Election-Campaign Law

Wht Timely Results Are Important

Posted on March 31, 2008
One question people often ask each of us is this: why do we need to have election results reported quickly?The current Zimbabwe elections illustrate the reason; when results are held back, it may seem--either correctly or incorrectly--that the results are being "massaged" in the back room...

AP: "Ballot shortages a continuing problem"

Posted on March 31, 2008
The Associated Press distributed this story, "Ballot shortages a continuing problem", yesterday. This is an issue that is not receiving enough attention --- the odds are good that the energy and enthusiasm that is driving record voter registration and turnout in the primaries so far will continue on through the rest of this election cycle...

The Zimbabwean Vote

Posted on March 30, 2008
Now here is an interesting question, posed by the President of Zimbabwe: ?We do not rig elections,? he said dismissively, dressed, as is his custom, in a finely tailored suit and well-buffed shoes. ?We have that sense of honesty. I cannot sleep with my conscience if I have cheated in elections...

10 million dollar grant program from EAC

Posted on March 30, 2008
The EAC data collection pilot program has been officially announced.The RFP is in the federal register here: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-6263.pdfThe grant materials and submission process is here: http://www.submitgrant.net/ProgramInfo.aspx?CFDA=90...

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Record Democratic Voter Registration in Pennsylvania

Posted on March 27, 2008
There have been reports recently that Pennsylvania election officials have been experiencing record levels of voter registrations, in advance of the upcoming Democratic presidential primary in the state.Of interest are reports that many formerly Republican registered voters in Pennsylvania are apparently re-registering as Democrats, so they can participate in the Democratic presidential primary...

LA Times on Dean Logan: "L.A. County election pilot is taking flak again."

Posted on March 27, 2008
The story is here.

Double Trouble in Harris County, TX

Posted on March 26, 2008
Harris County Clerk Bev Kaufman has identified 1147 voters who may have illegally voted twice in the recent presidential primary, including 378 who voted early in-person than again on election day.Report is here (MS Word document).

Accusations of Absentee Fraud in St. Francis County, AR

Posted on March 26, 2008
This story from today's Morning News, NW Arkansas. If true, looks like the most common kind of absentee voting fraud--small local race, and someone signed absentee ballots illegally (and got caught).

Colorado rejects paper

Posted on March 21, 2008
In a surprising reversal, the Colorado legislature killed a bill that would have mandated a move to an all paper ballot election.Instead, the legislature argued that they had passed new rules that would allow for an expedited certification procedure for the electronic machines...

Belgian study on electronic voting systems

Posted on March 21, 2008
A study was recently released by a consortium of Belgian universities, "BeVoting: Study of Electronic Voting Systems." The study is in two parts (English version): Part 1 and Part 2.This is a very comprehensive study, and well worth reading. The English version, Part 1 (page 18) has an excellent summary of the study:There will be two parts...

2008 Election Day Survey: Public Comment Period is open

Posted on March 21, 2008
The EAC announced the contents of the 2008 Election Day Survey (full disclosure: I worked as a subcontractor on the 2006 study and helped in the early design phase of the 2008 study).The 60 day public comment period started on March 20 and ends on May 19...

Guest Column: Heather Gerken on Foley's "Shadow Court" Proposal

Posted on March 18, 2008
Paul,I think Ned Foley?s proposal to create ?shadow? courts for resolving election disputes to be a good deal more promising than you do. First, Ned is exactly right that scholars and policymakers ought to be thinking harder about what he has described as ?reform without legislation...

More on Foley's Amicus Court Proposal

Posted on March 16, 2008
I need to give Ned Foley's "Election Appeals Court" a fairer treatment, my somewhat tongue in cheek earlier posting aside. What Ned is working toward here is some sort of non-partisan appeals body that can help settle electoral disputes and in doing so, help re-establish citizen trust and legitimacy in our elections system...

Guest Blog: "Russia's Alice in Wonderland Democracy" by Peter Ordeshook and Misha Myagkov

Posted on March 14, 2008
Guest BlogRussia?s Alice in Wonderland DemocracyMikhail Myagkov and Peter C. OrdeshookThere is an Alice in Wonderland quality to Russian elections. The Kremlin lies about their democratic legitimacy, we know they are lying, they know we know they are lying ? and so on...

How we vote 2: Private "Amicus" Election Dispute Tribunal?

Posted on March 14, 2008
Ned Foley sure loves Lloyd Cutler. He keeps referring Cutler as just the sort of non-partisan observer who could head up a private sector amicus court that can be set up as a way to settle election disputes.Ned is encountering some tough sledding, however...

Live blogging from "How We Vote"

Posted on March 14, 2008
I'm attending the "How We Vote" conference organized by the William and Mary School of Law.They've brought together a nice set of speakers, something of a list of the usual suspects, but a good mix of law, computer science, and political science speakers...

More on the FL Do-Over

Posted on March 13, 2008
This from Rick Hasen's blog:Florida's Mail-In Primary Plan Opens RiftsThe Florida Democratic Party "is pushing forward with a plan for recontesting its primary, largely with mail-in ballots, despite vigorous opposition from Democrats in the state's congressional delegation as well as concerns from the campaign of Sen...

Research on election fraud in Ukrainian and Russian elections

Posted on March 13, 2008
Peter Ordeshook (Caltech) and Mikhail Myagkov (University of Oregon) have recently distributed two interesting working papers, one on fraud in Ukraine's 2007 parliamentary election, and the other studying Russian elections. The paper on Ukrainian elections is "Ukraine's 2007 Parliamentary Elections: Free and Fair or Fraud Once Again and the Argument for Election Observers...

Justice Talking on Elections

Posted on March 12, 2008
The NPR show Justice Talking has a show this week on election reform. It features Doug Chapin giving an overview, a discussion about voter identification at the polls, a discussion of voting technology (featuring me) and a discussion of polling in elections.

My take on the FL and MI do-overs and vote by mail

Posted on March 11, 2008
The option of using a vote by mail option for a "do-over" primary election in Florida and Michigan is gaining traction. Florida Senator Bill Nelson has been urging the option on the state, and DNC Chair Howard Dean recently praised it as a way out of the current morass...

Ballot sheets from Uruguay

Posted on March 11, 2008
One of my graduate students sent along this link; it takes you to a page where they have electronic copies of ballot sheets used in their elections.

U.S. Senate hearing on voter fraud

Posted on March 11, 2008
The U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration is holding a hearing tomorrow on voter fraud: "In-person voter fraud: myth and trigger for disenfranchisment?" Here's the witness list.

New EAC Data Collection Grant Program

Posted on March 10, 2008
This just released on the EAC website:Public Law 110-161 authorizes the EAC to award $10,000,000 in grants to States to implement a data collection program for the Federal elections scheduled to be held in November 2008. Of that sum, $2 million will be provided to each of five eligible applicants...

A Vote Stealing Scam in Houston

Posted on March 10, 2008
Here is a very interesting story from Houston:Voters reported being turned away from the polls, prompting a criminal investigation into vote stealing, Local 2 Investigates reported Tuesday. The Harris County District Attorney's Office confirmed it is contacting the victims, all centered around Precinct 219 in southeast Houston...

Online voting discussed for Florida

Posted on March 08, 2008
Here is an article with a novel idea: do the Democratic primary do-over in Florida using the Internet. The funny thing here, reading the critics of the idea, is that they don't seem to realize that there already was an Internet Democratic primary -- for Democrats Abroad -- that went just fine!

Radio Interview about Voting

Posted on March 07, 2008
I did a radio interview on Thursday on a show called Culture Shocks -- which is a much tamer show than the name implies. The blurb for the show sounds so exciting (hopefully my droning voice isn't).Rock the E-Vote with professor and co-author, Thad Hall and later Keli Goff introduces America's newest swing voter in Party Crashing: How the Hip Hop Generation Declared Political Independence...

Shift Back to Paper Ballots Sparks Disagreement

Posted on March 07, 2008
Pam Fessler has another interesting story about the switch back to paper ballots.

EAC Will Award Grants to Recruit the Next Generation of Poll Workers

Posted on March 07, 2008
The EAC is doing another round of grants through the Help America Vote College Program.The EAC is seeking applications under the Help America Vote College Program (College Program) for programs that will encourage college students to serve as poll workers...

Paper, Plastic, or Electronic?

Posted on March 05, 2008
Thad is going to love this quote, from the electionline.org Ohio primary "blog" report:Ron Dziak, a voter in Parma Heights, said he liked both the current paper ballots and the old touch-screen technology. ?I preferred touch-screen for ease of voting, but with paper there seems less room for error,? he said...

Obama wins....Sweden+

Posted on March 05, 2008
This is an interesting story about how the Internet and paper voting worked for the overseas US Democratic primary in Sweden.

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