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Articles 331 - 360 of 447

Full-Text Articles in Election Law

Bipartisan Redistricting, Senator R. Creigh Deeds Jan 2009

Bipartisan Redistricting, Senator R. Creigh Deeds

Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest

The redistricting of legislative lines, whether for the houses of the General Assembly or Virginia's congressional delegation, is currently riddled with partisan politics. It appears, however, that different political parties will control the two houses of the legislature during the next redistricting process for the first time in our Commonwealth's history. Whether this is to be the case for the redistricting of 2011 will be decided by future events, but currently Democrats control the State Senate and Republicans have a majority of the House of the Delegates. The next Governor will also play a significant role in redistricting. With no …


Voter Fraud Or Voter Defrauded? Highlighting An Inconsistent Consideration Of Election Fraud, Jocelyn Friedrichs Benson Jan 2009

Voter Fraud Or Voter Defrauded? Highlighting An Inconsistent Consideration Of Election Fraud, Jocelyn Friedrichs Benson

Law Faculty Research Publications

This Article seeks to highlight the collateral effect of several inconsistent recent federal court decisions that consider a state's interest in addressing the impact of fraud on the electoral process. In an effort to evaluate the impact of varying types of election-related fraud on the political process, I propose that courts view the concept with a focus on (1) the entity that commits the deceptive acts and (2) the effect those acts have on the democratic process. Evaluating recent opinions through this lens illustrates that federal courts are more likely to exhibit deference to a state's interest in limiting avenues …


Bipartisan Redistricting, Senator R. Creigh Deeds Jan 2009

Bipartisan Redistricting, Senator R. Creigh Deeds

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

The redistricting of legislative lines, whether for the houses of the General Assembly or Virginia's congressional delegation, is currently riddled with partisan politics. It appears, however, that different political parties will control the two houses of the legislature during the next redistricting process for the first time in our Commonwealth's history. Whether this is to be the case for the redistricting of 2011 will be decided by future events, but currently Democrats control the State Senate and Republicans have a majority of the House of the Delegates. The next Governor will also play a significant role in redistricting. With no …


A Defense Of Legislative Redistricting, Delegate Mark Cole Jan 2009

A Defense Of Legislative Redistricting, Delegate Mark Cole

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

Virginia is one of thirty-six states in which the legislature holds primary responsibility for the process of redrawing the lines of legislative and congressional districts after the completion of each decennial census. During the last two sessions of the Virginia General Assembly, however, there have been concerted efforts by Governor Tim Kaine, General Assembly Democrats, and a collection of interest groups calling themselves the Virginia Redistricting Coalition to limit the legislature's responsibility for redistricting. In 2008 and 2009, those efforts failed.


A Defense Of Legislative Redistricting, Delegate Mark Cole Jan 2009

A Defense Of Legislative Redistricting, Delegate Mark Cole

Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest

Virginia is one of thirty-six states in which the legislature holds primary responsibility for the process of redrawing the lines of legislative and congressional districts after the completion of each decennial census. During the last two sessions of the Virginia General Assembly, however, there have been concerted efforts by Governor Tim Kaine, General Assembly Democrats, and a collection of interest groups calling themselves the Virginia Redistricting Coalition to limit the legislature's responsibility for redistricting. In 2008 and 2009, those efforts failed.


Reconsidering Virginia Judicial Selection, Carl W. Tobias Nov 2008

Reconsidering Virginia Judicial Selection, Carl W. Tobias

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.


When Voters Make Laws: How Direct Democracy Is Shaping American Cities, Elizabeth Garrett, Mathew D. Mccubbins Jan 2008

When Voters Make Laws: How Direct Democracy Is Shaping American Cities, Elizabeth Garrett, Mathew D. Mccubbins

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.


Let's Not Jump To Conclusions: Approaching Felon Disenfranchisement Challenges Under The Voting Rights Act, Thomas G. Varnum Jan 2008

Let's Not Jump To Conclusions: Approaching Felon Disenfranchisement Challenges Under The Voting Rights Act, Thomas G. Varnum

Michigan Journal of Race and Law

Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 invalidates voting qualifications that deny the right to vote on account of race or color. This Article confronts a split among the federal appellate courts concerning whether felons may rely on Section 2 when challenging felon disenfranchisement laws. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals allows felon disenfranchisement challenges under Section 2; however, the Second and Eleventh Circuits foresee unconstitutional consequences and thus do not. After discussing the background of voting rights jurisprudence, history of felon disenfranchisement laws, and evolution of Section 2, this Article identifies the points of contention among the …


Ramifications Of Felony Disenfranchisement On The Votingpopulation In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Dr. Monica Robbers Jan 2008

Ramifications Of Felony Disenfranchisement On The Votingpopulation In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Dr. Monica Robbers

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

Virginia is one of 12 states in the United States that does not automatically restore the right to vote to all felons who have completed their sentences. This paper provides the historical context offelony disenfranchisement in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and includes an examination of legislation and the rationales behind it. Descriptive empirical analysis of individuals in Virginia who have been disenfranchised and the impact this has on the Commonwealth's voting population is conducted for the year 2000. In addition, analysis of the impact of disenfranchisement on voting in two counties and two cities is incorporated. Discussion of current policy …


Ramifications Of Felony Disenfranchisement On The Votingpopulation In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Dr. Monica Robbers Jan 2008

Ramifications Of Felony Disenfranchisement On The Votingpopulation In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Dr. Monica Robbers

Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest

Virginia is one of 12 states in the United States that does not automatically restore the right to vote to all felons who have completed their sentences. This paper provides the historical context offelony disenfranchisement in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and includes an examination of legislation and the rationales behind it. Descriptive empirical analysis of individuals in Virginia who have been disenfranchised and the impact this has on the Commonwealth's voting population is conducted for the year 2000. In addition, analysis of the impact of disenfranchisement on voting in two counties and two cities is incorporated. Discussion of current policy …


Collaborative Public Audit Of The November 2006 General Election, S. Candice Hoke, Collaborative Audit Committee Apr 2007

Collaborative Public Audit Of The November 2006 General Election, S. Candice Hoke, Collaborative Audit Committee

Law Faculty Reports and Comments

We hope that this Audit Report will assist the Ohio Secretary of State, all Ohio local Boards of Election, election reform organizations, and other election officials nationwide in seeing how an independent audit process can be created and function at the local level. Additionally, we hope the public will recognize that this Report contains the kind of information that all election administrative agencies need to better achieve the public charge for producing accurate election results and to facilitate sound improvements in election administrative practices.


Voter Identification, Spencer Overton Feb 2007

Voter Identification, Spencer Overton

Michigan Law Review

In the wake of closely contested elections, calls for laws that require voters to present photo identification as a condition to cast a ballot have become pervasive. Advocates tend to rely on two rhetorical devices: (1) anecdotes about a couple of elections tainted by voter fraud; and (2) "common sense" arguments that voters should produce photo identification because identification is required to board airplanes, buy alcohol, and engage in other activities. This Article explains the analytical shortcomings of anecdote, analogy, and intuition, and applies a cost-benefit approach generally overlooked in election law scholarship. Rather than rushing to impose a photo-identification …


Legalized Gaming And Political Contributions: When The Diceman Cometh, Will Corruption Goeth?, 40 J. Marshall L. Rev. 1089 (2007), Bonny Bumiller Jan 2007

Legalized Gaming And Political Contributions: When The Diceman Cometh, Will Corruption Goeth?, 40 J. Marshall L. Rev. 1089 (2007), Bonny Bumiller

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.


Ensuring That Florida's Language Minorities Have Access To The Ballot, Jonel Newman Jan 2007

Ensuring That Florida's Language Minorities Have Access To The Ballot, Jonel Newman

Articles

No abstract provided.


Solving The ‘Initiatory Construction’ Puzzle (And Improving Direct Democracy) By Appropriate Refocusing On Sponsor Intent, Glenn Smith Jan 2007

Solving The ‘Initiatory Construction’ Puzzle (And Improving Direct Democracy) By Appropriate Refocusing On Sponsor Intent, Glenn Smith

Faculty Scholarship

This Article synthesizes and critiques a dozen years of scholarship about judicial construction of legislation passed by voter initiative. The Article then makes a comprehensive case for an alternative approach: an appropriately enhanced focus on the intent of initiative sponsors. More specifically, the Article validates, through analysis of recent California decisions, a longstanding scholarly consensus that the prevailing judicial search for "the intent of the voters" is seriously flawed. The Article provides the first synthesis to date of reform proposals offered by "initiatory-construction" scholars; the discussion contends that these proposals collectively fail four key evaluation criteria. Building on the 2003 …


"Failure To Pay Any Poll Tax Or Other Tax": The Constitutionality Of Tax Felon Disenfranchisement, Sloan G. Speck Jan 2007

"Failure To Pay Any Poll Tax Or Other Tax": The Constitutionality Of Tax Felon Disenfranchisement, Sloan G. Speck

Publications

If the government convicts a citizen under the tax evasion provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, some state disenfranchisement laws preclude that citizen — now a felon — from voting. In this sense, the right to vote depends on the payment of federal income taxes. The Constitution's Twenty-Fourth Amendment, however, guarantees that the federal franchise “shall not be denied or abridged... by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.” If “other tax” includes income taxes, the text of the Twenty-fourth Amendment appears to prohibit the disenfranchisement of citizens convicted of tax felonies. This Comment argues that …


Foreword, Richard B. Collins Jan 2007

Foreword, Richard B. Collins

Publications

No abstract provided.


Party On: The Right To Voluntary Blanket Primaries, Margaret P. Aisenbrey Dec 2006

Party On: The Right To Voluntary Blanket Primaries, Margaret P. Aisenbrey

Michigan Law Review

Political parties have unique associational rights. In party primaries, party members associate to further their common political beliefs, and more importantly, to nominate candidates. These candidate are the "standard bearer[s]" for the political party-the people who "best represent[ ] the party's ideologies and preferences." The primary represents a "crucial juncture at which the appeal to common principles may be translated into concerted action, and hence to political power in the community." Because the primary is such a critical moment for the political party, the party's asso-ciational rights are most important at this time.


A Tale Of Conflicting Sovereignties: The Case Against Tribal Sovereign Immunity And Federal Preemption Doctrines Preventing States' Enforcement Of Campaign Contribution Regulations On Indian Tribes, Paul Porter Oct 2006

A Tale Of Conflicting Sovereignties: The Case Against Tribal Sovereign Immunity And Federal Preemption Doctrines Preventing States' Enforcement Of Campaign Contribution Regulations On Indian Tribes, Paul Porter

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Note will discuss whether Indian tribes can assert tribal sovereign immunity to avoid compliance with state campaign finance regulation and whether such regulations should be preempted by federal law. Tribal sovereign immunity is not an enshrined constitutional imperative; it exists only under federal common law and can be limited by the courts from blocking state suits to enforce campaign finance regulations against tribes. This Note will also argue that state campaign finance regulations should not be preempted by federal law because states have a compelling interest in protecting their political processes from corruption that outweighs tribal interests in flouting …


Georgia Photo Id Requirement: Proof Positive Of The Need To Extend Section 5, David H. Harris Jr. Apr 2006

Georgia Photo Id Requirement: Proof Positive Of The Need To Extend Section 5, David H. Harris Jr.

North Carolina Central Law Review

No abstract provided.


Making Our Congressional Elections More Competitive; A Proposal For A Limited Number Of Statewide At-Large Elections In Our More Populous States, 39 J. Marshall L. Rev. 1425 (2006), Walter M. Frank Jan 2006

Making Our Congressional Elections More Competitive; A Proposal For A Limited Number Of Statewide At-Large Elections In Our More Populous States, 39 J. Marshall L. Rev. 1425 (2006), Walter M. Frank

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.


The Legislative Privilege To Judge The Qualifications, Elections, And Returns Of Members, Paul E. Salamanca, James E. Keller Jan 2006

The Legislative Privilege To Judge The Qualifications, Elections, And Returns Of Members, Paul E. Salamanca, James E. Keller

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.


Final Report Of The Cuyahoga County Election Review Panel, S. Candice Hoke, Ronald B. Adrine, Tom J. Hayes Jan 2006

Final Report Of The Cuyahoga County Election Review Panel, S. Candice Hoke, Ronald B. Adrine, Tom J. Hayes

Law Faculty Reports and Comments

The Panel was charged with identifying the deficiencies in the May 2, 2006 Cuyahoga County election, ascertain the causes and contributing factors of those deficiencies and provide recommendations to remedy the deficiencies.


Look Homeward Candidate: Evaluating And Reforming Kentucky's Residency Definition And Bona Fides Challenges In Order To Avoid A Potential Crisis In Gubernatorial Elections, S. Chad Meredith Jan 2006

Look Homeward Candidate: Evaluating And Reforming Kentucky's Residency Definition And Bona Fides Challenges In Order To Avoid A Potential Crisis In Gubernatorial Elections, S. Chad Meredith

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.


Foreword: Representation Without Party: Lessons From State Constitutional Attempts To Control Gerrymandering, James A. Gardner Jan 2006

Foreword: Representation Without Party: Lessons From State Constitutional Attempts To Control Gerrymandering, James A. Gardner

Journal Articles

Since the founding, all gerrymandering of election districts, at both the state and congressional levels, has been accomplished by state actors operating almost exclusively under state law. State constitutions have often served as a first line of defense against publicly disfavored practices, and the treatment of gerrymandering is no exception. The state constitutional record reveals a gradual introduction, diffusion, and evolution of a wide variety of provisions intended to control gerrymandering, including requirements of contiguity, compactness, respect for local political boundaries, and preservation of communities of interest, among others. Indeed, such provisions have been validated by the U.S. Supreme Court …


To Elect Or Not To Elect: A Case Study Ofjudicial Selection In New York City 1977-2002, Steven Zeidman Apr 2004

To Elect Or Not To Elect: A Case Study Ofjudicial Selection In New York City 1977-2002, Steven Zeidman

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Article examines the process of judicial selection in New York State in light of the recent court decisions in White and Spargo, which have paved the way for increased campaign speech in judicial elections. Relying on empirical data to compare judicial elections and appointments in New York City between 1977 and 2002, the Article finds that elections produce a judiciary that is more beholden to interest groups than one generated through appointments. The consequence of this greater special interest involvement is an erosion of public trust and confidence in the judiciary. Moreover while elections arguably have increased diversity in …


Public Financing Of Judicial Campaigns: Practices And Prospects , Michael W. Bowers Sep 2003

Public Financing Of Judicial Campaigns: Practices And Prospects , Michael W. Bowers

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.


Malignant Democracy: Core Fallacies Underlying Election Of The Judiciary, Jeffrey W. Stempel Sep 2003

Malignant Democracy: Core Fallacies Underlying Election Of The Judiciary, Jeffrey W. Stempel

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.


Judicial Selection And Evaluation, Center For Democratic Culture At Unlv Sep 2003

Judicial Selection And Evaluation, Center For Democratic Culture At Unlv

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.


Voter Education: The Key To Election Reform Success Lessons From Florida, Susan A. Macmanus Apr 2003

Voter Education: The Key To Election Reform Success Lessons From Florida, Susan A. Macmanus

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Over a dozen national task forces and commissions have analyzed the 2000 presidential election and concluded that electoral system reforms are imperative not just in Florida, but nationwide. Among the common recommendations are elimination of punch card ballots, enhancement of registration procedures and outreach, provision of more accurate voter lists, clear delineation of appeals processes, establishment of voter rights and responsibilities, clarification of recount rules and procedures, securing of accessible polling places, better facilitation of voting and proper counting of absentee ballots, and ensuring provisional ballots available at each precinct. For these reforms to be most effective, the reports say, …