Michael Latner

  • Permalink Gallery

    Republican state legislatures are attacking voting rights. Congress has the power to fight back.

Republican state legislatures are attacking voting rights. Congress has the power to fight back.

Share this:

The 2020 election saw the Democratic Party re-take the White House and the United States Senate and hold control of the House of Representatives. In the months that have followed, Republican-controlled state legislatures have proposed more than 200 bills which would roll back voting ability and access. Michael Latner, Alex Keena, Anthony McGann and Charles Anthony Smith give an […]

  • Permalink Gallery

    How gerrymandering in the states could lead to President Trump’s re-election

How gerrymandering in the states could lead to President Trump’s re-election

Share this:

As we approach the 2020 presidential election, there is growing concern over the US states’ ability to administer the election during the COVID-19 pandemic. Michael Latner, Alex Keena, Tony Smith, and Anthony McGann write that if the election result is close, and there are questions over the vote count, then state legislatures which are Republican-dominated due to partisan gerrymandering may […]

  • Permalink Gallery

    La democracia y sus defensores deben de adaptarse al Coronavirus  

La democracia y sus defensores deben de adaptarse al Coronavirus  

Share this:

La pandemia del COVID-19 ha detenido muchos aspectos de la vida norteramericana, y los esfuerzos por mejorar la democracia estadounidense no han estado exentos. Fernando Tormos-Aponte y Michael Latner escriben que activistas por la reforma electoral deben encontrar nuevos modos de ejercer influencia política en línea y abrir espacios virtuales para asegurar que las elecciones sean justas. 

Activistas por la democracia electoral habían logrado avanzar medidas legislativas con […]

  • Permalink Gallery

    Democracy and its advocates must adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic 

Democracy and its advocates must adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic 

Share this:

The COVID-19 pandemic has put much of American life on hold, and efforts to ensure the robustness of US democracy have not been exempt. Fernando Tormos-Aponte and Michael Latner write that, to ensure November’s general election is as free and fair as possible, electoral democracy advocates must now find new ways of exerting policy influence online and to open up virtual spaces to constituents and advocacy groups.

Read this article in Spanish/Lee […]

  • Permalink Gallery

    The Supreme Court’s partisan gerrymandering decision is Justice Scalia’s last laugh. Democratic restoration now depends on the people alone. 

The Supreme Court’s partisan gerrymandering decision is Justice Scalia’s last laugh. Democratic restoration now depends on the people alone. 

Share this:

This week the United States Supreme Court determined that reviewing partisan gerrymandering cases was outside the remit of federal courts. Alex Keena, Michael Latner, Anthony J. McGann and Charles Anthony Smith argue that in failing to recognize the vote dilution caused by gerrymandering, as well as connecting the majority rule standard to the Fourteenth Amendment, the decision removes Americans’ fundamental right to participate equally in the […]

  • Permalink Gallery

    The 2018 House elections may be historic enough to end the redistricting wars

The 2018 House elections may be historic enough to end the redistricting wars

Share this:

This year’s midterm elections saw reforms to the way US House districts are drawn in four states. Alongside these successful measures, write Alex Keena, Michael Latner, Anthony J. McGann and Charles Anthony Smith, Democratic takeovers of gubernatorial mansions and successful voting rights reforms such as Florida’s felon re-enfranchisement are likely to signal the beginning of an era of significant […]

  • Permalink Supreme Court Chamber Credit: Phil Roeder (Flickr, CC-BY-2.0)Gallery

    In its latest decision, the Supreme Court has got it wrong when it says that partisan gerrymandering only hurts voters in specific districts

In its latest decision, the Supreme Court has got it wrong when it says that partisan gerrymandering only hurts voters in specific districts

Share this:

Last week, the US Supreme Court sent gerrymandering cases from Wisconsin, Maryland and North Carolina back to their respective states’ courts, with the unanimous opinion that state political parties could not prove that they were harmed by the gerrymandering of individual legislative districts. Alex Keena, Michael Latner, Anthony J. McGann and Charles Anthony Smith argue that the Supreme Court […]

  • Permalink Gallery

    Maryland’s electoral maps show how proportional representation could solve the problem of gerrymandering

Maryland’s electoral maps show how proportional representation could solve the problem of gerrymandering

Share this:

This week the US Supreme Court hears a case concerning the constitutionality of partisan gerrymandering in Maryland. Examining current, past, and alternative electoral maps, Alex Keena, Michael Latner, Anthony J. McGann, and Charles Anthony Smith find that by making districts more competitive, some redistricting plans can actually work against one party or the other. Only the introduction of proportional representation […]

  • Permalink Credit: Truthout.org (Flickr, CC-BY-NC-SA-2.0)Gallery

    The Supreme Court’s quiet gerrymandering revolution and the road to minority rule

The Supreme Court’s quiet gerrymandering revolution and the road to minority rule

Share this:

This month the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a Wisconsin case over the constitutionality of the Republican-dominated state legislature’s redistricting plan. Michael Latner, Anthony McGann, Charles Anthony Smith, and Alex Keena argue that while this case is important, no matter what it decides, the Supreme Court has already enabled large-scale gerrymandering. They write that the Court’s 2004 […]

  • Permalink Credit: Truthout.org (Flickr, CC-BY-NC-SA-2.0)Gallery

    Gerrymandering the Presidency: Why Trump could lose the popular vote in 2020 by 6 percent and still win a second term.

Gerrymandering the Presidency: Why Trump could lose the popular vote in 2020 by 6 percent and still win a second term.

Share this:

Donald Trump was the clear Electoral College winner in the 2016 election, despite losing the popular vote by a wide margin to Hillary Clinton. Anthony J. McGann, Charles Anthony Smith, Michael Latner and Alex Keena write that, unless the Supreme Court stops congressional gerrymandering, President Trump can guarantee re-election in 2020 – even if he loses by 6 percent.

When the […]

This work by LSE USAPP blog is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported.