Whatever our skin color, background or zip code, most of us believe that elections should be inclusive and accessible.
However, many voters in our country encounter an election system that is inaccessible and presents burdensome barriers to making our voices heard.
Whether we live in a small town or a big city, we need elections that voters can...
On July 19, 2021, the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration held a Senate field hearing in Atlanta, Georgia to build momentum to pass federal legislation that would enact national baseline standards for voting access. This was the committee’s first field hearing in 20 years, underscoring the importance of protecting Americans’ freedom...
By Nicholas Anway, a Summer 2021 CLC law intern
No matter our race, background or zip code, for our democracy to work for us all, it must include us all. Yet, since the 2020 election, some states are making it harder to vote, especially for Black, young and new Americans.
When politicians put up deliberate barriers to silence voters’ voices based...
Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld two Arizona policies that a lower court had found discriminated against voters of color. This decision in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee is the latest effort by the Court’s majority to weaken the Voting Rights Act.
But while the decision makes it more difficult to bring and win...
Campaign Legal Center (CLC) has filed a complaint against a group of 23 super PACs, including groups tied to both Democratic and Republican leadership, for working to conceal their affiliation from American voters.
The super PACs at the heart of this complaint are so-called “pop-up” super PACs. Despite being mostly or entirely funded by a D.C...
Our nation, and our elections, have changed dramatically in 130 years. As our country has moved from the 19th, through the 20th and into the 21st century, one dated piece of legislation continues to govern the critical process of casting and counting electoral votes: the Electoral Count Act (ECA).
What is the Electoral Count Act?
The president and...
For the seventh time in five years, CLC filed rulemaking comments urging the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to act on REG 2011-02: Internet Communication Disclaimers. This rulemaking has been languishing for almost a decade, during which time the FEC’s regulation of political advertising—especially digital ads—has become dangerously outdated.
CLC...
Last week, Maine missed an opportunity to combat foreign interference in its elections and further build confidence in its electoral process. After the state legislature passed LD 194, a bipartisan bill that would prohibit foreign governments and foreign government-owned corporations from spending to influence state and local ballot measure...
By Michelle Fraling, a Summer 2021 CLC law intern
In June 2021, for the first time, New York City voters cast their ballots for mayor using ranked choice voting (RCV). RCV allows voters to rank their candidates in order of preference. When results are tallied, if none of the candidates have a majority of the first-place votes, then the votes for...
On July 1, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld two Arizona policies that make it harder for Latino, Native American and Black voters to vote. The decision establishes strict guideposts to assess challenges to election law in the future, making it more difficult to bring challenges to discriminatory voting laws under Section 2 of the Voting Rights...
The desire of wealthy special interests to make anonymous political contributions cannot be permitted to overrule the well-established precedents upholding disclosure laws.
Americans for Prosperity Foundation and the Thomas More Law Center failed to comply with California state law by refusing to provide a list of their largest donors—the...
A Business Insider article published on June 29, 2021 revealed that Rep. Pat Fallon (R-T.X.) failed to properly disclose 93 stock trades worth between $7.8 and $17.53 million dollars in January through mid-April of this year in violation of House ethics rules and federal law.
With his failure to disclose these stock transactions, Fallon now...
Campaign Legal Center (CLC) and Center on Science & Technology Policy (CSTP) at Duke University filed a rulemaking petition with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on June 29, 2021 asking the agency to close transparency loopholes that have allowed campaigns and political action committees (PAC) to disguise millions of dollars in political...
The U.S. Supreme Court declared it was unable and unwilling to use its powers to stop partisan gerrymandering in the majority opinion authored by Chief Justice John Roberts on June 27, 2019 in the case Rucho v. Common Cause.
Despite this setback, two years later, the fight to create fair maps during the 2021 redistricting cycle that allow voters...
In many states, voters have the freedom to choose how they will cast their ballot: whether in-person on Election Day, early at a local voting center or by sending in their ballot securely through the mail.
However, in too many states, voters’ freedom is more restricted, and this can result in voters being unable to make their voices heard.
Whet...
On June 21, a federal district court upheld a New Jersey law that bans banks and certain other corporations, like public utilities and insurance companies, from making political contributions. This decision is a victory for the people of New Jersey—and all Americans—as it protects public faith in the integrity of our government.
By upholding New...
Tuesday, June 29 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern Time.
In an age when American media faces crises and challenges on multiple fronts, Saving the News: Why the Constitution Calls for Action to Preserve Freedom of Speech, a new book by legal scholar and former dean of Harvard Law School Martha Minow, offers potential solutions and examines the basis...
On June 22, 2021, the leadership of the U.S. Senate brought the For the People Act to the floor for a vote on whether to begin debate – an event that marked just the beginning of the battle to pass the bill in the Senate.
Although there were 50 votes in favor yesterday, with the vice president on hand to break the tie and provide the 51st vote...
This piece originally ran in Election Law Blog, a blog by law professor Rick Hasen focused on election law and the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court’s upcoming decision in Brnovich v. DNC will determine whether Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) remains a viable tool in the urgent fight to protect the freedom to vote. It would be a huge...
Campaign Legal Center Action (CLCA) has served the Federal Election Commission (FEC) with a lawsuit, on behalf of End Citizens United (ECU), related to former President Trump’s campaign’s violation of campaign finance law.
The lawsuit relates to a 2019 complaint, filed by CLC and ECU, aiming to hold the Trump campaign accountable for unlawfully...
On March 7, 2021—the anniversary of Bloody Sunday—President Biden issued an executive order to promote access to voting. This historic executive order recognizes that not all voters in America have equal and accessible pathways to the ballot box.
Certain voters—including voters of color and Native American voters, voters with disabilities, low...