voting, the court ruled, they have to say so in “clear and unmistakable terms.” Otherwise, courts must read the law in a way that promotes “the right of the citizen to cast his ballot and thus participate in the selection of those who control his government.”
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Posted in absentee ballots<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=53>

“Mass. Top Court Loosens Ballot Signature Rules Due To Virus”<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110828>
Posted on April 17, 2020 5:04 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110828> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Law 360:<https://www.law360.com/classaction/articles/1264948/mass-top-court-loosens-ballot-signature-rules-due-to-virus>

Political candidates seeking to get on to the Sept. 1 primary ballot in Massachusetts will only need to collect half the number of signatures usually required and can now use some electronic means to gather names, according to a decision Friday from the state’s high court.

In its opinion <https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2020/04/17/12931.pdf> easing ballot access restrictions, the Supreme Judicial Court also extended the filing deadlines for district and county races from Feb. 28 to May 5 and June 5, respectively, aligning the due dates for signatures with those of federal and statewide offices.

The opinion — written by Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants and released less than 24 hours after oral arguments in the case — said the spread of the novel coronavirus has transformed the state’s long-standing policy on signatures into an “unconstitutionally severe burden” on candidates’ fundamental rights.
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Posted in ballot access<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=46>

Breaking: Texas State Court Issues Order Requiring Texas to Accept Absentee Ballot Applications from Anyone Who Raises COVID-19 Pandemic as a “Disability” Preventing In-Person Voting; Appeal Expected<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110825>
Posted on April 17, 2020 1:57 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110825> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Ordinarily it requires an excuse for most voters to vote by absentee ballot. The Texas AG has taken the position that fear of contracting COVID-19 is not a valid excuse to vote absentee.

This court order<https://electionlawblog.org/wp-content/uploads/texas-excuse-order.pdf>, which was expected, says that voters may put down the disability category if they fear contracting COVID-19 and wish to vote absentee. The AG has already indicated the state will appeal, so this will go up the chain.

There’s also a separate case in federal court.
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Posted in absentee ballots<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=53>

“Mail-In Elections Can’t Be Built Overnight. Here’s What Will Happen If Every State Tries.”<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110823>
Posted on April 17, 2020 12:27 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110823> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

TPM dives into<https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/mail-in-elections-covid-19-supply> the supply chain if there’s a surge in mail-in voting in November (there will be).
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Posted in Uncategorized<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>

Bipartisan Policy Center Event: E-Briefing on Marshalling Resources for Voting<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110820>
Posted on April 17, 2020 12:20 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110820> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
E-Briefing on Marshalling Resources for Voting Monday, April 20, 2020
2-3 p.m. ET
Register Now<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Felink.clickdimensions.com%2Fc%2F6%2F%3FT%3DMTE3NDM3Mzc%253AMDItYjIwMTA4LWQxM2RiNjZiODJlNTQ5NzdhZGI4YzcyNzliYjcyZjAy%253AbXdlaWxAYmlwYXJ0aXNhbnBvbGljeS5vcmc%253AY29udGFjdC03YzQwN2MxZDRjM2JlMzExYjc2MTAwMTU1ZDQ3YjVkNS05M2IzMjVkMWM0NzU0NmRlOTUyZTY5OWZkOTQ4OTg3YQ%253AZmFsc2U%253AMA%253A%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%26K%3Dyia723o65zt0lO9-MpafGA&data=02%7C01%7CMWeil%40bipartisanpolicy.org%7C9b4ddbeeaeb54353092408d7e303a4e7%7Cded18c87778b4b98962e994cc2278437%7C0%7C0%7C637227477138374973&sdata=We0RD6Ag3WgG%2FKnqv6vSuUdbwuA%2B7FkcRXN4yQPgWuE%3D&reserved=0>
America’s election officials are scrambling to administer upcoming elections during an unprecedented pandemic. Federal assistance is desperately needed to adjust to new realities on the ground. Congress has appropriated $400 million through the CARES Act for emergency election security grants, a critical infusion of cash for election administrators. Will states and local administrators receive the funds in time to use them this fall? How will states use this funding? Will it be enough for elections to administered safely and legitimately? States have various needs spanning from security upgrades to procuring envelopes in anticipation of an influx in mail voting.  Join Bipartisan Policy Center Elections Project Director Matthew Weil as he leads a panel discussion about how the U.S. Election Assistance Commission is working with state and local officials to distribute federal funds and provide key resources to protect America’s voters and voting systems. Weil will be joined by two EAC Commissioners as well as state and local election administrators.
Bookmark this link<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Felink.clickdimensions.com%2Fc%2F6%2F%3FT%3DMTE3NDM3Mzc%253AMDItYjIwMTA4LWQxM2RiNjZiODJlNTQ5NzdhZGI4YzcyNzliYjcyZjAy%253AbXdlaWxAYmlwYXJ0aXNhbnBvbGljeS5vcmc%253AY29udGFjdC03YzQwN2MxZDRjM2JlMzExYjc2MTAwMTU1ZDQ3YjVkNS05M2IzMjVkMWM0NzU0NmRlOTUyZTY5OWZkOTQ4OTg3YQ%253AZmFsc2U%253AMg%253A%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%26K%3DXLVQAsDae_-1vmP10Kua4A&data=02%7C01%7CMWeil%40bipartisanpolicy.org%7C9b4ddbeeaeb54353092408d7e303a4e7%7Cded18c87778b4b98962e994cc2278437%7C0%7C0%7C637227477138384967&sdata=6%2BqeXDvqA54D5%2BB8LzbxXdLg9%2Fg69nVeM82OoBdQhuE%3D&reserved=0> to join the e-briefing on Microsoft Teams.
Featured Participants
Ben Hovland ● Chairman, U.S. Election Assistance Commission
Donald Palmer ● Vice Chairman, U.S. Election Assistance Commission
Rob Rock ● Director of Elections, Rhode Island
Michael Winn ● Director of Elections, Harris County, Texas
View All Events<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Felink.clickdimensions.com%2Fc%2F6%2F%3FT%3DMTE3NDM3Mzc%253AMDItYjIwMTA4LWQxM2RiNjZiODJlNTQ5NzdhZGI4YzcyNzliYjcyZjAy%253AbXdlaWxAYmlwYXJ0aXNhbnBvbGljeS5vcmc%253AY29udGFjdC03YzQwN2MxZDRjM2JlMzExYjc2MTAwMTU1ZDQ3YjVkNS05M2IzMjVkMWM0NzU0NmRlOTUyZTY5OWZkOTQ4OTg3YQ%253AZmFsc2U%253AMw%253A%253AaHR0cHM6Ly9iaXBhcnRpc2FucG9saWN5Lm9yZy9ldmVudHM_X2NsZGVlPWJYZGxhV3hBWW1sd1lYSjBhWE5oYm5CdmJHbGplUzV2Y21jJTNkJnJlY2lwaWVudGlkPWNvbnRhY3QtN2M0MDdjMWQ0YzNiZTMxMWI3NjEwMDE1NWQ0N2I1ZDUtOTNiMzI1ZDFjNDc1NDZkZTk1MmU2OTlmZDk0ODk4N2EmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1DbGlja0RpbWVuc2lvbnMmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249RWxlY3Rpb25zJTIwJTdDJTIwVm90aW5nJTIwRS1CcmllZmluZyUyMCU3QyUyMDQuMjAuMjAmZXNpZD04MjQ1YTY2Mi1iMTgwLWVhMTEtYTgxMi0wMDBkM2ExYmJiMjM%26K%3D3795f09p7JbeA7E_NImE-A&data=02%7C01%7CMWeil%40bipartisanpolicy.org%7C9b4ddbeeaeb54353092408d7e303a4e7%7Cded18c87778b4b98962e994cc2278437%7C0%7C0%7C637227477138394961&sdata=gP2czxAJunZpUZtityjlWoj%2F0sX9jxjxmg1uesW8uYU%3D&reserved=0>
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Posted in election administration<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>

“Abigail Thernstrom, conservative voice on voting rights and education, dies at 83”<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110818>
Posted on April 17, 2020 12:11 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110818> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Sad news<https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/abigail-thernstrom-conservative-voice-on-voting-rights-and-education-dies-at-83/2020/04/14/07ed3478-7e58-11ea-a3ee-13e1ae0a3571_story.html>:

Abigail Thernstrom, a political scientist who was steeped in left-wing politics from childhood but became an influential conservative voice on racial equality, voting rights and education, died April 10 at a hospital in Arlington, Va. She was 83….

A year earlier, she challenged the creation of “majority-minority” electoral districts in her book “Whose Votes Count?<https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674951964?ie=UTF8&tag=thewaspos09-20&camp=1789&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=0674951964>,” arguing that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 successfully opened polling booths to Southern blacks but should never have been used to create “safe” seats for minority politicians.

The book was later described by the American Prospect<https://prospect.org/features/thernstroms-black-white/> as “a virtual bible among conservative jurists, including Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Clarence Thomas.” But it was far from a right-wing treatise, winning the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award (given to works focused on racism and diversity), and it marked what Dr. Thernstrom described as a continuation of her longtime views.

Abby and I often (but not always) disagreed on voting issues, but I always found her to be warm and generous in our interactions. Condolences to her family and friends.
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Posted in election law biz<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=51>

“Elections in a Pandemic: The Crisis Response Should Be Permanent Policy”<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110816>
Posted on April 17, 2020 12:04 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110816> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Miles Rapoport and Cecily Hines in Dissent<https://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/elections-in-a-pandemic-the-crisis-response-should-be-permanent-policy>.
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Posted in Uncategorized<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>

Trump Campaign Falsely Claims Democrats Trying to “STEAL THE ELECTION” with “Ballot Harvesting”<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110813>
Posted on April 17, 2020 10:12 am<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110813> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Email also says Democrats are “trying to stuff the ballot box with FAKE and FRAUDULENT votes.” (No evidence of this, as I explain here<https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/09/trump-is-wrong-about-dangers-absentee-ballots/>). Here’s the screenshot (via Brendan Nyhan<https://twitter.com/BrendanNyhan/status/1251195545420324865>):
[cid:image002.png at 01D61598.E5EA7B10]
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Posted in fraudulent fraud squad<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=8>

“Trump Denigrates Vote By Mail, But Troops Have Been Doing It For Decades”<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110811>
Posted on April 17, 2020 9:35 am<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110811> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Government Executive<https://www.govexec.com/management/2020/04/trump-denigrates-vote-mail-troops-have-been-doing-it-decades/164678/> reports.
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Posted in absentee ballots<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=53>

--
Rick Hasen
Chancellor's Professor of Law and Political Science
UC Irvine School of Law
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http://electionlawblog.org<http://electionlawblog.org/>

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