Campaigning in the Courts: The Rise of Election Litigation

Pleas join us for the Third Annual Election Law Symposium on Friday, March 20, featuring Robert Bauer, President Obama’s personal attorney and longtime chief election lawyer for the Democratic Party, and Benjamin Ginsberg, currently the lead attorney for Norman Coleman in the Minnesota recount and previously chief counsel for the Bush-Cheney Presidential Campaigns. Former Chairman of the Federal Election Commission Michael E. Toner will moderate the panel. The Symposium is free, open to the public and begins at 3:30 pm in Room 119. Reception to follow.

2008 Election Night Party

Join the Election Law Society and other political junkies at Paul's on November 4 from 7:30 to 12:00 to watch the returns roll in! Door prizes and prizes for the best costume will be awarded.

Click here for pictures!

Presidential Poll-ooza

March madness for Politics! Simply buy a $5 game sheet in the law school lobby the week before the election and pick the winner of each swing state. Congratulations to Rob Poggenklass (2L) for being the big winner!

VOTELINE 2008

On Election Day 2008, students from William & Mary School of Law staffed a non-partisan voter assistance hotline aimed at responding to difficulties students faced at the polls locally and nationally. VOTEline is co-sponsored by the William & Mary Student Assembly (visit the official Facebook VOTEline group).

Voter Registration Drive

The Election Law Society will participate in a week-long voter registration drive the week of September 15 in the Law School lobby. Please contact us at electionlaw@wm.edu if you wish to help staff the table

2008, 2012 and Beyond:                                                                               The Law, Politics and Future of the Presidential Nomination Process

The Election Law Society will hold its Second Annual Symposium on Thursday, February 21st in Room 124 from 3:30-5:00.  Please join us for the reception in the lobby following the Symposium.  Prof. Davison Douglas will moderate our distinguished panel:

• Doug Chapin, Director of the Election Reform Information Project
• Jason Torchinsky, legal advisor to former Presidential candidate Mayor Rudy Giuliani
• Susan Swecker, Chairwoman of the DNC Southern Caucus, Advisor to the Hillary Clinton for President campaign
• Hans von Spakovsky, Commissioner, Federal Election Comission

Click Here for the Press Release

Primary Poll-ooza

Think you can beat the pundits?  If so, here is an easy way to win a $100 gift certificate to the Greene Leafe!  Simply buy a sheet in the lobby for $5 on January 30-31 or February 4-5. Then, rank the top three Republican and Democratic candidates for each state holding a primary on Monster Tuesday, February 5.  Second place will receive a gift certificate for $25 and third place a gift certificate for $10.  Winners will be unveiled at the Monster Tuesday Madness Party at Paul’s from 7:30-12:00.

Primary Night Party

Join the Election Law Society and other political junkies at Paul’s on February 5 from 7:30-12:00 to watch the returns roll in!  Door prizes and prizes for the best costume will be awarded. 

Click Here for Pictures!

Lunch With Prof. Ned Foley

Prof. Ned Foley, Director of the Election Law Program at Ohio State University, will be joining us for lunch at 1:00pm on November 19, 2007.

W&M VOTEline

On Election Day 2007, students from William & Mary School of Law staffed a non-partisan voter assistance hotline aimed at responding to difficulties students faced at the polls locally and nationally. VOTEline was co-sponsored by the William & Mary Student Assembly (Visit the official Facbook VOTEline group.)

Lunch With Prof. Allison Hayward

On Friday, October 19, 2007, the Election Law Society was proud to welcome back 2007 Election Law Symposium panelist, blogger, and GMU Law professor Allison Hayward. Prof. Hayward discussed current campaign finance issues, with a focus on the ramifications of bundling donations.

Second Annual Election Law Society Voter Drive

On October 2-4, 2007, the Election Law Society held its second voter registration drive.  Over three days members helped more than 50 people register to vote and apply for absentee ballots. Our thanks to the James City County and City of Williamsburg registrars for helping make this drive a success.

Fall 2007 Campaign Finance Class!

2007 Election Law Symposium panelist Neil P. Reiff will return to William & Mary this fall as an adjunct professor of law teaching a class on campaign finance!

2007 Election Law Symposium

Press Release: .pdf /.doc

On March 2, 2007, the Election Law Society and the Institute of Bill of Rights Law hosted the first annual William & Mary Election Law Symposium. The topic this year was "Checks and Balances: The Impact of Money on the 2008 Elections." Prof. Neal Devins moderated a discussion with a panel of distinguished campaign finance experts:

• Neil P. Reiff, Deputy General Counsel of the Democratic National Committee and a partner at the firm Sandler, Reiff, and Young
• Jason Torchinsky, senior associate with Holtzman Vogel and former Deputy General Counsel to Bush-Cheney ’04
• Allison Hayward, Assistant Professor of Law at George Mason University, former Chief of Staff and Counsel to Federal Election Commission Commissioner Bradley A. Smith.  She also runs the Skeptic’s Eye blog (www.skepticseye.com).

Dessert Night

On Tuesday, February 20, 2007 we held the Election Law Society Dessert Night.  Society members made some of their favorite desserts to share as we talked about campaigns, politics, and the then-impending Election Law Symposium.

Election Night Party and Midterm Madness!!

In honor of 2006's midterm Senate and House elections, the Election Law Society held an Election Night party on Tuesday, November 7, 2006.  Over 100 attendend as we watched the election results roll in.  A good time was had by all, due in no small part to the wonderful staff at Paul's Deli in Williamsburg, who let us take over the establishment for the evening.

Election Night also marked the end of Midterm Madness, the Society's first fundraiser!  The savvy political minds here at William & Mary competed to see who could most accurately guess the winners in the most hotly contested races across the country.  The top three winners were:

1. Prof. Dave Douglas
2. R.A. Hurley
3. Asim Modi

A hearty "Thank you!" to everyone who played the game or attended the party.

Lunch With FEC Chairman Michael Toner

On Friday, October 20, 2006 the Election Law Society and the Institute of Bill of Rights Law co-sponsored Federal Election Commission Chairman Michael Toner's visit to William & Mary.  Commissioner Toner is one of the most experienced attorneys working in the field of election law, and has been an FEC Commissioner since 2002.

Campaign Finance 101

We held our first Election Law event on Tuesday, October 10, 2006.  Former FEC employee Brandi Zehr and long-time campaign worker Liz Howard gave a presentation on the ins and outs of financing and fundraising for federal elections, and how recent leglislation like the McCain-Feingold Bill has changed how the system works.  Over 40 Society members left that evening with a much greater understanding of how the system of campaign financing works.

Download:  Campaign Finance 101 Presentation (PowerPoint)

Voter Registration Drive

The Election Law Society teamed up with the American Constitution Society to get eligible voters registered here in Williamsburg. During our week-long drive, over 100 people submitted registration forms.  We couldn't have done it without the cooperation and encouragement of the Williamsburg and James City County Registrars!

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