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Category Archives: Congress

Counties with worst virus surges overwhelmingly voted for Trump

AP – “U.S. voters went to the polls starkly divided on how they see President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, with a surprising twist: In places where the virus is most rampant now, Trump enjoyed enormous support. An Associated Press analysis reveals that in 376 counties with the highest number of new cases… Continue Reading

New on LLRX for October 2020

Why there’s so much legal uncertainty about resolving a disputed presidential election – As stated in this article by Richard Pildes, Professor of Constitutional Law, New York University – the Constitution does not create rules or an institutional structure for resolving a modern, disputed presidential election. It provides a fail-safe mechanism for only one situation,… Continue Reading

ProPublica’s Guide to 2020 Election Laws and Lawsuits

ProPublica – “Regardless of who wins the presidency, courtroom battles seem almost certain. Here’s a layperson’s look at the states and laws that may determine the outcome. The run-up to Election Day this year has seen records for early voting (nearly 100 million people as of Monday) — and for the volume of election-related litigation.… Continue Reading

Vaccine Safety in the United States: Overview and Considerations for COVID-19 Vaccines

CRS report via LC – Vaccine Safety in the United States: Overview and Considerations for COVID-19 Vaccines, November 4, 2020: “Widespread immunization efforts have been linked to increased life expectancy and reduced illness. U.S. vaccination programs, headed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),… Continue Reading

ABA Legal Fact Check details workings of the Electoral College

“An ABA Legal Fact Check on the Electoral College, which explores the history and workings of the constitutional body that formally elects the next U.S. president, is available here to assist reporters and editors working on post-election stories. In addition, the ABA Standing Committee on Election Law has subject matter experts available to help reporters… Continue Reading

Tracking COVID-19: U.S. Public Health Surveillance and Data

CRS report via LC – Tracking COVID-19: U.S. Public Health Surveillance and Data, November 2, 2020: “Public health surveillance, or ongoing data collection, is an essential part of public health practice. Particularly during a pandemic, timely data are important to understanding the epidemiology of a disease in order to craft policy and guide response decision… Continue Reading

What Is the Election Needle? And Why Will We Have 4 of Them Tonight?

The New York Times – A closer look at our election forecaster before the Iowa caucuses. “Shortly before 9 p.m. Eastern on Monday, we expect the first returns from the Iowa Democratic caucuses. If you choose to follow the results live tonight, we hope you’ll do it with us: We’ll have results, analysis from our… Continue Reading

Why there’s so much legal uncertainty about resolving a disputed presidential election

Via LLRX – Why there’s so much legal uncertainty about resolving a disputed presidential election – As stated in this article by Richard Pildes, Professor of Constitutional Law, New York University – the Constitution does not create rules or an institutional structure for resolving a modern, disputed presidential election. It provides a fail-safe mechanism for… Continue Reading

After the Voting Ends: The Steps to Complete an Election

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) – An election isn’t over when the polls close. It’s over when election administrators complete their postelection activities and the election results are certified. As with everything else related to elections, state law governs these postelection processes—and there are 51 models. (The states plus Washington, D.C.). This webpage reviews… Continue Reading

How Likely Is It that Courts Will Select the US President?

How Likely Is It that Courts Will Select the US President? The Probability of Narrow, Reversible Election Results in the Electoral College versus a National Popular Vote, Michael Geruso, Dean Spears. October 2020. University of Texas at Austin. “Extremely narrow election outcomes—such as could be reversed by rejecting a few thousand ballots—are likely to trigger… Continue Reading

Congressional Oversight Commission Publishes Sixth Report

“The members of the bipartisan Congressional Oversight Commission have published their sixth report.  It is available for review here. The Congressional Oversight Commission is a five-person panel that was established by the CARES Act. The Commission is focused specifically on the economic stabilization efforts of the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve. The members of… Continue Reading

Google to Offer Real-Time US Election Results in 70 Languages

PC Magazine – “YouTube is also adding more ways to find ‘authoritative information’ about the 2020 US election. Google is teaming up with The Associated Press (AP) to provide “authoritative” results leading up to and in the days following the 2020 US election. “Similar to previous elections, when people come to Search and Assistant looking… Continue Reading