1. John McCain and the lost battle for campaign finance reform Last week, Senator John McCain died. And while I didn’t agree with most of his policies or politics, I will always admire his central role in the last great effort to pass bipartisan campaign finance...
1. Crystal Mason, sentenced to five years in jail for “voter fraud,” loses appeal for a new trial In April, the state of Texas sentenced Crystal Mason five years in prison for attempting to vote in the 2016 presidential election. She was ineligible to vote...
Donald Trump claimed, without evidence, that more than three million noncitizens voted against him in 2016. Likewise, Republicans across the country use fears of “voter fraud” — especially the alleged threat of noncitizens voting — to justify a wide range...
When Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement on June 27th, many of us looked at it as a big blow for hopes for the Supreme Court to help reign in partisan gerrymandering. Over the last few years, there had been much speculation about how Justice Kennedy might...
The Supreme Court is not coming to the rescue on voting rights It’s been three bad weeks in a row if you care about protecting the right to vote. In three straight weeks, the Supreme Court has ruled against efforts to defend the vote against efforts to suppress...
Supreme Court punts on Wisconsin, Maryland gerrymandering cases In two rulings today, Gill v. Whitford and Benisek v. Lamone, the Supreme Court effectively hit the snooze button on making a meaningful decision on partisan gerrymandering....
Within the next few weeks, possibly days, the Supreme Court is expected to rule on two cases that will have a major impact on the fairness of elections and voting. It’s not hyperbole to say that these decisions could shape the nature of American...
“Extreme Gerrymandering” report pours cold water on optimism for Democratic House in 2019 A report this week from the Brennan Center, one of the leading authorities on voting rights and election law, offered a sobering take on the prospects of the...
