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Elections, Civic Action and the Comeback
40 posts, newest first (page 1 of 2).
The Filibuster After the Midterm, Why Sixty Votes Now Protect the OutnumberedWhen Republicans become the Senate minority on January 3, 2027, the 60-vote rule is their best tool, and here is why it was worth keeping. Comebacks Start the Morning After, Lessons From the Defeats of 1964, 1974, 2008Three crushing Republican losses were followed by organizing, new arguments and new candidates; some responses paid quickly and some habits slowed recovery. Divided Government Again, What the Constitution Gives a President Facing ItWith Congress changing hands on January 3, 2027, here is what Articles I and II give a president who must govern alongside the other party. The Numbers That Run Congress, From 218 to 60 to 290 to 38 and BackEight fixed numbers decide what a majority and a minority can do in Washington; here is each one, its source and the arithmetic behind it. What Happens in a Lame-Duck Congress, and Why the 20th Amendment Shortened ItThirteen questions about the lame-duck session, from the old March 4 calendar to expiring nominations, answered from the Constitution and the record. Tocqueville Saw It in 1831, Comebacks Are Built in Associations, Not AdsA French visitor found that Americans solve public problems by forming groups, and the durable conservative comebacks were built the same way. The Road to 2028 Is a Platform Before It Is a Primary, and the Order MattersWith no incumbent to renominate in 2028, the right should settle what it believes before it argues about who should carry it. If a Majority Could Never Be Slowed, a Satirical Tour of the 51-Vote RepublicA labelled thought experiment imagines a country where nothing slows a majority, then uses its swings to show why the Founders built friction in. Why Single-Issue Voters Hold a Coalition Together, and When They Break ItPro-life voters, gun owners and taxpayers each joined the right over one provocation; here is how they got in, why they matter, and what keeps them. Calvin Coolidge Started on the Northampton City Council, a Lesson in the LadderCoolidge climbed every rung from city council to the presidency, and his habits of preparation and restraint are a manual for anyone starting local. Talking Politics With a Neighbor Who Disagrees, a Persuasion PlaybookMost persuasion happens between people who know each other. Seven plain steps for talking politics with a neighbor, with labelled examples. Public Comment on a Federal Rule, the Citizen Power Written Into the 1946 APAThe 1946 Administrative Procedure Act lets any citizen comment on a proposed federal rule. Find a rule, write a comment that counts, file it on time. Asking a Town Hall Question a Member Has to Answer on the RecordA short, specific, civil question built on the public record is the hardest thing for a member of Congress to dodge at a town hall. Here are the steps. Read Your Representative's Voting Record Before You Pick Up the PhoneA step-by-step guide to using a member's own public votes and cosponsorships to make a call or letter that a congressional office has to take seriously. Should Conservatives Call a Convention of States? Both Sides of Article VConservatives split over Article V's second route, a convention called by the states. Both sides get a fair hearing, then I argue for using it with guardrails. The National Popular Vote Compact Is an End Run Around Article IIThe popular vote compact would abolish the Electoral College in practice without an amendment. Here is its best case, and six numbered answers to it. Federalist 68 Read Closely, Hamilton's Defense of How America Picks a PresidentHamilton's Federalist 68 read passage by passage against Article II and the Twelfth Amendment, with a verdict on what he got right and what the parties changed. From the Secret Ballot to HAVA, a Timeline of How Americans Came to VoteA dated timeline of how Americans came to vote, from voice voting and party tickets to the secret ballot, the Voting Rights Act, motor voter and HAVA. Why Rucho Was Right to Keep Federal Judges Out of Partisan Map FightsRucho v. Common Cause (2019) sent partisan gerrymandering back to legislatures, state courts and Congress, and the Constitution's text backs that result. Only Citizens Vote, the Case for Proof of Citizenship When RegisteringNoncitizen voting in federal elections is already a crime. The case for documentary proof is about verifying a rule that nearly everyone says they accept. Purcell v. Gonzalez and Why Judges Should Not Rewrite Election Rules LateIn Purcell v. Gonzalez (2006) the Supreme Court told lower courts not to upend election rules weeks before voting. Here is the case, its reach and its critics. Eight Myths About Election Rules That Both Parties Repeat Every CycleBoth sides repeat claims about how elections work that the law and the record do not support. Eight tested against the text, each with a verdict. Chain of Custody for Ballots, the Dull Paperwork That Makes Results TrustworthySeals, logs, paired handlers and a 22-month record rule let a canvass or recount prove a result instead of asserting it. Here is how the paperwork works. Election Day or Election Month, the Case for Tight Mail-Ballot RulesMail voting serves real needs, but deadlines, signature checks and ballot handling decide whether results arrive fast and are trusted. Here is the policy case.
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