Ben Williams

Senior Policy Counsel @FairVote. Tweets are my own

[Ben Williams @ElectionBen]

Despicable

[Spencer Soicher @spencersoicher]

NEW: Student group 'honors' Boulder, Colorado firebomb attacker, applauds attack in antisemitic post.

Boulder Students for Justice in Palestine, which CU stripped of its recognized status, called the attack the “only sane response available to a rational human being.”

[Ben Williams @ElectionBen]

👀

[Senator John Cornyn @JohnCornyn]

An old, but apt fable:

A scorpion wants to cross a river but cannot swim, so it asks a frog to carry it across. The frog hesitates, afraid that the scorpion might sting it, but the scorpion promises not to, pointing out that it would drown if it killed the frog in the middle of the river. The frog considers this argument sensible and agrees to transport the scorpion. Midway across the river, the scorpion stings the frog anyway, dooming them both. The dying frog asks the scorpion why it stung despite knowing the consequence, to which the scorpion replies: "I am sorry, but I couldn't help myself. It's my character." @Wikipedia

[Ben Williams @ElectionBen]

@DrewSav Scott isn’t expected to declare until after the legislative session is over. Conventional wisdom is he’s running again but this *may* be his final campaign.

[Ben Williams @ElectionBen]

This is exactly why she didn’t deserve clemency

[Kyle Clark @KyleClark]

NEW: Tina Peters speaks out in defense of Colorado Gov Jared Polis (D), says the Democratic censure of Polis for granting her clemency is further evidence of an election rigging coverup.

[Stephen Richer @stephen_richer]

@KyleClark Well I'm glad we've established she can't do further damage.

[Micah Erfan @micah_erfan]

🚨 HUGE: A ballot initiative campaign has been launched to adopt Ranked Choice Voting statewide in California!

This would change everything.

[Ben Williams @ElectionBen]

Disastrous numbers for the President.

Will be interesting to see how a blowout in 2026 shapes the conversation about the future of the party post-2028. If Republicans embrace RCV, they’ll have more room to define different “lanes” in that primary and give voters more choices.

[InteractivePolls @IAPolls2022]

🇺🇸 NATIONAL POLL By NYT/Siena (A+)

Pres. Trump
Approve: 37% [-3]
Disapprove: 59% [+3]

Trump's lowest approval in either term
——
Generic Ballot
🟦 Democrats: 50% [+2]
🟥 Republicans: 39% [-4]

Was D+5 in Jan. vs. D+11 now
——
Trump's net approval on key issues

🟤 Immigration: -15
🟤 The Economy: -31 (new low)
🟤 Israeli/Palestinian conflict: -31
🟤 Cost of living: -32 (new low)
🟤 War in Iran: -34
——
D48/R42 (with leans) | 5/11-14 | RV
https://t.co/8z85UA6clv

[Ben Williams @ElectionBen]

Another lesson is the Governor of Louisiana forced through an entirely new primary system for US Senate seats, limiting who is eligible to vote, for the sole purpose of ousting an incumbent senator who dared to break his party’s orthodoxy.

Not sure that’s worth celebrating…

[Chris Cillizza @ChrisCillizza]

And that's it. Bill Cassidy, the incumbent Senator, finishes third and out of the runoff.

The lesson: Do not cross Trump.

[Stephen Richer @stephen_richer]

If you'd told me, ex-ante, that Tina Peters got 4.5 years, I would have said, "OK. I don't know much about sentencing in Colorado, but seems fine."

But @jaredpolis 's defensive commentary about how Peters's crime had "zero to do with the Presidential election" is asinine.

Yes, the criminal act was for test during 2021.

But what the heck do you think motivated it? And why the interest in tabulation equipment? And what do you think she and her merry band were trying to achieve?

Of course the conspiracies regarding tabulation equipment used in the 2020 presidential election motivated the unlawful act. And of course their goal was to cast doubt on the 2020 election.

To say otherwise is obtuse beyond measure.

[Marshall Cohen @MarshallCohen]

Bipartisan blowback for Gov. Polis after granting clemency to 2020 election denier Tina Peters:

Colorado AG Phil Weiser (D): "Mind-boggling and wrong as a matter of basic justice."

Colorado SOS Jena Griswold (D): "An affront to democracy, the people of Colorado, and election officials across the country."

Mesa County DA Dan Rubinstein, who prosecuted Peters (R): A "misguided and misunderstood" decision that "undermined accountability and eroded confidence in the integrity of the system."

Matt Crane (R), for the Colorado election clerks association: “furious, disgusted and deeply disappointed" by the "reckless and dangerous message" this sends.

[Ben Williams @ElectionBen]

The Republican DA of Mesa County doesn’t think Peters deserves clemency. And neither does the Republican-dominated Colorado Clerks Association.

Clerks will be less safe with Tina Peters out of prison. They deserve better than this.

[Kyle Clark @KyleClark]

Next is live tonight from Mesa County, where Tina Peters’ crimes had a financial and reputational cost to the community. DA Dan Rubinstein (R) tells me that Polis’ decision is “out of touch with Western Colorado” and indicates he doesn’t understand the impact of Peters’ crimes.

[Ben Williams @ElectionBen]

If @RepKiley’s mid decade redistricting ban isn’t palatable, Congress could prohibit any mid-decade districting plan from going into effect for the upcoming congressional election. Making it skip a cycle would remove at least some of the incentive to re-gerrymander every year.

[Laura Weiss @LauraEWeiss16]

The Problem Solvers Caucus is meeting today on redistricting

The group - which includes centrist Republicans and Democrats - is looking at taking a position against the redistricting efforts that have taken off around the country

[Ben Williams @ElectionBen]

If you ever doubt the longevity of a President's judicial legacy, this Eisenhower appointee passed away this morning.

May he rest in peace.

[Charleston Gazette-Mail @wvgazettemail]

The longest-serving federal judge in history has died.

John Thomas Copenhaver, Jr., U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of West Virginia, who has served since 1958, died Tuesday at 100.

🗞️ READ MORE: https://t.co/NeBbH7PUK8

[Ben Williams @ElectionBen]

@electionsjoe Yeah the only federal statutory requirement is single-member districts. All compactness and contiguity rules come from state law

[Jonah Goldberg @JonahDispatch]

I guess they couldn’t actually make it a calf. Still…

[OSINTtechnical @Osinttechnical]

Ukrainian President Zelensky has issued an official decree allowing Russia to hold its Victory Day parade.

The decree sets out a cease-fire zone covering Red Square in Moscow.

[Ben Williams @ElectionBen]

The Leonard Leo-funded movement to oppose RCV has always been a special interests effort, not a grassroots movement.

Because the data is clear: voters who use RCV like it, and it incentivizes positive campaigning. Glad to see Maine Republicans embracing better elections!

[FairVote @fairvote]

During last night's Maine GOP gubernatorial debate, two candidates cross-endorsed each other.

With ranked choice voting, candidates are encouraged to focus on the issues – not just attack one another. #RankedChoiceVoting

[Ben Williams @ElectionBen]

@jasonwsnead I presume your support for institutions extends to opposing Utah's recent court packing?

[Ben Williams @ElectionBen]

@jasonwsnead I presume your support for institutions extends to opposing Utah's recent court packing?

[FairVote @fairvote]

Yesterday, voters in Berwyn Heights, MD said YES to exploring ranked choice voting for Town Council elections – with 76% in favor!

It’s a strong message from voters that they support improving their elections.

Congratulations to @rcvformaryland for their hard work!