Almost every election cycle, some outcomes come down to a small handful of votes. With months of long days, late nights, and lost weekends and millions of dollars in donor investments on the line, campaigns, ballot measure committees, and their donors need certainty that every vote is fairly counted. Combining
Continue Reading Election Recounts and Disputeselections
Governing Under an Equally Divided Senate
By Brian D. Smith on
Posted in Political Law
After the election of two Democratic Senate candidates in the Georgia runoff elections on January 5, 2021, the Senate this year will be equally divided between 50 Democratic Senators (and those caucusing with them) and 50 Republican Senators. Governing in an equally divided Senate presents several challenges regarding the internal…
Continue Reading Governing Under an Equally Divided Senate
Will the FEC Declare War on Russia?
By Robert Lenhard on
Posted in Campaign Finance
Noting that we are at an “all hands on deck” moment for our democracy, FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub circulated to the Commission yesterday a document citing former Vice President Dick Cheney for the proposition that the United States is now at war with Russia, and that “[e]very part of our…
Continue Reading Will the FEC Declare War on Russia?
How Pay-to-Play Laws Are Changing Elections
By Kevin Glandon & Zachary G. Parks on
Posted in Campaign Finance, Pay-to-Play
Obscure pay-to-play rules are having a big impact on U.S. elections. In an article in today’s The Hill, we examine how these little understood rules provide institutional fundraising advantages for certain candidates at the expense of others. We also point out how these laws are changing the operational rules…
Continue Reading How Pay-to-Play Laws Are Changing Elections
Free for Anyone with an “I Voted” Sticker?
By Robert Lenhard on
Posted in Campaign Finance, Enforcement
As attention turns to the importance of voter turnout in deciding this election, a complaint filed in Colorado last week highlights a perennial in election law: restrictions on paying people to register or vote. While paying for votes with cash is rare, well-meaning offers of free pizza, coffee, t-shirts or…
Continue Reading Free for Anyone with an “I Voted” Sticker?