Author Archives: ELECTIONLAWCENTER.COM

“Texas elections show redistricting was destiny”

When the consultants loaded the court-drawn maps into their computers districts held a majority of Republicans, while 55 contained a majority of Democrats.
Once the dust from the election settled early Wednesday morning,
unsurprisingly, the results in the Texas House were 95 Republicans to 55
Democrats.

Democrats
hoped to do better than just seven new seats in the House, and
Republicans had hoped to limit Democratic gains to six. But both sides
recognize that more often than not, the demographics of the likely
voters in a district will determine the outcome.

“How redistricting gave losing Republicans a breath of life”

International Business Times:  After the second Republican defeat at the hands of President Barack
Obama, gloating Democrats and disappointed Republicans alike have pinned
the blame for Mitt Romney’s loss on one culprit alone: the GOP itself,
arguing that its pointed focus on social issues and indifferent, even
hostile, attitude toward minority voters have essentially made it a
political anachronism.

But you wouldn’t know that by looking at the nation’s state legislatures.

The
Republicans now have 30 gubernatorial seats, the highest number for
either party in 12 years, while the GOP also controls 26 state
legislatures. It retained control of the U.S. House of Representatives,
the legislative body designed to directly represent the interests and
opinions of the American people, despite sweeping wins for Democrats in
U.S. Senate races and a significant Electoral College victory for Obama.


The answer according to the article:  congressional redistricting.  It may have something to do with it.  It is also why there are fewer divided legislatures on both sides of the aisle.

Big Money Defeats MN Voter ID

A story how Big Money defeated Minnesota Voter ID.  I’m sure the usual free speech opponents in academia will be quick to complain, or not.  Pioneer Press.

“America Votes, “whose mission is to build a permanent progressive campaign infrastructure,” donated $100,000 to OVOF. Dollars flowed in from every conceivable activist group in the country, including AARP, SEIU, AFL-CIO, ACLU, Education Minnesota, Planned Parenthood, and the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.


Of course, all the donors had one thing in common — they want something from the taxpayer. And that’s worth preserving — even if it means the most lax election laws in the nation. Yes, you need an ID to buy Sudafed, but to vote in Minnesota, a close “friend” can merely vouch for up to 15 people on election day.”