Lawrence Norden
Lawrence D. Norden (born in Manhattan)[1] is the Senior Director of the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law.
Education and career
[edit]The son of a high school math teacher and an accountant, Norden majored in American history at the University of Chicago, after which he attended New York University School of Law.[1] Prior to working at the Brennan Center, he worked as a corporate litigator at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan and as a bankruptcy lawyer at Hahn & Hessen.[1]
Research and views
[edit]Voting machines and registration
[edit]As a senior director for the Brennan Center for Justice, Norden is known for his research on voting machines and other election infrastructure in the United States.[2] For example, a 2011 study by Norden found that as many as 60,000 votes cast in New York elections in 2010 were invalid because when casting them, the voters accidentally voted for multiple candidates, a problem the study attributed to both software errors and ambiguous instructions.[3] In 2013, he told NPR that one in eight voter registration records is inaccurate, and that because registration "doesn't follow people when they move, even though a lot of people think it does," poll workers cannot find the names of some voters on election day.[4]
Campaign finance reform
[edit]Norden has argued that six decisions by the Roberts Supreme Court have transformed the way American political campaigns are funded, largely for the worse.[5] He expressed concern about the increased amount of dark money spent on the 2014 midterm elections, which he attributes, in part, to the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.[6] He has advocated for requiring government contractors to disclose political spending[7] and tax credits for small campaign donations to increase the political participation and voice of average citizens.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Ramirez, Anthony (1 September 2006). "A Look Under the Hood at Democracy's Engine". New York Times. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- ^ "The Current State Of Voting Machines". NPR. 27 October 2010. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- ^ Roberts, Sam (6 December 2011). "Study Says Thousands Erred Using New Voting Machines". New York Times. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- ^ Fessler, Pam (12 February 2013). "Fixing Long Lines At The Polls May Be Harder Than You Think". NPR. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- ^ "Five to Four | Brennan Center for Justice". www.brennancenter.org. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
- ^ Keneally, Meghan (3 November 2014). "Why These Are The Most Expensive Midterms Elections Ever". ABC News. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- ^ "Requiring Government Contractors to Disclose Political Spending | Brennan Center for Justice". www.brennancenter.org. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
- ^ "Tax credits for small donors in politics should be part of tax reform". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
External links
[edit]- Biography on Brennan Center for Justice website