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Democracy |
What We Learned from Iowa |
More than a week has passed since the Iowa caucus debacle, but the systems breakdown urgently reminds us that election officials must be ready to respond when problems arise. In an op-ed for the Washington Post, the Brennan Center’s Lawrence Norden outlines four things election officials can do to help keep the 2020 election cycle free, fair, and secure. |
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Beyond botched election reporting and embarrassing election administration glitches, something more sinister was afoot in Iowa. Even before caucus night, partisan operatives and agitators were sowing distrust in the Iowa caucus. This originated with tweets by a conservative activist group claiming several of the state’s counties had more voters on their rolls than eligible voters in the county. Their specific claim was quickly debunked, but it continued to proliferate on social media. |
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“This is a grimly familiar playbook from the Trump administration and its allies, and we are likely just seeing the opening salvo in a campaign to undermine trust in the results of the 2020 election if it doesn’t go his way,” write the Brennan Center’s Wendy Weiser and Max Feldman. // Read More |
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A Flurry of Activity Around Voting Laws |
In state capitols, a stream of newly introduced bills would make it harder or easier to vote. In 29 states, lawmakers have introduced a total of 188 bills that would expand access to the ballot. Typically, they eased registration or reduced restrictions on
absentee voting. |
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But it isn’t all good news. In 15 states, there are 35 bills would restrict access to the vote. Of note: several new proposed strict voter ID requirements. We also continue to see proposed curbs on who may help voters, and aggressive penalties for election-related offenses. // Read More |
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How to Design Better Ballots |
Remember the Florida 2000 recount? Well-intentioned officials designed a ballot that inadvertently led thousands to vote for the wrong candidate. A presidency was decided. Bad ballot design still has cost hundreds of thousands of votes in recent elections. It’s an
avoidable problem. Ahead of the 2020 election, a new Brennan Center analysis highlights recent examples of skilled and badly designed ballots. |
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“With this year’s elections projected to have record turnout and tight margins across the nation, bad design should not be a cause of doubt about their fairness and accuracy,” write the Brennan Center’s Andrea Córdova McCadney and Lawrence Norden. // Read More |
Rescuing Regulation |
Some Supreme Court
justices have suggested that if given the chance, they would take the radical step of eliminating Congress’ ability to delegate substantive policymaking roles to federal agencies. This could quickly become an environmental and public health crisis. |
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For most of a century, Congress has set policy goals and then delegated some of the details to expert agencies. That makes sense, given the technical nuance often required. Meanwhile, Congress’ own expert agencies have atrophied. “The time is now for Congress to build out its own expert capacity so that it can oversee — and, if necessary, try to compensate for the loss of — the highly technical expert decision-making that executive agencies have long performed,” writes the Brennan Center’s Martha Kinsella. // Read More |
The
Wrong Way to Reform Judicial Elections |
The role of judges in our democracy is to serve as an independent check on the political branches. But in states around the country, judicial independence has been under attack. Last year, at least 25 states considered legislation that would have politicized courts or weakened the judiciary. The latest example comes from Pennsylvania, where state lawmakers are considering legislation that would change the way appellate judges join or stay on the bench. |
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“Pennsylvania’s method of choosing judges is in clear need of reform,” writes the Brennan Center’s Patrick Berry. “But any changes to how judges are selected must be designed to protect judicial independence and avoid political and special interest pressure on the state’s judiciary.” // Read More |
