RNLA Quoted in Politifact on Online Voter Registration
RNLA Executive Director Michael Thielen was quoted today in Politifact about online registration, particularly regarding claims that it can help prevent fraud, save money, and is more efficient than paper based registration. RNLA articulated its position on online voter registration in detail in its response to the report of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration (PCEA) which can be found here. Thielen's quote in Politifact summarizes RNLA's position nicely, that RNLA supports online registration only under specific conditions: "When designed and implemented properly, online registration can be a more secure, accurate and cost-efficient way of doing voter registration."
Read moreConservative and Libertarians on Citizens United After 5 Years
The White House and protesters yesterday went after Citizens United on its fifth anniversary in mostly fact free attacks. As Curt Levey of the Committee for Justice writes in Apocalypse Imagined:
Read moreRNLA 30th ANNIVERSARY RECOGNIZES PAST LEADERS
As part of its celebration of 30 years, RNLA has created a special task force of past Chairs and Presidents. RNLA has come a long ways since 1985.
Read moreRNLA Chair Randy Evans on Why the RNC Chair was Re-Elected
RNLA congratulates the newly elected RNC Leadership Team. Also, RNLA Chair Randy Evans wrote in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Why RNC Chairman Reince Priebus was re-elected. A few highlights below:
Read moreRNLA Announces New Members to its Board of Governors
The Republican National Lawyers Association has added six members to its prestigious Board of Governors. Please join us in congratulating these top attorneys to RNLA's Board: Jake Curtis, John Fogarty, Eric Lycan, Beverly Weiss Manne, Peter Schalestock, and David Warrington. The press release with biographical information is available here.
REG 2014-01 Earmarking, Affiliation, Joint Fundraising, Disclosure, and Other Issues (McCutcheon)
Cautionary Tale: Alabama Woman Pleads Guilty to Absentee Fraud
Yesterday, an Alabama woman plead guilty to eight counts of falsifying absentee ballot applications in a 2013 City Commissioner's race. Janice Lee Hart was one of three individuals charged in the voter fraud scheme that resulted in the re-election of the sitting Dothan, Alabama commissioner Amos Newsome. Newsome's girlfriend was also allegedly involved in orchestrating the effort.
Read moreWhy the Use of Provisional Ballots is Important
In the 2004 election, there were allegations that supporters of John Kerry for President in Ohio at a few ballot locations were handing out flyers to voters leaving predominantly Democrat polling places AFTER voting stating: “If you feel you vote did not count, please go to one of the following places and vote provisionally.”
Read moreRNLA Announces Ballot Access Initiative
With 30-40 candidates considering a possible GOP Presidential bid and 10-20 likely candidates to make the field, the RNLA has committed to a project to level the playing field for all of them. In the past, one of the challenging hurdles for even the strongest candidates has been the legal technicalities of actually getting their name on the ballot in all 50 states and 6 territories. . . . RNLA Chairman Randy Evans and RNLA President Larry Levy have appointed Stefan Passantino and Peter Schalestock as co-chairs of the GOP Presidential Ballot Access Initiative. They will chair this committee designed to ‘level the playing field’ by providing as a resource information for potential GOP Presidential candidates interested in getting their names on the ballot during the nomination process.
More details here.
Tide turns in FEC battle for regulation-free internet
On March 29, 1960, the New York Times advertised an advocacy group’s call for political change in the segregated South. The ad was propaganda and clearly embellished facts for effect. Government functionaries implicated by the ad sued for libel. The resulting case, New York Times v. Sullivan, was a landmark victory for free speech. It reaffirmed America’s “profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust and wide open.”
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