Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent — The Court's composition matters for regulation, religious liberty, the Second Amendment, and above all for the scope of administrative power, which is the question that touches the most law and gets the least attention. Barrett's confirmation is a durable consequence of this term and it's already accomplished. Voters who care … Continue reading The confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court has intensified debate over the Court’s future direction. How significant should the Court’s composition be in voters’ decisions, and what are the realistic stakes for the next four years?
democracy
Record numbers of mail-in and absentee ballots have raised both access and integrity concerns. Do the current voting procedures strengthen or weaken public confidence in the outcome, and is major reform of election administration now required regardless of who wins?
Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent — Expanded mail voting increased convenience and increased the opportunities for dispute, because the rules changed late and verification standards vary enormously between states and sometimes between counties. Public confidence has clearly suffered, and I'd note it has suffered on both sides in different registers. The emphasis on verification, chain of … Continue reading Record numbers of mail-in and absentee ballots have raised both access and integrity concerns. Do the current voting procedures strengthen or weaken public confidence in the outcome, and is major reform of election administration now required regardless of who wins?
Thinking Outside the Boxe Endorses Donald J. Trump for Re-Election
NOTE TO OUR READERS: In a presidential election year, we put the same questions about the candidates to every correspondent. Each answers individually, in their own voice, and those answers are published as given. The correspondents then reach a collective decision by consensus, and that decision is Thinking Outside the Boxe's endorsement. The endorsement belongs … Continue reading Thinking Outside the Boxe Endorses Donald J. Trump for Re-Election
Is the renewed push for D.C. statehood a representation argument that should be settled on the merits, or a mid-cycle attempt to add Senate seats by statute?
Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent — Taxation without a House vote is an argument I can hear. Two senators from a federal city, created by statute, in a presidential year, is a different argument wearing the first one's coat. The merits version would look like a constitutional process — an amendment that retires the Twenty-third, a … Continue reading Is the renewed push for D.C. statehood a representation argument that should be settled on the merits, or a mid-cycle attempt to add Senate seats by statute?
Should states expand no-excuse mail balloting for November on pandemic grounds, or treat late changes to election mechanics as a confidence risk that outweighs access arguments?
Gastonia, NC Correspondent — Access is a real word. So is a rulebook that moved after the primary posters went up. A pandemic justifies more absentee options for people who can show a reason and a simpler process for people who already had the right. It doesn't justify a July invention of universal mail in … Continue reading Should states expand no-excuse mail balloting for November on pandemic grounds, or treat late changes to election mechanics as a confidence risk that outweighs access arguments?
