Election Law Society

Scrutiny on Louisiana Congressional District

Election Law Society · 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. [Read more…] about Scrutiny on Louisiana Congressional District

Redistricting Reform Resurgence in the Badger State

Election Law Society · 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. [Read more…] about Redistricting Reform Resurgence in the Badger State

A Hot Mess: Confusion and Frustration over Arizona’s Campaign Finance Laws

Election Law Society · 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. [Read more…] about A Hot Mess: Confusion and Frustration over Arizona’s Campaign Finance Laws

California Sunshine Shines Light on Dark Money Scandal

Election Law Society · 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.

Messing with Texas: Election Passes, But Litigation Continues

Election Law Society · January 10, 2014 ·

By Melissa Jensen

Election Day on November 5 marked the first time Texas’ controversial voter ID laws were affected in the state. And the results were mixed. There is little evidence that the law suppressed voter turnout. Out of the state’s 13.4 million registered voters, only 1.1 million cast ballots in the 2013 election, about 8.5 percent of the electorate. Compare this to 2011 and 2009, other election “off years.” In 2011 when only 5.4 percent of voters showed up. In 2009, about 1 million people cast ballots, about 8.1 percent of the electorate. So as far as the numbers go, voting seemed on par.