In the second part of a special five-part series of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by election law professor Rick Hasen to take a close look at what happened with Michigan’s failed recounts in 2016, exploring how small mistakes can cause big problems in elections, and why democratic areas seem much more prone to incompetence in election administration. 

Rick Hasen’s new book Election Meltdown forms the basis for this special series of Amicus. 

Join Slate for the Election Meltdown live show on Feb. 19 in Washington. 

Podcast production by Sara Burningham.

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