Author Archives: ELECTIONLAWCENTER.COM

Rick Hasen Resorts to Name Calling

For a couple of months I’ve pointed out that Pam Karlan has published false scholarship in the Duke Law journal about the Bush administration’s record of voting rights enforcement.  I cover all the details here.  I became particularly interested in Karlan’s false scholarship after she attacked George Will in the Washington Post for using imprecise language, as she called it.  

Over time, it was amusing watching two things.  First, Cal Irvine law professor Rick Hasen is quick to pester any conservative about perceived errors, or, even failing to post one of his comments or mail him a grand jury report that someone obtained.  While pestering conservatives in the strangest and most obsessive of ways, he gives a pass to the false scholarship of a left wing professor.  If he ignored people like John Fund or Hans von Spakvosky, instead of disparaging them, I would ignore him.  But he can’t seem to ignore them, yet fully ignores Karlans falsehoods.

For pointing this out, the “scholar” proclaims the observations of his biased inconsistencies are from “bizzaro world.”   Tough thoughtful stuff, it is.  But a playground style deflection of the contrast between his obsession with Fund/vonSpakovsky and his near hero-worship of the dishonest Karlan isn’t bizzaro world, or even bizarre.  Its a simple observation that he doesn’t shoot straight, but far too many people think he does (probably including most of his students).

It isn’t “bizzaro world” to point this out, and you’d expect more from someone who seems to strive to be taken oh-so-seriously.

National Review: “Strike Down Section 5″

A piece at National Review by a writer at National Review.  National Review says:


“Representative John Lewis certainly deserves the nation’s thanks for the fight he led during the civil-rights movement. But his latest commentary in the Washington Post, about the Shelby County case and the Voting Rights Act, shows that he is living in the past. The South has changed since he marched from Selma to Montgomery nearly 50 years ago.


Even the article’s headline is deceptive: “Why we still need the Voting Rights Act.” The entire VRA is not at issue in the Shelby case. The justices will be hearing arguments on Wednesday about the continued constitutionality of Section 5 only.




Disturbing: A Glimpse the the US Gov. Race “Thought Police”

Kathleen Parker at the Washington Post has this disturbing tour through “diversity” training in the Executive Branch of the Federal Government.  Some nasty stops on the tour:

“Lessons include such angst-inspiring tropes as the U.S. has destroyed other nations, we all commit sins of discrimination, and America should repent.

One does not have to be a flag-waving, uber-patriot to find this repugnant. . . .



Exhibit A is sensitivity trainer Samuel Betances of Souder, Betances and Associates, who appears in clips culled from a 3.5-hour “Cultural Sensitivity Training” session that have been featured prominently in conservative media in recent days. As detailed by Caroline May at The Daily Caller, Betances leads a group through aprocess of self-enlightenment.


“I want you to say: ‘If we work for a federal agency.’ Say that. (Audience repeats) ‘We have discriminated in the past.’ (Audience repeats) Say: ‘Every federal agency,’ (Audience repeats) ‘has discriminated against African-Americans,’ (Audience repeats) ‘Hispanics,’ (Audience repeats) ‘Native American Indians,’ (Audience repeats) ‘and other groups’ (Audience repeats),” Betances preaches.


Not only did the U.S. steal the lands that are increasingly being populated by illegal immigrants (Texas, California, Arizona) — hence, implicitly, they have a right to re-occupy — but America’s founding fathers took their governing cues from Native Americans. Oh, and they stole their symbol, too — the bald eagle.”

Updated: My take on the rancid racialism here, including video of his snark that he doesn’t like the term “minorities.”  He “prefers ‘emerging majorities.'”

“Could Online Oscar Voting Lead to Online Public Elections”

If online voting is good enough for the Oscars, why isn’t it good enough for public elections?  A panel of experts assembled on Feb. 14 to consider whether the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ decision to capture votes
online for this year’s Oscars means that technology has matured to the
point where public elections can be held online.

Continue to the story that discusses all the positives, negatives and concerns.

“Arkansas Senate approves voter-ID legislation”

AP reports: The Arkansas Senate has approved a proposal to require voters to show photo identification before they can cast a ballot.The Senate on Wednesday approved the voter ID legislation on a 23-12 vote. The measure now heads to the House.  Poll workers are currently required to ask for identification, but voters don’t have to show it in order to cast a ballot.

“Obama Campaign Targeted Citizens Trained to Prevent Voter Fraud in OH”

 Breitbart has the story.  Protecting Melowese Richardson from being caught:

“Millions of Americans were stunned after watching Hamilton County, Ohio voter and Organizing for America volunteer Melowese Richardson proudly admit to casting multiple ballots for President Barack Obama. Recently surfaced emails expose how Organizing for America worked to monitor and block any possibility of a citizen volunteer catching others like Ms. Richardson in the act.

In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, True the Vote shared emails between Obama staffers discussing targeting specific individuals they believed were associated with True the Vote in Hamilton County, Ohio. Official records obtained by True the Vote indicated that the private citizens on the Obama target list were poll clerks hired by the county–not observers placed by candidates.”