William & Mary Law School | Election Law Society
By: Kira Simon
This weekend was the deadline for Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to act on the bills that Virginia’s general assembly passed in the 2020 session. Virginia residents can now expect a slew of laws expanding voting rights to go into effect in the Commonwealth.The governor announced his signature on a variety of bills, that will: [Read more…] about Virginia Votes for Rights: A Legislative Roundup of New Election Laws
By: James Lomonosoff
No election is perfect. Indeed, one reason the Virginia Department of Elections regularly releases a report summing up the year’s election day complaints is likely to demonstrate the fallibility inherent in any human-run electoral system. Another reason, naturally enough, is so that the number of complaints and what matter they relate to can be tracked over time. In November 2018, as that year’s after-action report indicates, there were around 25 complaints related to “ballot” incidents. What might prompt a ballot-related complaint?
By: George Townsend
When the Nebraska legislature meets in January 2020 one of the bills up for consideration will be LB 83, which would restore the right to vote to citizens convicted of felonies once they have completed their sentence and parole.
[Read more…] about Nebraska Makes a Second Try at Post-Sentence Felony Re-enfranchisement
By: David Lim
Last year, Democrats took the New York legislature for the first time in a decade. This is important given the state’s notorious reputation of having highly restrictive voting laws and corruption in public office. By flipping the state Senate, New York has a unique opportunity to implement meaningful election and campaign finance reform. Indeed, state Democrats have been taking advantage of the opportunity. In the past year, Albany has enacted several reforms, including, but not limited to, early voting, more paid time off to vote, and holding both state and federal primary elections on the same day. Most notably, these reforms did not touch on campaign finance reform. However, this is not to say that New York is not doing anything about it.
[Read more…] about How New York is Pioneering Campaign Finance Reform
At a basic level, voter ID laws seem perfectly rational. Election security is important and requiring voters to present identification looks like a good way to prevent fraud. Yet in the United States, voter ID laws have been sharply criticized because in practice, they tend to disenfranchise voters and have the potential to reduce participation by discouraging voters from heading to the polls. Many Americans may lack the required ID and face barriers to obtaining one.
[Read more…] about Opinion: The Problem with Voter ID in North Dakota