Nicolas Sarkozy’s defeat at the hands of French Socialist leader Francois Hollande has sent shock waves throughout Europe, and will significantly challenge the fragile austerity consensus across the EU. Jean-Marc Ayrault, the likely next prime minister of France, puts it in uncompromising terms: We must get out of this austerity in Europe and tonight all our partners in governments around Europe have understood that was the choice of François Hollande to re-orient Europe. Hollande’s victory spells trouble ahead for both Angela Merkel and David Cameron, who face general elections in … More
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The political battle over Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s (R) recall is heating up. Four Democrats have filed paperwork to appear on the ballot opposite Walker, and the President’s re-election team has joined the fray, attacking Walker by name. The conflict has even infected the supposedly independent state judiciary. Recent investigations have revealed no less than 29 Wisconsin state circuit court judges who signed recall petitions against the sitting governor, raising the specter of ethics violations and political bias by ostensibly nonpartisan judges. Judges are expected, according to their code of … More
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With Super Tuesday coming up, Americans are reflecting on the Republican presidential campaign: Has the fighting among candidates been normal? Is the presidential campaign process too long? How important are debates? Reflecting on these questions can be put into better context by looking at the evolution of the presidential selection process. Since the early 20th century, it has been democratized, erasing many of the systemic checks on statesmanship. This change seems to have fueled demagoguery and empowered the executive branch, centralizing political power, which our Founders intended to guard against. Strengthening political … More
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A recent Heritage event analyzed Russia’s presidential election and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency. The election was held in the aftermath of mass protests against Russian leadership’s corruption and disregard for the rule of law. According to David Kramer, President of Freedom House, Putin already lost in three ways: 1) by losing his claim to legitimacy, apparent from the mass scale of protests as well as a failure to secure a majority in the recent Duma elections; 2) because the fear that allowed Putin to continue his … More
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Voter fraud has a history of plaguing elections, inspiring a growing number of states to enact voter identification laws in recent years. The issue was the focus of a debate Thursday at the National Press Club between Heritage senior legal fellow Hans von Spakovsky and Laura Murphy, director of the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office. Proponents of voter ID laws believe they reduce fraud and improve the integrity of elections. Opponents argue these laws decrease voter turnout and disenfranchise minority voters. “One of the key principles of any fair election is … More
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By Juan Carlos Hidalgo
The onslaught against Henrique Capriles Radonsky by Venezuelan state-run media has begun after his decisive victory in Sunday’s presidential primary. Capriles is now the nominee of the opposition coalition and …
Chávez’s Electoral Fraud Cushion is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
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As many expected, Islamist parties will form a dominant majority in Egypt’s first freely elected parliament. The Islamists are here to stay and fear-mongering over their rise is unproductive, since Egyptians will judge for themselves whether Islamists are delivering on their promises. Moreover, understanding the dynamics that brought religious parties to power should be the [...]
Egypt’s Arab Spring, One Year Later is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
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Last night’s nail-biter in Iowa marked the beginning of election year 2012. And with Americans heading to the polls — next in New Hampshire, then South Carolina and beyond — they will hope to rely on the integrity of the election system to ensure that every legitimate vote counts and that fraud is not the deciding factor on the local, state or national level. Unfortunately, despite all the technological advances in our modern democracy, voter fraud still occurs, and yet there is still resistance to one very simple tool that … More
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Think that you ought to be required to show photo identification before being able to vote? If so, count yourself among the majority of Americans — 70 percent — who support the requirement. Rasmussen reports on their findings in a new poll: Seventy percent (70%) of Likely U.S. Voters believe voters should be required to show photo identification such as a driver’s license before being allowed to cast their ballot. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 22% oppose this kind of requirement. Notwithstanding the overwhelming support, … More
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The Heritage Foundation and the State Government Leadership Foundation are hosting an exciting event on December 7 at Heritage on the Electoral College and the proposed “National Popular Vote” (NPV) plan. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) and the chief election officials of five states, Secretaries of State Beth Chapman (Alabama), Tre Hargett (Tennessee), Delbert Hosemann (Mississippi), Kris Kobach (Kansas), and Matt Schultz (Iowa), will discuss the advantages of the Electoral College and the political, practical, and constitutional problems with the NPV. As our Heritage Legal Memorandum explains, the NPV … More
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