The Nation weighs in on at-large precinct lawsuit (NV)

[ursi]

By Jon Ralston · January 14, 2008 · 11:52 AM

Progressive magazine does extensive interviews, including these:

Rob Richie, Executive Director of FairVote, agreed that the timing and impact of the lawsuit are problematic. He told me, “The time to discuss the fairness of caucus sites is long past – you simply don’t want to reduce the number of places to vote or do a last-minute change if you want people to participate. Caucus turnout already promises to be distressingly low for representative outcomes.”

Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin, a constitutional law professor who does voting rights cases (he’s also chair of Montgomery County for Obama and running to serve as a Delegate), told me that the case is without merit: “The Equal Protection claim in this case is silly and would be thrown out even if it hadn’t been raised in the eleventh hour in a transparently political way. The claim boils down to the argument that it discriminates against teachers and other professionals to set up polling places in casinos for people who work there since these employees then get an unfair advantage in access to the polls. On this curious theory, of course, it would violate Equal Protection for some people to live two miles away from a polling place while others live on the same block. The irony is that most polling places are in public schools ! Setting up polling stations in workplaces where there are tens of thousands of voters who would otherwise be unlikely to vote is perfectly rational. It’s also a public policy that progressives should celebrate and duplicate, not try to thwart.”

The full piece:

Clinton Loses on This Gamble

Since her loss in Iowa, Senator Hillary Clinton has been an outspoken critic of the caucus system, saying that the limited time allotted for voting disenfranchises too many workers who are on the job during those hours.

It seems in Nevada Clinton has had a change of heart.

more..,

http://lasvegassun.com/blogs/ralstons-flash/2008/jan/14/nation-weighs--large-precinct-lawsuit/

[cloudythescribbler]

1. Excellent post -- especially the law prof's argument

In law, merely arguing what lay folk think makes sense doesn't cut it (I went to three years of law school even tho I never finished). Election law is its own arcane field, so ONLY the opinions of an expert could REALLY clarify this issue