"Initiatives' defeats deal a blow to electoral reform"

The San Jose Mercury News has published my oped, which begins:

The cause of election reform took a serious blow Nov. 8, when voters in California and Ohio soundly rejected measures that would have reined in partisan redistricting and, in the Ohio case, changed the state's system of partisan election administration to a more bipartisan system. These were not perfect measures. But the long-term impact of these failures will be to discourage the use of the initiative process to undertake much-needed election reform.

Another snippet:

But the lesson that political operatives will learn from these experience is that it will be hard to pass even good-government types of election reforms -- some of which are urgently needed -- when facing well-funded opposition from political parties with a vested interest in the status quo. Who will throw money to fund the next reform initiative in California after these failures?

Such a reaction is unfortunate. After the Kevin Shelley debacle, Californians should seriously consider making the secretary of state a non-partisan position -- choosing California's chief elections officer through a non-partisan election, or, better yet, through gubernatorial appointment with confirmation by a 75 percent affirmative vote of the Legislature. Such a procedure will ensure that the ultimate allegiance of the secretary is to the integrity of the electoral process, and not to any political party.

Alliance for Justice Amicus Brief in WRtL Case

You can find it here.

"Do 527's Add Up to a Party? Thinking About the 'Shadows' of Politics"

Richard M. Skinner has written this article in The Forum.

"Florida's felons no nearer to voting"

The Orlando Sentinel offers this report.

"Citizens Must Drive Electoral Reform"

Heather Gerken writes this Roll Call commentary (paid subscription required), which begins: "In his column on the failure of redistricting initiatives to pass in Ohio and California last week, Stuart Rothenberg gets the diagnosis right (“On Redistricting, Voters Have Spoken Up for the Status Quo,” Nov. 10). But, like most U.S. reformers, he overlooks a promising cure for the problem he identifies — one that could help reformers overcome the hurdles they face in getting reform through the initiative process."

Brennan Center Press Release on Felon Disenfranchisement Cert. Denial

Here.

WRtL Opening Brief Filed

You can find it here.

"White Voters in Mississippi Allege Voting Discrimination"

NPR offers this audio report. Thanks to Alec Ewald for the link.

-- 
Rick Hasen
William H. Hannon Distinguished Professor of Law
Loyola Law School
919 Albany Street
Los Angeles, CA  90015-1211
(213)736-1466
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rick.hasen@lls.edu
http://www.lls.edu/academics/faculty/hasen.html
http://electionlawblog.org