Election Law and Policy

Semester: Fall 2014
Course ID: 335F
Credit Hours: 3
Unique: 29279

Course Information

Grading Method: Pass/Fail Allowed (JD only)

Registration Information

Upperclass-only elective

Meeting Times

Day	Time	Location
MON	6:00 - 9:00 pm	TNH 3.125

Evaluation Method

Type	Date	Time	Location
Paper

Description

This course will study the impact of federal and state law concerning the conduct of elections and campaign finance/disclosure. We will study recent legislative and judicial developments in election administration including: • National Voter Registration Act of 1993 • Help America Vote Act of 2002 • Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act of 2009 • Case law developments impacting the Voting Rights Act of 1965, notably Shelby v. Holder The goal of this course is to provide: • a thorough introduction to traditional election law -- the constitutional, legal and policy considerations which govern redistricting and campaign finance; • significant coverage of the laws and policies which govern the administration of elections. In other words, we study the "mechanics of our democracy," such as voting system certification and voter registration procedures; • a greater awareness and understanding of several "hot button" issues currently confronting the field of election law and administration, such as photo identification requirements for voters casting ballots, citizenship verification requirements for individuals registering to vote, and voter verifiable paper audit trails for electronic voting systems; • interaction with several guest lecturers during the semester who come from the ranks of government, foundations and/or advocacy organizations and who are active stakeholders in the field of election law and election administration. The following casebook will be required: Daniel Hays Lowenstein, Richard L. Hasen and Daniel P. Tokaji, Election Law-Cases and Materials (fifth edition 2012). I will provide additional reading materials throughout the semester. Grades will be based on the following: class participation and presentations (20%); two short writing assignments (20%); and a final term paper (60%).

Textbooks ( * denotes required )

Election Law: Cases and Materials *

Lowenstein, Hansen & Tokaji

Carolina Academic , edition: 5th, 2012

Instructors

McGeehan, Ann M.