Professor of law says that last-minute lawsuits can serve political purposes
Election Law
Last-minute election lawsuits may serve political goals, law prof says
August 30, 2024, 9:50 am CDT
Last-minute lawsuits challenging election rules and voter-registration procedures are being filed in battleground states in the run-up to the Nov. 5 presidential election. (Photo by Rebekah Zemansky/Shutterstock)
Last-minute lawsuits challenging election rules and voter-registration procedures are being filed in battleground states in the run-up to the Nov. 5 presidential election.
Democrats and Republicans are filing suits, the Wall Street Journal reports. Democrats are challenging a new Georgia rule for certifying results, while Republicans are challenging voter-registration procedures in North Carolina and Arizona.
Prior suits have already produced rulings in other states regarding the rules for absentee ballots, regulations for voter registration and the cleanup of voter rolls, according to the article.
The suits are unlikely to result in big changes in how voters cast their ballots, but they can serve political goals, according to Justin Levitt, a professor at the Loyola Law School in California, who spoke with the Wall Street Journal.
Partisan suits can help with fundraising and motivate voters, Levitt said.
“It fosters discontent with a system that works pretty well,” he told the Wall Street Journal.
The Wall Street Journal has details on these recent suits:
* The Republican National Committee and the North Carolina Republican Party have filed two suits against the North Carolina State Board of Elections. Levitt, a professor at the Loyola Law School in California, told the Wall Street Journal that partisan suits can help with fundraising and motivate voters. The board registered voters without proper documentation to verify citizenship in the other case. North Carolina Republican Party and Republican National Committee are the parties involved in these cases. Katie Hobbs is being sued over executive orders that expanded locations for voter registration and ballot drop-offs. The case is Swoboda V. Hobbs.
* Democratic officials in Georgia sued the state elections board to challenge new rules that govern the certification of ballots. The new rules require that election officials conduct a “reasonable investigation” before certifying votes and allow county board members the opportunity to examine election-related documents. The case is Abhiraman v. State Election Board. The case is Abhiraman V. State Election Board.
Hat-tip to How Appealing for pointing out the story and providing a link.
See:
SCOTUS permits Arizona voter registration law that requires proof of citizenship
