State of Elections

William & Mary Law School | Election Law Society

Some Special Interests More Special than Others

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By: Joe Castor

Which special interests have the most clout in New Jersey? On September 10th, the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission released a study of the amount of money in New Jersey elections controlled by special interests. The report found that from 1999-2013 special interests poured in over $311 million. Special interests from unions to large business interests all take part in the massive election spending spree in New Jersey. This money is calculated from spending on campaign contributions, lobbying, and independent spending on campaigns. [Read more…] about Some Special Interests More Special than Others

The Primary Problem

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By Staff Writer:

As the turmoil over the election season comes to a close, the battle between Thad Cochran and Chris McDaniel seems to have finally been put to rest. The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled in late October that McDaniel had missed the twenty day deadline to challenge the results of the primary runoff. However, as some conservative supporters were quick to point out, the Court never reached the merits of the case. McDaniel’s claims were dismissed based on court precedent, not black letter law, regarding timely filing. This lead some online news sources to question whether the law was properly applied or whether McDaniel might challenge Cochran’s seating in the Senate. However, despite the McDaniel campaign’s continued assertion that true justice has been denied, it appears that Thad Cochran will serve a seventh term as a U.S. Senator for Mississippi.    [Read more…] about The Primary Problem

Oil-lections: North Dakota Elections Are Corrupted But Nothing Needs To Change

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By August Johannsen

North Dakota is perhaps best known for the Midwestern “charm” portrayed in the 1996 film, Fargo. However, even that movie took place almost entirely in Minnesota. In other words, North Dakota is about as nondescript a State as States come. But then North Dakota suddenly hit the national headlines when technological advances allowed for the extraction of oil from the state’s Bakken Shale Formation. This oil boom has drastically increased the state’s financial well-being, its oil output, and its population. By now, you may be asking, “What does this have to do with state election law?” The answer is, “A lot.” [Read more…] about Oil-lections: North Dakota Elections Are Corrupted But Nothing Needs To Change

California Considers Compulsory Voting: Getting out the Vote in the Golden State

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By Aaron Colby:

There was little mystery or controversy to California’s elections this year. In the 2014 elections, the historically ‘blue’ state elected a Democrat governor and lieutenant governor by over 15 percentage points each, and chose a democrat for the office of Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, and Attorney General all by greater than 5 percentage points. Democrats hold a supermajority in the State Assembly and are close to having a supermajority in the State Senate. While California has republican representation in its congressional districts, 72% of the State’s congresspersons are Democrat. [Read more…] about California Considers Compulsory Voting: Getting out the Vote in the Golden State