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Election Law Commons™

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2008

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Articles 31 - 60 of 70

Full-Text Articles in Election Law

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: Three Proposals To Introduce The Nationwide Popular Vote In U.S. Presidential Elections, Alexander S. Belenky Jan 2008

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: Three Proposals To Introduce The Nationwide Popular Vote In U.S. Presidential Elections, Alexander S. Belenky

Michigan Law Review First Impressions

The idea of reforming the Electoral College recurs each time a presidential election nears. Polls show that an overwhelming majority of respondents support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of direct popular election of the President. Yet, it is doubtful whether these polls really imply that such a move would be best for the country. Despite the seeming simplicity of direct popular presidential election, its introduction in the United States—a country in which the clear separation of powers between the states and the federal government has existed for more than two centuries—would have hidden drawbacks that the media and pollsters …


Reforming The Electorial College One State At A Time, Thomas W. Hiltachk Jan 2008

Reforming The Electorial College One State At A Time, Thomas W. Hiltachk

Michigan Law Review First Impressions

The genius of our United States Constitution is the delicate balance our Founding Fathers struck between empowering a national government and preserving the inherent sovereignty of individual states. Any proposed governmental reform that would interfere with that balance should be looked upon skeptically. Recent proposals to do away with the Electoral College in favor of a national popular vote for President deserve such careful examination. But that does not mean that reform is out of reach. We have only to look to the Constitution itself to find that the answer lies in the self-interest of each state. I am an …


Democratic Principle And Electoral College Reform, Ethan J. Leib, Eli J. Mark Jan 2008

Democratic Principle And Electoral College Reform, Ethan J. Leib, Eli J. Mark

Michigan Law Review First Impressions

The Electoral College is a relic from another time and is in tension with the modern constitutional command of “one person, one vote.” But the Electoral College is, nevertheless, ensconced in our Constitution—and, as a result, we would need to amend the document to alter or abolish it from our political fabric. Still, some states are toying with state-based Electoral College reforms. Thus, irrespective of whether voters in those states favor the abolition of the Electoral College through a federal constitutional amendment, they must critically examine the democratic merits of these statebased reform options. Categorically rejecting all state-based reform is …


Ideological Endowment: The Staying Power Of The Electoral College And The Weaknesses Of The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Daniel P. Rathbun Jan 2008

Ideological Endowment: The Staying Power Of The Electoral College And The Weaknesses Of The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Daniel P. Rathbun

Michigan Law Review First Impressions

The National Popular Vote (“NPV”) movement is designed to eliminate the federalist impact of the Electoral College without amending the Constitution. By fashioning an interstate compact to grant participating states’ electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, NPV proponents suppose they can induce states to forfeit their electoral “weights” and replace the current, federalist election process with a fully majoritarian one. But by leaving the Electoral College in place, the NPV movement is setting itself up for a double pushback: first, in the form of immediate legal resistance, and second, through states’ long-term involvement in a meaningfully …


Equal Voice By Half Measures, John Mark Hansen Jan 2008

Equal Voice By Half Measures, John Mark Hansen

Michigan Law Review First Impressions

In democratic theory, the ballot is the most perfect expression of the democratic commitment to the moral equality of persons. Every citizen, whether old or young, rich or poor, sophisticated or simple, enjoys the same endowment in an election: a single vote. The ballot not only gives citizens their voice in government, it also makes their voices equal. In practice, however, democracies have erected all sorts of impediments to the ideal of equal voice, such as restrictions on suffrage, legislative malapportionments, and discriminatory gerrymanders. Among the most egregious impediments, however, are surely the systems of indirect election purported to filter …


Awarding Presidential Electors By Congressional District: Wrong For California, Wrong For The Nation, Sam Hirsch Jan 2008

Awarding Presidential Electors By Congressional District: Wrong For California, Wrong For The Nation, Sam Hirsch

Michigan Law Review First Impressions

The unfairness of the proposed California Presidential Election Reform Act is obvious: in a close election, the Act virtually assures that California’s fifty-five electoral votes, which would be expected to go entirely to the Democratic presidential candidate under the traditional statewide-winner-takeall system, will instead be split, with more than a third of them going to the Republican candidate. Implementing this “reform” in the nation’s largest Democratic state, but not in any of the large Republican states (like Texas), is roughly the equivalent of handing over to the Republicans the state of Illinois. What is less obvious is that the Act …


An Unsafe Harbor: Recounts, Contests, And The Electoral College, Daniel P. Tokaji Jan 2008

An Unsafe Harbor: Recounts, Contests, And The Electoral College, Daniel P. Tokaji

Michigan Law Review First Impressions

Although recent proposals for modifying the Electoral College process have focused mainly on how electoral votes are assigned, another problem with the current system has received less attention: the timetable for resolving post-election disputes over electors. Under 3 U.S.C. § 5, the so-called “safe harbor” provision of federal law, a state can be assured of having its chosen slate of electors recognized only if post-election disputes are resolved within thirty-five days of Election Day. As a practical matter, this provision doesn’t provide states enough time to complete recount and contest proceedings in the event of a close, contested election. This …


Why John Mccain Was A Citizen At Birth, Stephen E. Sachs Jan 2008

Why John Mccain Was A Citizen At Birth, Stephen E. Sachs

Michigan Law Review First Impressions

Senator John McCain was born a citizen in 1936. Professor Gabriel J. Chin challenges this view in this Symposium, arguing that McCain’s birth in the Panama Canal Zone (while his father was stationed there by the Navy) fell into a loophole in the governing statute. The best historical evidence, however, suggests that this loophole is an illusion and that McCain is a “natural born Citizen” eligible to be president.


Mccain’S Citizenship And Constitutional Method, Peter J. Spiro Jan 2008

Mccain’S Citizenship And Constitutional Method, Peter J. Spiro

Michigan Law Review First Impressions

Many things may obstruct John McCain’s path to the White House, but his citizenship status is not among them. The question of his eligibility, given the circumstances of his birth, has already been resolved. That outcome has been produced by actors outside the courts. . . . If non-judicial actors—including Congress, editorialists, leading members of the bar, and the People themselves—manage to generate a constitutional consensus, there isn’t much that the courts can do about it. In cases such as this one, at least, that seems to be an acceptable method of constitutional determination.


Originalism And The Natural Born Citizen Clause, Lawrence B. Solum Jan 2008

Originalism And The Natural Born Citizen Clause, Lawrence B. Solum

Michigan Law Review First Impressions

The enigmatic phrase “natural born citizen” poses a series of problems for contemporary originalism. New Originalists, like Justice Scalia, focus on the original public meaning of the constitutional text. The notion of a “natural born citizen” was likely a term of art derived from the idea of a “natural born subject” in English law—a category that most likely did not extend to persons, like Senator McCain, who were born outside sovereign territory. But the Constitution speaks of “citizens” and not “subjects,” introducing uncertainties and ambiguities that might (or might not) make McCain eligible for the presidency.


Why Senator John Mccain Cannot Be President: Eleven Months And A Hundred Yards Short Of Citizenship, Gabriel Chin Jan 2008

Why Senator John Mccain Cannot Be President: Eleven Months And A Hundred Yards Short Of Citizenship, Gabriel Chin

Michigan Law Review First Impressions

Article II, section 1 of the Constitution provides that “No Person except a natural born Citizen . . . shall be eligible to the Office of President . . . .” A person must be a citizen at birth to be a natural born citizen. Senator McCain was born in the Canal Zone in 1936. Although he is now a U.S. citizen, the law in effect in 1936 did not grant him citizenship at birth. Because he was not born a citizen, he is not eligible to the office of president.


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.


Hava's Matching/Id Requirement: A Meaningless Tale Told By... Congress, Nathan Cemenska Jan 2008

Hava's Matching/Id Requirement: A Meaningless Tale Told By... Congress, Nathan Cemenska

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

This Article explores the question of whether HAVA requires matching, as well as the subsidiary question of whether HAVA mandates matching in states requiring voters to present a form of identification at the time of voting. The first question is a close one. However, on the second question, at least some courts are likely to conclude that HAVA exempts a state from having a matching program if the state requires identification from every voter at the polls. This Article makes a few modest recommendations to administrators trying to avoid the possibility of a lawsuit.


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 …


Democracy And The Secretary: The Crucial Role Of State Election And Administrators In Promoting Accuracy And Access To Democracy, Jocelyn Benson Jan 2008

Democracy And The Secretary: The Crucial Role Of State Election And Administrators In Promoting Accuracy And Access To Democracy, Jocelyn Benson

Law Faculty Research Publications

No abstract provided.


Exempt Organizations In The 2008 Election: Will Wisconsin Right To Life Bring Changes?, Frances R. Hill Jan 2008

Exempt Organizations In The 2008 Election: Will Wisconsin Right To Life Bring Changes?, Frances R. Hill

Articles

No abstract provided.


Corporate Political Speech And The Balance Of Powers: A New Framework For Campaign Finance Jurisprudence In Wisconsin Right To Life, Frances R. Hill Jan 2008

Corporate Political Speech And The Balance Of Powers: A New Framework For Campaign Finance Jurisprudence In Wisconsin Right To Life, Frances R. Hill

Articles

No abstract provided.


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 …


Mcconnell V. Federal Election Commission: The Problem Of Eradicating Campaign Finance Corruption, Michelle C. Gabriel Jan 2008

Mcconnell V. Federal Election Commission: The Problem Of Eradicating Campaign Finance Corruption, Michelle C. Gabriel

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

Immediately after the BCRA became law, its constitutionality was Supreme Court of the United States upheld all of the Act's major provisions. This Article will examine four main empirical claims the Court makes in McConnell: (1) wealthy campaign donors are able to buy greater access to politicians with campaign contributions, (2) limits on freedom to associate within party committees are necessary in order to prevent campaign finance abuses, (3) reductions in campaign funding will not inhibit political campaigns, and (4) those who purchase campaign advertisements must be identified so voters are not misled by the advertisements' messages. The first two …


Baker V. Carr, 369 U.S. 186 (1962), Henry L. Chambers, Jr. Jan 2008

Baker V. Carr, 369 U.S. 186 (1962), Henry L. Chambers, Jr.

Law Faculty Publications

Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186 (1962) marked the U.S. Supreme Court's entry into the "political thicket" of apportionment and electoral politics that Justice Felix Frankfurter, in his opinion in Colegroe v. Green, 328 U.S. 549 (1946), warned the Court that it should avoid.


From John F. Kennedy’S 1960 Campaign Speech To Christian Supremacy: Religion In Modern Presidential Politics, Stephen A. Newman Jan 2008

From John F. Kennedy’S 1960 Campaign Speech To Christian Supremacy: Religion In Modern Presidential Politics, Stephen A. Newman

Articles & Chapters

No abstract provided.


Davis V. Federal Election Commission: Constitutional Right To Ensure Campaign Finance Advantage, W. Clayton Landa Jan 2008

Davis V. Federal Election Commission: Constitutional Right To Ensure Campaign Finance Advantage, W. Clayton Landa

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

Davis has raised numerous campaign finance issues: the precise definition of corruption in the electoral process; whether the government has an important interest in leveling the playing field of campaign finance to battle the perception that money can buy a seat in Congress; whether variations in contribution limits actually chill political speech by discouraging a candidate from self-financing; and, even if it does, whether the government interest is sufficient to allow raised limits. Part II of this note explores the history of campaign finance regulation through Congress and the courts, specifically focusing on self-financed candidates and the consideration of expenditure …


"Now For A Clean Sweep!": Smiley V. Holm, Partisan Gerrymandering, And At-Large Congressional Elections, Benedict J. Schweigert Jan 2008

"Now For A Clean Sweep!": Smiley V. Holm, Partisan Gerrymandering, And At-Large Congressional Elections, Benedict J. Schweigert

Michigan Law Review

The 1930 Census reduced Minnesota's apportionment in the U.S. House of Representatives from ten to nine, requiring the state to draw new congressional districts. The Republican-led state legislature passed a gerrymandered redistricting bill in an attempt to insulate its nine incumbents in the state's delegation from the party's expected loss of the statewide popular vote to the insurgent Farmer-Labor Party. When the Farmer-Labor Governor, Floyd B. Olson, vetoed the redistricting bill, the legislature claimed the bill could take effect without the governor's signature. In Smiley v. Holm, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the veto was effective and that …


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 …


Mcconnell V. Federal Election Commission: The Problem Of Eradicating Campaign Finance Corruption, Michelle C. Gabriel Jan 2008

Mcconnell V. Federal Election Commission: The Problem Of Eradicating Campaign Finance Corruption, Michelle C. Gabriel

Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest

Immediately after the BCRA became law, its constitutionality was Supreme Court of the United States upheld all of the Act's major provisions. This Article will examine four main empirical claims the Court makes in McConnell: (1) wealthy campaign donors are able to buy greater access to politicians with campaign contributions, (2) limits on freedom to associate within party committees are necessary in order to prevent campaign finance abuses, (3) reductions in campaign funding will not inhibit political campaigns, and (4) those who purchase campaign advertisements must be identified so voters are not misled by the advertisements' messages. The first two …


Davis V. Federal Election Commission: Constitutional Right To Ensure Campaign Finance Advantage, W. Clayton Landa Jan 2008

Davis V. Federal Election Commission: Constitutional Right To Ensure Campaign Finance Advantage, W. Clayton Landa

Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest

Davis has raised numerous campaign finance issues: the precise definition of corruption in the electoral process; whether the government has an important interest in leveling the playing field of campaign finance to battle the perception that money can buy a seat in Congress; whether variations in contribution limits actually chill political speech by discouraging a candidate from self-financing; and, even if it does, whether the government interest is sufficient to allow raised limits. Part II of this note explores the history of campaign finance regulation through Congress and the courts, specifically focusing on self-financed candidates and the consideration of expenditure …


The Elusive Cap And Gown: The Impact Of Tax Policy On Access To Higher Education For Law-Income Individuals And Families, Phyllis C. Taite Jan 2008

The Elusive Cap And Gown: The Impact Of Tax Policy On Access To Higher Education For Law-Income Individuals And Families, Phyllis C. Taite

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.


The American Presidency, The 2008 Election, And The Constitution's Natural Born Citizenship Proviso, Sarah Helene Duggin, Mary Beth Collins Jan 2008

The American Presidency, The 2008 Election, And The Constitution's Natural Born Citizenship Proviso, Sarah Helene Duggin, Mary Beth Collins

Scholarly Articles

The following discussion describes the historical context of the natural born citizenship clause; explores some of the issues the proviso raises in contemporary American society, particularly its impact on Senator McCain and future presidential hopefuls; and offers a brief reflection on why the United States needs to amend Article II to eliminate natural born citizenship as a qualification for the presidency and vice presidency.


Democratic Principle And Electoral College Reform, Ethan J. Leib, Eli J. Mark Jan 2008

Democratic Principle And Electoral College Reform, Ethan J. Leib, Eli J. Mark

Faculty Scholarship

The Electoral College is a relic from another time and is in tension with the modern constitutional command of “one person, one vote.” But the Electoral College is, nevertheless, ensconced in our Constitution—and, as a result, we would need to amend the document to alter or abolish it from our political fabric. Still, some states are toying with state-based Electoral College reforms. Thus, irrespective of whether voters in those states favor the abolition of the Electoral College through a federal constitutional amendment, they must critically examine the democratic merits of these state-based reform options. Categorically rejecting all state-based reform is …


Silent Victims No More?: Moral Indignation And The Potential For Latino Political Mobilization In Defense Of Immigrants, Raquel Aldana Jan 2008

Silent Victims No More?: Moral Indignation And The Potential For Latino Political Mobilization In Defense Of Immigrants, Raquel Aldana

McGeorge School of Law Scholarly Articles

No abstract provided.