I pass this information along as something that may be of interest to members of this list.

Allison

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The Federalist Society's Free Speech and Election Law Practice Group will host a Conference on Election Law with a panel on Provisional Ballots and another on Electioneering after McCain- Feingold.


10:00 a.m. - 11:40 a.m.

Panel on Provisional Ballots

Following the 2000 presidential election, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA), which includes a mechanism designed to ensure that all registered voters are allowed to cast a vote on election day. HAVA requires the states to adopt provisional ballot rules for federal elections by January 1, 2004. Under those rules, if a voter declares that he or she is a registered voter, but his name does not appear on the voter roles, the individual must be permitted to cast a "provisional ballot" that will be counted once election officials determine the voter's eligibility. Consequently, many close elections will not be resolved until all provisional ballots have been validated and counted.

While most states will implement provisional ballots for the first time in 2004, Colorado implemented the rules in 2002. Then, the candidates in the closest congressional race in the country ended up 386 votes apart on election day. The battle over counting the 2100 provisional ballots cast soon began in earnest. Hear from the prevailing candidate and his attorneys about the steps they took to ensure that all appropriately cast ballots were counted. 

Confirmed participants include:



Hon. Bob Beauprez, U.S House of Representative (CO-07) 
Carol Licko, Hogan & Hartson 
Leon Sequeira, Counsel to Senator Mitch McConnell 
Hans von Spakovsky, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division 
Sean R. Gallagher, Hogan & Hartson (Moderator) 
12:00 noon - 2:00 p.m
Panel on Electioneering After McCain- Feingold

The Supreme Court has spoken: most of the controversial Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act (BCRA) has been upheld. But is the decision as straightforward as some assert? What are the practical implications of BCRA? What is and is not permitted in electioneering after McCain-Feingold? These and other important issues will be addressed by our panel of experts. 

Confirmed participants include:


James Bopp, Bopp, Coleson & Bostrom 
Chuck Cooper, Cooper & Kirk, PLLC 
John Fund, Wall Street Journal 
Trevor Potter, Caplin & Drysdale 
Seth Waxman, Wilmer Cutler & Pickering and Georgetown University Law Center 
Commissioner Bradley Smith, Federal Election Commission (Moderator) 

DATE: Tuesday, January 27, 2004 
TIME: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 
LOCATION: The National Press Club
529 14th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 

Up to 3 CLE credits available.

Cost: $20 for panel (plus an additional $20.00 for CLE credits) 
Students: Free (please dial 202-822-8138 to RSVP)

Lunch will be served. 
PLEASE VISIT WWW.FED-SOC.ORG FOR REGISTRATION INFORMATION.