Recent Judicial Opinions Override the Will of the People in Redistricting Battle
As states look to strengthen their election systems heading into the 2020 election, federal courts are handing down rulings that could significantly distract from their efforts, if not alter the electoral landscape altogether. Among the recent rulings include orders to redraw district maps in Ohio, Mississippi, Michigan, and Maryland that…
Overview: House Oversight and Reform Hearing “Protecting the Right to Vote: Best and Worst Practices”
Yesterday, the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties held a hearing titled “Protecting the Right to Vote: Best and Worst Practices”. The Subcommittee featured testimony from four witnesses: Dale Ho of the ACLU, Leigh M. Chapman of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights,…
Ballot Integrity Measures Being Cast as Suppression in Key States
National Public Radio’s recent article on election reforms in traditionally conservative states demonstrates a fundamental media bias against strengthening the protection of the ballot box, at a crucial moment when Americans’ trust in their ballot being counted is in jeopardy. Highlighting the reforms in states such as Texas, Tennessee,…
State Legislators Pushing Changes to Absentee Balloting
Heading into the 2020 election, statehouses across the nation are increasing legislative activity promoting election “fixes”. Florida, Delaware, and Iowa are examples of states that have recently considered significant legislation changing the electoral processes. Florida’s proposal, SB7088 and it’s counterpart, HB 7101, would “prohibit supervisors from mailing out ballots…
House Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on HR 1
Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on HR 1. Hans von Spakovsky of The Heritage Foundation testified (internal citations omitted): In summary, many of the provisions of H.R. 1 are clearly unconstitutional. Others are redundant and unnecessary, covering areas and issues where existing federal law is more than…
Senate Rules and Administration Committee Hearing on Election Security
On June 20, 2018, the Senate Rules and Administration Committee held a hearing on election security preparations that are being made at the local and state level. The committee heard witness testimony from state and local officials, along with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Senior Cybersecurity Advisor, Matt Masterson….
US House Judiciary Committee hearing on US Census
On June 8, 2018, the United States House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on “Questions regarding the US Census.” The Committee heard testimony and feedback from witnesses who had opinions on a citizenship question being asked on the 2020 US Census. Steve Marshall, the Alabama Attorney General, stressed the…
Virginia Supreme Court Unanimously Upholds The Drawing of 11 Districts
On May 31, 2018, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that 11 legislative districts did not violate Article II § 6 of the Constitution of Virginia. The challengers to the districts argued that the legislative districts that were drawn in 2011 violated that state constitution because they were not composed of…
California has Technical Difficulties With its New “Motor Voter” System
Six weeks before its June 5 primary, California election officials are trying to solve errors to its voter database made by its new mandatory (automatic) voter registration system. According to a recent story in the Los Angeles Times, election officials in California claim that 77,000 voter records were impacted after…
Senate Intelligence Findings on Russian Targeting of Election Infrastructure During the 2016 Election
On May 8, 2018 the Senate Intelligence Committee released a classified report about its initial findings on attempted Russian interference in the 2016 election cycle and gave its recommendations. The report found that Russian interference efforts began as early as 2014 and lasted until the 2016 election. The Committee saw…