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Election Law @ Moritz Home Page

Election Law @ Moritz

Election Law @ Moritz


Information & Analysis

Colorado SoS Election: Update

According to a report this morning, Denver still has 3820 absentee ballots to count, because they were unable to be read by the machines due to smudging or other damage. Duplicate ballots will be prepared by a bipartisan panel today. In addition, Denver has yet to verify the eligibility of one-third of the 3000 provisional ballots it has, as well as to count all the provisional ballots it verifies. The number of uncounted ballots from other counties, including Pueblo, remains unknown, and Democratic candidate Ken Gordon is still waiting on a final count before deciding his next move. It is unclear how the absentee ballots that were counted on Sunday, which numbered 10,000 to 15,000 thousand depending on which report one uses (compare herehere and here), change the margin that separate Gordon from the Republican candidate, Mike Coffman.

Commentary

Dale A. Oesterle

Silence of the Lambs

Dale A. Oesterle

With the election of 2012 now well over and past the second inauguration of the incumbent President, the historical analysis of the events has begun and will last as long as written human history lasts. An interesting tidbit may already be lost to the majesty of the moment.

The voters of three very different states, Alaska, New Hampshire, and Ohio, all had an opportunity to call state constitutional conventions. In each state the voters turned the opportunity down by very similar votes, 68%, 64% and 68% respectively against.

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In the News

Daniel P. Tokaji

EXCLUSIVE: Voter fraud, or just errors?

Professor Dan Tokaji was quoted in a Cincinnati Enquirer article about whether citizens who cast two ballots in elections have committed voter fraud. Some citizens under investigation say they were confused about the process or worried their original votes, often sent via absentee ballot, wouldn't count. Tokaji said there is often a valid reason someone would cast an absentee ballot and then a provisional one at a voting location.

“It’s certainly not a crime or intentional double voting,” he said. “Officials are not supposed to count provisional ballots if an absentee ballot has been cast.”

Submitting both “doesn’t come close to voting fraud,” he said. “The burden is on the board of elections to make sure two votes don’t count.”

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Info & Analysis

Ohio House Committee Recommends Upholding Landis' Election Victory

Yesterday, an Ohio House of Representatives committee recommended 5-4 that the Ohio House uphold the election victory of Republican State Representative Al Landis over Democratic challenger Josh O'Farrell. In February, the Ohio Supreme Court sent the O'Farrell v. Landis record to the House for consideration. According to an article in the Canton Repository, committee chairman and State Representative Matt Huffman said he expects a vote by the full House later this month.

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