Election Law @ Moritz

Recent Opinion Articles

Archives: by Date | by Author
Edward B. Foley
Free & Fair is a collection of writings by Edward B. Foley, one of the nation's preeminent experts on election law.

Opinion

Archives

Print Page

Organized by Date

Commentary on the latest developments in election law. [See List by Author]


2009

  • Dec. 11 - The Swiss Initiative on Minarets (Dale A. Oesterle)
  • Nov. 5 - Uncounted Ballots: A Measure of Vulnerability (Edward B. Foley)
  • Oct. 20 - Election Commissions and Supreme Courts (Edward B. Foley)
  • Sep. 9 - Line-drawing after Overruling Austin (Edward B. Foley)
  • Jul. 31 - Citizens United, Stare Decisis, and Democracy (Edward B. Foley)
  • Jun. 30 - Impressive Unanimity: the Historical Significance of Coleman v. Franken (Edward B. Foley)
  • Jun. 1 - Conscientious Judging on Display (Edward B. Foley)
  • May. 14 - Factual Points and Uncertainties Relevant to the Coleman v. Franken Appeal (Edward B. Foley)
  • May. 5 - State Law Issues Loom Large in Coleman v. Franken Appeal (Edward B. Foley)
  • Apr. 21 - Speculations about Equal Protection: The Difficulties of Principled Line-Drawing (Edward B. Foley)
  • Apr. 14 - Out from the Shadows of Bush v. Gore (Edward B. Foley)
  • Apr. 1 - Situation Normal: Election Too Close to Call (Edward B. Foley)
  • Mar. 31 - Unsurprising Ruling Does Not End Minnesota Senate Case (Edward B. Foley)
  • Mar. 17 - Reluctance to Void Elections - Some Memorable Cases (Nathan Cemenska)
  • Mar. 11 - What has to happen to unring this Bell? (Sarah Cherry)
  • Mar. 2 - Un-counting votes in Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race (Sarah Cherry)
  • Feb. 25 - Coin-flipping: Is it a good idea? (Nathan Cemenska)
  • Feb. 16 - A Victory for the Rule of Law (Edward B. Foley)
  • Feb. 12 - Minnesota Law and Federal Equal Protection (Edward B. Foley)
  • Feb. 12 - In the Coleman-Franken Contest, the Three-Judge Court Will Now Be Tested (Edward B. Foley)
  • Feb. 4 - Understanding Yesterday’s Rulings in Coleman v. Franken (Edward B. Foley)
  • Jan. 22 - MN Contest Court Off to a Good Start (Edward B. Foley)
  • Jan. 20 - Inauguration Day (Edward B. Foley)
  • Jan. 15 - MN Analysis: Allegations of Double-Counted Duplicates (Nathan Cemenska)
  • Jan. 12 - Analysis of Coleman Claim Re: Uninitialed Ballots (Nathan Cemenska)
  • Jan. 7 - Who Will Judge the Minnesota Contest? (Edward B. Foley)

2008

  • Dec. 23 - What to Tell an Electoral Elf (Edward B. Foley)
  • Dec. 9 - If the Minnesota Recount Involved a Presidential Race… (Edward B. Foley)
  • Nov. 26 - New Bush v. Gore Precedent (Edward B. Foley)
  • Nov. 25 - Eyes Now Turn to Ohio Supreme Court (Edward B. Foley)
  • Nov. 10 - Voting next time—and in 2020 (Edward B. Foley)
  • Nov. 5 - Minnesota under the Microscope (Edward B. Foley)
  • Nov. 4 - Four Sub-Categories of Uncounted Ballots (Edward B. Foley)
  • Nov. 3 - Only in Ohio (Ruth Colker)
  • Nov. 1 - 3 Things I'm Watching For (Edward B. Foley)
  • Oct. 30 - Post-election contests: Four states to watch (Nathan Cemenska)
  • Oct. 30 - McCain v. Obama: What's Next? (Chris Elmendorf)
  • Oct. 29 - Waiting for a Presidential Winner: The Lessons of 1884 and 1916 (Edward B. Foley)
  • Oct. 29 - The Ohio Ballot Experiment of 2008 (David Kimball)
  • Oct. 28 - Unanimous Decision in McCain v. Obama (hypothetical) (Edward B. Foley)
  • Oct. 22 - The Latest from the Land of [Election] Litigation (Edward B. Foley)
  • Oct. 19 - Understanding the Supreme Court’s Decision in Brunner v Ohio Republican Party (Dale A. Oesterle)
  • Oct. 17 - ORP v. Brunner: What is at stake? (Nathan Cemenska)
  • Oct. 7 - The First Bush v. Gore — and the Next:
    New York's Election of 1792 & Its Continuing Relevance (Edward B. Foley)
  • Sep. 23 - McCain v. Obama,
    a U.S. Supreme Court hypothetical (one hopes) (Edward B. Foley)
  • Sep. 22 - McCain Likely to Win Ballot Request Fight (Nathan Cemenska)
  • Sep. 9 - EL@M Publishes Major New Research (Nathan Cemenska)
  • Aug. 26 - Social Initiatives on State Ballots (Dale A. Oesterle)
  • Aug. 12 - Do We Need a Box for "Abstain"? (Dale A. Oesterle)
  • Jul. 29 - Bipartisanship in Election Administration: Is There Enough? (Nathan Cemenska)
  • Jul. 15 - Regulation of voter registration drives: Will there be further litigation? (Nathan Cemenska)
  • Jul. 1 - Registration Bottlenecks: Will They Be a Problem in ’08? (Nathan Cemenska)
  • Jun. 17 - Election-Day Emergencies: Are We Prepared? (Nathan Cemenska)
  • Jun. 3 - Are We Condemned to Repeat It? (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • May. 20 - A November Hypothetical (Edward B. Foley)
  • May. 6 - Judicial Review of Electoral Mechanics After Crawford (Chris Elmendorf)
  • Apr. 29 - Crawford: It Could Have Been Worse (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • Apr. 15 - Federal Court Extension of Polling Hours: Problem, Proposal, Example (Part 3) (Edward B. Foley)
  • Apr. 1 - Federal Court Extension of Polling Hours: Problem, Proposal, Example (Part 2) (Edward B. Foley)
  • Mar. 18 - Federal Court Extension of Polling Hours: Problem, Proposal, Example (Edward B. Foley)
  • Mar. 3 - Ohio Paper Ballots Done Right (Nathan Cemenska)
  • Feb. 19 - Administering the March 4 Primary in Ohio (Edward B. Foley)
  • Feb. 5 - The Potential Election Administration Challenges of Super Tuesday 2008 (Steven F. Huefner)
  • Jan. 22 - On Lopez Torres and Line Drawing (Chris Elmendorf)
  • Jan. 8 - The Amicus Briefs in the Indiana Voter Identification Case: I read... so you don't have to (Mike Pitts)
  • Jan. 3 - EL@M Announces New Interactive Map Feature (Nathan Cemenska)

2007

  • Dec. 20 - More Planning Needed to Prepare for '08 Election (Steven F. Huefner, Daniel P. Tokaji, and Edward B. Foley)
  • Dec. 11 - Ohio provisional ballots: Could they determine our next President? (Nathan Cemenska)
  • Nov. 27 - Quality of Election Administration Varies Among Great Lake States (Forthcoming Report: From Registration to Recounts) (Steven F. Huefner, Daniel P. Tokaji, and Edward B. Foley)
  • Nov. 13 - You Can't Predict, You Can Only Plan: More Lessons From Ohio (Terri L. Enns)
  • Oct. 30 - AVBM: What If We Could Make It Fraud-Proof? (Nathan Cemenska)
  • Oct. 23 - Don't Play Poker with All Saints Church (Donald B. Tobin)
  • Oct. 2 - The Supreme Court and Election Law: In Search of Doctrinal Specificity (Edward B. Foley)
  • Sep. 18 - What Congress Should Be Talking About (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • Sep. 4 - Super-Duper Tuesday: What Does It Mean for Election Administration? (Nathan Cemenska)
  • Jul. 3 - Precedent and Judicial Responsibility (Edward B. Foley)
  • Jun. 19 - A Model Court for Contested Elections (Or, the “Field of Dreams” Approach to Election Law Reform) (Edward B. Foley)
  • Jun. 5 - Money for Data: Funding the Oldest Unfunded Mandate (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • May. 22 - The Politics of Justice (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • May. 8 - Auditing a State’s Laws for Resolving Election Contests (Edward B. Foley)
  • Apr. 24 - Courts Need to Keep a Skeptical Eye on New Voter Identification Laws (Richard L. Hasen)
  • Apr. 10 - Running Elections in Cuyahoga County Next Year (Edward B. Foley)
  • Mar. 27 - The Secretary of State's Complaint Against the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections (Terri L. Enns)
  • Mar. 13 - Early Voting in 2008 (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • Feb. 27 - AVBM: Let's See How It Would Work in Ohio (Nathan Cemenska)
  • Feb. 13 - The Nation's Interest in Ohio's New Secretary of State (Edward B. Foley)
  • Jan. 30 - The Democracy Index: A Reply (Heather Gerken)
  • Jan. 16 - Designing the Democracy Index (Edward B. Foley)

2006

  • Dec. 19 - Political Campaigning by Churches and Charities (Donald B. Tobin)
  • Dec. 19 - Election Reform's Top Priority: Changing the Electoral College Calendar (Edward B. Foley)
  • Dec. 12 - Happy Birthday, Bush v. Gore (Edward B. Foley)
  • Dec. 5 - Timing is Everything (Edward B. Foley)
  • Nov. 28 - Congress Turns to Election Administration (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • Nov. 21 - Election Night: Do We Really Need to Know Results Before We Can Sleep? (Terri L. Enns)
  • Nov. 14 - Local Blackouts on the Electoral Grid (Edward B. Foley)
  • Nov. 7 - Be Thankful If It’s All Over By Thanksgiving (Edward B. Foley)
  • Oct. 31 - The South Dakota Referendum on Abortion: An Alternative to Court Review? (Dale A. Oesterle)
  • Oct. 31 - Recount Redux?: What Might Happen in a Close Election (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • Oct. 24 - Purcell's Implications on Pre-Election Litigation (Steven F. Huefner)
  • Oct. 17 - The Machinery of Democratic Accessibility (Ruth Colker)
  • Oct. 10 - How to Identify a Successful Election (Edward B. Foley)
  • Oct. 3 - Ohio's Expanded Absentee Voting Rules: Some Thoughts on Their Impact (Terri L. Enns)
  • Sept. 26 - The IRS and All Saints Church: Tax Procedure in a Case about the Mixing of Religion and Politics (Donald B. Tobin)
  • Sept. 19 - In Praise of Pre-Election Litigation (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • Sept. 12 - Burdick or Carrington?: "Fencing Out" and the Voter ID Litigation (Christopher S. Elmendorf)
  • Sept. 5 - Will the Election System Function Properly This Year? (Edward B. Foley)
  • July 25 - Ohio is not Mexico, but... (Edward B. Foley)
  • July 18 - Thinking About Democracy: Justice Stevens and the Roberts Court (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • July 11 - The Risks of Wedge Citizen Initiatives (Dale A. Oesterle)
  • July 3 - Justice Kennedy Deserves Praise, Part II (Edward B. Foley)
  • June 27 - The Importance of Randall's Indecisiveness (Edward B. Foley)
  • June 20 - Voting Rights Act Preclearance: Why Process Matters (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • June 13 - Online Voter Registration is the Answer (Edward B. Foley)
  • June 6 - AWay to Rescue Redistricting Reform (Edward B. Foley)
  • May 30 - Administering the New Voter ID Rule Reasonably (David Stebenne)
  • May 23 - Ballot Initiatives: Use By Political Parties (Dale A. Oesterle)
  • May 16 - Democracy's Revenge? Bush v. Gore and the National Popular Vote (Peter M. Shane)
  • May 9 - Electoral Laments in Major and Minor Keys (Edward B. Foley)
  • May 2 - Welcome to the Machines: Election Day in Ohio (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • Apr. 25 - Primary Challenges (Terri L. Enns)
  • Apr. 18 - The Future of Accessible Voting: A Crossroad? (Ruth Colker)
  • Apr. 11 - The Example of Commissioner Martinez
  • Apr. 4 - A Review of the Transcript in the Texas Redistricting Case (Edward B. Foley)
  • Mar. 28 - Will the Expansion of Absentee Voting Yield an Increase in Abuse? (Edward B. Foley)
  • Mar. 21 - Statewide Registration Lists: The Most Important Election Reform? (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • Mar. 14 - Voting Technology: Beyond HAVA, Beyond Paper (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • Mar. 7 - Incrementalist Election Law? (Edward B. Foley)
  • Feb. 21 - The Roberts Court and the Law of Democracy (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • Feb. 14 - Doubleheader Tests the Court's Impartiality: EL@M to host Electronic Roundtable on Pending Pair (Edward B. Foley)
  • Feb. 7 - The Remand in WRTL (Edward B. Foley)
  • Jan. 31 - Campaign Intervention by 501(c)(3) Organizations (Donald B. Tobin)
  • Jan. 24 - Exit Polling's Impact on Voter Confidence (Terri L. Enns)
  • Jan. 17 - The Roberts Court and Precedent: An Early Test in the Context of Campaign Finance (Edward B. Foley)
  • Jan. 10 - Echoes of Bush v. Gore: Courts Are Not Always the Right Forum for Election Contests (Steven F. Huefner)
  • Jan. 3 - Will Election Law Become Clearer This Year? (Edward B. Foley)

2005

  • Dec. 13 - Ohio's ID Proposal: More Harm Than Good (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • Dec. 6 - Too Little, Too Late (Ruth Colker)
  • Nov. 29 - The Federalism Defect in the Prosecution of Tom DeLay (Edward B. Foley)
  • Nov. 22 - The IRS and Secret Campaign Regulation (Donald B. Tobin)
  • Nov. 15 - Future Redistricting Reform Must Learn From This Year's Mistakes (Edward B. Foley)
  • Nov. 8 - The Ten Most Urgent Election Reforms (Edward B. Foley)
  • Nov. 1 - Issue 3 is a Big Mistake (Edward B. Foley)
  • Oct. 25 - Redistricting, Electoral Competition, and Citizen Control (Steven F. Huefner)
  • Oct. 18 - The Moneyball Approach to Election Reform (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • Oct. 11 - Ohio's Dramatic Citizen Initiative: "Reform Ohio Now" (Dale A. Oesterle)
  • Oct. 4 - Federal Courts Should Not Run State Elections (Edward B. Foley)
  • Sept. 27 - Unhappy Trails in California (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • Sept. 20 - The Carter-Baker Report: Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • Sept. 13 - How to Hire a Fair Election Law Umpire? (Edward B. Foley)
  • Sept. 6 - Is There a Middle Ground in the Voter ID Debate? (Edward B. Foley)
  • July 26 - Goodbye Mr. Smith, and Welcome Back to Ohio
  • July 19 - What Should the New Justice Do About Campaign Finance? (Edward B. Foley)
  • July 12 - Sharing the Burden: Some Thoughts on Voter Registration Lists (Terri L. Enns)
  • July 5 - Fact-Specific Election Law (Edward B. Foley)
  • June 28 - I Want My MTV ... Mayor! (Christopher M. Fairman)
  • June 21 - Are Election Reforms Increasing the Margin of Litigation? (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • June 14 - A Bad Bill, With Some Good Things in It (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • June 7 - Refusing to Unseat a Governor Despite a Flawed Election (Edward B. Foley)
  • May 31 - A Fiduciary Conception of Democracy (Edward B. Foley)
  • May 24 - The People and their Constitution (Edward B. Foley)
  • May 17 - The Filibuster and Democracy (Edward B. Foley)
  • May 10 - Ohio Considers Election Reform - Part II (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • May 3 - Ohio Considers Election Reform - Part I (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • Apr. 26 - The Work Ahead (Steven F. Huefner)
  • Apr. 19 - Debate Over Campaign Finance Reform in Ohio Prompts Question: Is Disclosure Enough? (Terri L. Enns)
  • Apr. 12 - ID and the Right to Vote (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • Apr. 5 - The Provisional Ballots of Unregistered Voters (Edward B. Foley)
  • Mar. 29 - Verifying Voter Registration Lists, Part 2 (Edward B. Foley)
  • Mar. 22 - Verifying Voter Registration Lists (Edward B. Foley)
  • Mar. 15 - The Problems with Early Voting (David Stebenne)
  • Mar. 8 - Thoughts on Gerrymandering (Dale A. Oesterle)
  • Mar. 1 - Election Reform: The Process Matters (Terri L. Enns)
  • Feb. 22 - New 527 Bill Plugs Some Major Holes, but is it Constitutional? (Donald B. Tobin)
  • Feb. 15 - Independent Election Administration (Steven F. Huefner)
  • Feb. 8 - How Did Ohio's Voting Equipment Fare in 2004? (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • Feb. 1 - Making Mock Elections Real (Mary Beth Beazley)
  • Jan. 25 - When to Redo an Election? (Edward B. Foley)
  • Jan. 18 - Ohio's Disabled Voters: Ignored Again (Ruth Colker)

2004

  • Dec. 21 - Minimizing the Need for Provisional Ballots: A Reform Worth Wishing For (Edward B. Foley)
  • Dec. 14 - The Legislature Can Do Better and the Citizens of Ohio Deserve Better (Donald B. Tobin)
  • Dec. 7 - Investing in Politicians to Boost Corporate Profits (Edward B. Foley)
  • Nov. 30 - Reforming the Timetable for the Electoral College Process (Steven F. Huefner)
  • Nov. 23 - Voters with Disabilities: The Potential Swing Vote in the Presidential Election (Ruth Colker)
  • Nov. 17 - When Should a Presidential Election Be Over? (Edward B. Foley)
  • Oct. 19 - Two Weeks Before Election Day, and Yet... (Terri L. Enns)
  • Oct. 12 - Signs of High Turnout Signal Need for Prepared Poll Workers (David Stebenne)
  • Oct. 5 - Blackwell's Mixed Record So Far (Edward B. Foley)
  • Sept. 28 - Let the Sunshine In (Edward B. Foley)
  • Sept. 21 - Lying to Win (Edward B. Foley & Donald B. Tobin)
  • Sept. 14 - Better Voter Training Through Television (Mary Beth Beazley)
  • Sept. 7 - The Power of the Airwaves and the Power of the Vote (Mary Beth Beazley)
  • August 31 - Partisan Gerrymandering and the Impoverishment of Politics (Steven F. Huefner)
  • August 24 - Point-Counterpoint on Election Activities of Churches and Charities (Allan Samansky & Donald B. Tobin)
  • August 17 - Election of State Court Judges: The Ohio Experience (Dale A. Oesterle)
  • August 10 - What if Bush Again Wins without the Popular Vote? (David Stebenne)
  • August 3 - Are Our Democratic Instincts Atrophying? (Peter M. Shane)
  • July 27 - The Paper Trail (Daniel P. Tokaji)
  • July 20 - Welcome to Election Law @ Moritz (Edward B. Foley)
  • July 13 - Judges and Elections (Dale A. Oesterle)
  • July 6 - Election Law 5-to-4 (Edward B. Foley)
  • June 29 - Comparing Two Cases (Edward B. Foley)
  • June 22 - The Missed Opportunity of Vieth (Edward B. Foley)
  • June 15 - The Necessity of Law for Democracy (Edward B. Foley)