Voting
Supreme Court Won't Lift Freeze In Florida Felon Voting Rights Case
The state has barred hundreds of thousands of residents with felony records from voting without first paying off their court fines and fees.
Despite Reports, Kanye West Apparently Still Running for President
He has added strong anti-abortion and anti-vaccine views to his public profile, and said it was racist to think blacks needed to vote Democrat.
Amid Coronavirus Fears, 2 States Will Allow Online Voting
West Virginia and Delaware are letting citizens vote via their phones and tablets. Security experts warn the tech is still risky.
Federal Judge: Florida Can't Block Voting Rights Because of Inability To Pay Court Fines
A law passed by Florida Republicans to limit a constitutional amendment restoring voting rights to felony offenders violates the 14th and 24th Amendments, the judge ruled.
Why Does Trump Want To Stop People From Voting by Mail?
And why does he think he has the power to do that?
Trump's Threat to Withhold Federal Funds from States that Expand Voting By Mail Highlights Growing Menace to Federalism and Separation of Powers
A president who can attach his own new conditions to federal grants to states could use that power to undermine state autonomy on many issues - especially now that federal spending has been massively expanded during the coronavirus crisis.
Suffrage
From our modern vantage point, it's easy to scorn some decisions that suffrage movement leaders made. Suffrage adds context.
Salty Sanders Supporters Say They Won't Settle For Biden
Plus: Yang endorses Biden, Klobuchar's antitrust bill, and more...
Mandatory Voting Will Build Resentment, Not Democracy
Fining non-voters would show that government is all about forcing people to do things just to make politicians happy.
Florida May Not Re-Disenfranchise Ex-Felons Unable to Pay Court Fines and Fees
It is unconstitutional, the 11th Circuit holds, for Florida to deny voting rights to ex-felons solely because they have outstanding fines or fees. to vote And yes, "re-disenfranchise" is a real word.
Federal Appeals Court: Florida Can't Require Payment of Court Debts To Regain Voting Rights
"Equally guilty but wealthier felons are offered access to the ballot while these plaintiffs continue to be disenfranchised, perhaps forever."
California Took Voters' Choices Away. Now One Lawmaker Wants to Make Voting Mandatory.
You have this Democrat or this other Democrat. What other options do you need?
There's Nothing Special About Iowa. Time To Let Other States Vote First.
Letting any single state go first is a mistake. But a national primary would be problematic too. Luckily, those aren't the only two options.
Elizabeth Warren Wants To Make It a Crime To Give Out Fake Info About Voting
When politicians call to punish “disinformation,” we should worry about what that definition encompasses.
In Advisory Opinion, Florida Supreme Court Says State Can Require Ex-Felons To Pay Fines Before Having Their Voting Rights Restored
The Court argues that Amendment 4's language covers financial obligations, not just terms of imprisonment and supervised release.
My Forthcoming Book "Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom"
It will be published by Oxford University Press in April.
New Kentucky Governor Restores Voting Rights to 140,000 Nonviolent Felons
Meanwhile, outgoing Gov. Matt Bevin made some controversial pardon choices as he headed for the door.
Boise's New Stadium Referendum Requirement Should Be a Model for Other Cities
A proposition approved last week will require a majority of city voters to approve any future stadium project that uses more than $5 million in public money.
When Ranked-Choice Voting Comes to New York City, Expect More Voter Participation, Not Radical Changes
Voters won’t have to worry as much about having to choose between similar candidates or “throwing away” votes on third-party choices.
Election Day 2019 Was Bad for Republicans. But Is It Really All Trump's Fault?
Plus: A ranked-choice voting win, a scheduled execution in Georgia, Twitter wavers on political issue ad ban, and more...
Federal Judge: Florida Can't Block Felons From Regaining Voting Rights For Inability to Pay Fines
The ruling is a partial victory for civil liberties groups, who argue that lawmakers were subverting a constitutional amendment expected to restore voting rights to 1.4 million Floridians.
Federal Judge Says California Can't Force Trump To Release His Tax Returns in Exchange for Ballot Access
Written ruling says the state is violating the rights of voters as well as the presidential candidates.
India Is Riding the Nativist Wave to Launch the Biggest Decitizenship Drive in Human History
This is a giant step in advancing Prime Minister Nardendra Modi's vision of India as a Hindu nation.
Trump's Census Surrender Hints at the Real Reason He Tried to Add a Citizenship Question
Even if the president's motives were partisan, a more plausible cover story would have been enough to pass judicial muster.
Bernie Sanders Is Right: We Should Let the Boston Marathon Bomber Vote
Incarcerated people are already paying their debt to society. What good does it do the rest of the population to take away their right to have a say?
Florida Republicans Advance Bill That Would Sharply Limit Restoration of Voting Rights to Felony Offenders
A Florida House committee advanced a bill that would require people with felony records to pay off their court debts before they could regain the right to vote.
Reforming Democracy
A new symposium outlines several ideas for improving our democratic system. All are worth considering. But none are likely to be as good as expanding opportunities for people to "vote with their feet."
Politicians in Oregon and California Want To Give 16- and 17-Year-Olds the Right To Vote
We trust young people to make a lot of weighty decisions. Voting should be one of them.
Tennessee Bill Would Restore Felons' Voting Rights
More than 8 percent of the state's population is currently disenfranchised.
Democracy in Decline?
If its recent record is any indication, Winston Churchill might have been wrong about democracy.
Don't Fear Independents Like Howard Schultz! Politics Should Be More Like a Starbucks Menu
There are more forms of hepatitis than there are major parties in America.
Should Longtime Expats Have the Right to Vote in Elections?
A Canadian Supreme Court decision striking down a law denying the right to vote to expats who have resided abroad for over five years raises broader questions about democratic theory.
Introduction to my book "Democracy and Political Ignorance: Why Smaller Government is Smarter" Now Available on SSRN
The Introduction to the revised second edition summarizes the rest of the book, and is available for free.
Maine Decides All Its Registered Libertarian Voters Are No Longer Registered Libertarians
Now the Party needs to register over 5,000 voters to get on the ballot in 2020, even though it already had that many before the state arbitrarily changed their registration.
Federal Judge Upholds Maine's Ranked-Choice Voting
A Republican representative lost his seat in the new instant runoff system, so he sued.
California's Top-Two Voting System Keeps Leaving Voters Without Options
Given only two candidates from the same party, millions just don't choose at all.
Should We Let Children Vote? The Troubling Implications of Standard Reasons for Rejecting a Flawed Idea
Few will agree with Cambridge political scientist David Runciman's proposal to lower the voting age to 6. But standard reasons for rejecting the idea raise serious questions about many adult voters, too.
Political Ignorance and George H.W. Bush's Defeat in the 1992 Election
Bush lost because voters punished him for the recession of the early 1990s - an event he did not cause. This is just one example of a broader phenomenon of voters rewarding and punishing politicians for things they do not control.
Has Anti-Racism Become as Harmful as Racism? John McWhorter vs. Nikhil Singh
Watch the Oxford-style debate hosted by the Soho Forum.
8 Years in Prison for Voting Illegally Is Way Too Much
But not according Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Ranked-Choice Voting Flips House Seat in Maine
GOP Rep. Bruce Poliquin fails to get a majority vote. Jared Golden joins the House's new Democratic majority.
Does Trump Really Think You Need ID to Buy a Box of Breakfast Cereal?
Also, are people putting on disguises so they can vote more than once?
