“You Can’t Blame the Youth (For No Longer Pre-Registering to Vote in North Carolina)”
February 17, 2014
By Jane Miller
The United States Census Bureau reports that Americans aged 18-24 have the lowest voter registration rate of any age group. Only 53.6% of U.S. citizens in that age group were registered to vote as of November 2012. By contrast, more than 79% of citizens aged 65 and older were registered. These disparate numbers raise questions about the health of our nation’s civic culture and the fairness of our elections, a concern so real it made it into an episode of The West Wing. (more…)
Canvassing, Contests, and Recounts, oh my! Rejected Absentee Votes in Virginia’s Attorney General’s Race
February 14, 2014
By Ann Zachariah
The victor in Virginia’s attorney general race was up in the air well into December. Localities had until November 12 to turn in the results of the contest between Sen. Mark Obenshain and Sen. Mark Herring. One of the delays in declaring a winner arose from a problem in Fairfax County, where a discrepancy in absentee votes was uncovered. In the 8th District in Fairfax County, only 50 percent of absentee ballots that were requested were cast compared to 88 percent in the 10th District and 86 percent in the 11th District. (more…)
Fusion Voting in the Empire State
February 12, 2014
By Brad Smith
Fusion voting, or collateral endorsement, is the process through which a candidate for public office can be listed as the candidate for more than one party. This process was very common in thenineteenth century, although today it is an uncommon practice, and New York Is the only state where fusion voting has a noticeable impact. In recent months, however, New York politicians have debated the usefulness and wisdom of the practice. (more…)
Vote By Mail: More about Stability than Turnouts
February 10, 2014
By Michael Althouse
When people discuss Oregon’s vote by mail system, it is usually credited as a reason for a high voter turnout. Although Oregon has generally had higher voter turnouts than the rest of the nation since the passage of mandatory vote by mail, correlation does not necessarily equal causation. Recent studies have called into question whether vote by mail is responsible for the increased voter turnouts. If it turns out that vote by mail does little or nothing to increase voter turnout, what is the future of vote by mail? Are there any other benefits to having the good ol’ United States Post Office drop off your ballot? (more…)
Citizens United and the Arkansas Supreme Court Race
February 3, 2014
by Euticha Hawkins
Like twenty-two other states, Arkansas selects its supreme court justices via popular election. The role of money in high court elections has always been an uncomfortable topic, but the specter of Citizens United threatens to transform this state of discomfort into one of true alarm. Although Arkansas had no express limits on corporate election expenditures before Citizens United, the decision can only embolden corporations seeking to inject more money in Arkansas’s political process. (more…)
Mental Disability and the Vote
January 31, 2014
by Andy Howard
People in our culture are accustomed to analogizing poor voting decisions with mental disabilities. Who among us hasn’t called people “crazy” when they vote in ways with which we disagree? This sorry attitude, though, is a reflection of our culture’s stigma against people with mental disabilities. People with cognitive disabilities are frequently seen as a class that does not enjoy the same freedoms as others, including that of suffrage. Do we, as a society, really feel that people with disabilities don’t have an interest in the public policies propounded by our government? (more…)
Scrutiny on Louisiana Congressional District
January 29, 2014
by Tobias Eisenlohr
A new study draws attention to the odd shape of Louisiana’s second congressional district as one of the least “compact” jurisdictions in the nation. Azavea, a geospatial data and web technology firm, released its findings on October 31, 2013, which analyzes the shape of all United States congressional districts and provides insight into the motivations and effects of redistricting. Rooted in geographic rather than demographic statistics, the study pinpoints a district’s physical “compactness” as an indicator of its status as gerrymandered. Compactness is defined by analyzing two factors: how far a district strays from a traditional circle or square shape, and how smooth its boundaries are. Encompassing nearly all of the city of New Orleans and stretching west past Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s second district consists of 1202 square miles and meanders in an odd “Zorro”-shape. Home to nearly 500,000 people (344,935 white and 153,908 black), the second district is the seventh-least compact congressional district in the nation. Overall, Louisiana ranked as the third-least compact state in the nation, leading only Maryland and North Carolina. (more…)
Redistricting Reform Resurgence in the Badger State
January 27, 2014
By Alex Phillips
A proposal to adopt non-partisan redistricting for state and federal elections in Wisconsin is gaining momentum. Currently Wisconsin is one of twenty-four states where the state legislature is responsible for redistricting. As outlined in the Wisconsin Constitution, districts must be as compact as practicable and contiguous. They are also supposed to follow municipal ward lines when possible and three Assembly districts must be nested in each Senate district. (more…)
A Hot Mess: Confusion and Frustration over Arizona’s Campaign Finance Laws
January 24, 2014
By Jennifer Murray
Current campaigns preparing for the 2014 elections in Arizona were thrown into jeopardy last month when the state’s Court of Appeals issued an injunction that halted the new (and higher) campaign contribution limits. The court recently issued an opinion reaffirming the injunction, thus preventing Arizona’s Secretary of State, the state’s chief election officer, from implementing House Bill 2593, which enacted the new campaign contribution limits. (more…)
California Sunshine Shines Light on Dark Money Scandal
January 13, 2014
By Nandor Kiss
Last November California voters had to decide the fate of two controversial ballot initiatives. Proposition 30 was intended to raise the income tax rate of California’s highest tax brackets and increase sales tax a quarter of a percent in order to fund new education programs. Proposition 32, which many believed was highly deceptive in describing its purpose, was intended to limit the ability of corporations and unions from using payroll-deducted funds for political purposes. While many were interested in the results, probably no one as much as Tony Russo, a Republican consultant who raised millions in order to support Prop. 32 and defeat Prop. 30 as part of the GOP’s “California Comeback” plan. Through his fundraising efforts, Russo was able to assemble approximately $74 million in donations for the cause, but he soon ran into a problem.