The Standing Committee on Election Law was created in 1973 with the purpose of developing and examining ways to improve the federal electoral process. In 1979, a ten-member Advisory Commission was created consisting of representatives of Congress, the President of the League of Women Voters, the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman of the Federal Election Commission (FEC), election law attorneys, and academics. The Standing Committee and its Advisory Commission are nationally recognized election law experts who are charged with representing the Association’s commitment to ensure that the nation’s election laws are legally sound and are drafted to permit the broadest, least restrictive access by Americans to the ballot box.
The Standing Committee on Election Law and its Advisory Commission comprise a unique entity in that it has been structured as a clearly bi-partisan body. Members are not only appointed based on their election law experience, but careful attention is paid to ensure that the Committee does not become unbalanced in terms of political ideology. The work of the Standing Committee centers on all aspects of the electoral process, thus, as advances in technology and changes in the electorate occur, the Committee remains committed to providing the Association with the most current programming and policy recommendations. The Standing Committee has a long and continuing history of direct service to the public as well as to members of the Association.
Voter Rights and Responsibilities
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Click here to download your copy of the ABA Voter Rights and Responsiblities Card. |
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Visit the ABA's new voting information web site, www.abavoteinfo.org, for resources on voting and the elections for the public, the bar, and the bench. Materials for the public include information on the importance of voting and how to register to vote. Materials for the bar including a call for lawyers to serve as nonpartisan election officials and Election Protection Project hotline volunteers. Materials for judges include training and statutory materials on hearing election disputes.
Election Reform
Election Administration Guidelines and Commentary, dated August 2008, covers a broad range of electoral issues, including such topics as voter education, registration, voting, and post-election issues, that can be applied to all elections. Although these guidelines cover federal elections, they are directed at the election administrators and officials at the state, local, and territorial level, who hold primary responsibility for election activities, both before, during and after the actual election. The Guidelines are meant to enhance the integrity and public perception of the electoral process and are aspirations for the necessary reform of our electoral process and are intended to ensure that all citizens, who are eligible to vote, have the greatest access to the ballot box.
Leadership
Issues of Interest
The ABA has filed an amicus curiae brief defending the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in the United States Supreme Court case of Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One v. Eric H. Holder, Jr., Attorney General of the United States of America, et al. (No. 08-322).
Division for Public Services
2009 - 2010 Clerkships
The Division offers two Clerkship opportunities:
The first is a ten-week Spring/Summer Clerkship open by competition, reviewed on a rolling basis and offering students entering into their second or third year at an ABA-accredited law school the opportunity to design and complete a legal research and writing project in substantive areas of Division concern. If of acceptable quality, the Division may publish the resultant monograph. Applicants must be members of the ABA Law Student Division and may join at http://www.abanet.org/lsd/home.html.
The second is a Fall/Winter Clerkship and typically involves conducting project research and writing; developing information for directories and other databases; coordinating survey development, distribution and results; or editing manuscripts for publication. Applicants may be undergraduate or law school students depending on project need.
- NEW!! 2009-2010 Clerkship Flyer
- Shanda Moyers, a 3L at Stetson University School of Law, was the winner of the 2007-2008 PSD Clerkship. Shanda's research focused on the small segment of the long-term homeless population with the most pronounced barriers to self-sufficiency, primarily mental health and/or substance abuse issues. Her research evaluated the effectiveness of legislation and the use of the criminal justice system in combating street homelessness in comparison with the effectiveness of measures employing outreach and the Housing First model.
- 2005 Winner of the PSD Summer Internship
- Criminal Responsibility and Multiple Personality Defendants, a monograph produced by our 1997 Internship winner,
Ms. Sabra Owens.
- Article by 2005 Winner, Dr. Andrea Blau, Mental & Physical Disability Reporter, Vol. 30, Issue 1
Also, see our article in the September issue of the ABA Law Student Division's Student Lawyer magazine. Visit the ABA Law Student Division at http://www.abanet.org/lsd/home.html.
This Committee operates within the ABA Division of Public Services. To view the websites of other Division entities, please click here. |
