Pennsylvania’s Rejection of 372,000 Ballot Applications Bewilders Voters and Strains Election Staff
Most rejected applications were deemed duplicates because voters had unwittingly checked a request box during the primary. The administrative nightmare highlights the difficulty of ramping up mail-in voting on the fly.
Texas Can Limit Counties to a Single Ballot Drop-off Location, Appeals Court Rules
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday ruled that Texas can mandate only one drop-off location for absentee ballots in each county, reversing a lower court ruling on Gov. Greg Abbott's order earlier this month.
Emboldened Far-Right Groups Challenge Cities, States
Armed vigilantes have shown up at protests, sometimes with the tacit support of police.
State and Local Officials Seek to Reassure Voters about Potential Poll Watcher Intimidation
Following President Trump’s call to his supporters to deploy themselves as poll watchers, state and local government officials are working to ensure that voters can cast their ballots without intimidation.
Wisconsin Prepares to Open Field Hospital, as Several States See Troubling Trends With Virus
STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Texas high court blocks unsolicited mail-in ballot applications … Seattle Human Rights Commission calls for mayor’s ouster … Possibility of $200 million in workforce cuts looming in Chicago … Snow days nixed for Bangor students.
Cities Giving Paid Leave to Employees to Work the Polls
Facing shortages of poll workers, some city officials are allowing employees to volunteer as election workers in exchange for paid leave.
About 750,000 People Are in Jail On Any Given Day. Can They Vote?
A new report from the Prison Policy Initiative says that most people in jail are eligible to vote, but ultimately won’t be able to due to barriers to voter registration and lack of access to ballots.
Supreme Court Rules that Absentee Ballots in One State Must Be Signed by a Witness
Democrats warned that requiring absentee ballots to be signed by a witness would pose a voting barrier during the pandemic. Republicans said it will prevent fraud.
In One State, Advocacy Groups Sue Over New Limit on the Number of Ballot Drop-Off Locations
Texas recently changed its election rules, limiting the number of drop-off sites in which voters can deposit their absentee ballots to one per county.
Voting By Mail? You May Not Get a Sticker That Says So.
Whether you receive an "I Voted" sticker with your ballot depends entirely on where you live. Some election officials are cautioning against dispensing stickers in person out of fears of spreading the coronavirus.
Could a Few State Legislatures Choose the Next President?
COMMENTARY | Recent media reports indicate that Trump’s campaign is considering asking some of the 29 state legislatures with Republican majorities to depart from current practice in choosing their Electoral College delegates.
Conservatives Are Challenging Private Grants to Help Local Officials Run Elections
An initiative backed by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg is giving grants to local election offices that face funding shortages as a result of the pandemic. Conservative groups in several states have sued, saying the efforts are meant to boost the Democratic vote.
New York City Principals Union Votes ‘No Confidence’ In Mayor Over Schools Plan
STATE AND LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP | Twenty-one states report 10% or more Covid-19 increase… 1 million people have cast ballots early… Maryland man who threw house party gets a year in jail.
Florida AG Calls for Probe of Push to Help People Vote by Paying Off Criminal Debts
After Mike Bloomberg raised $16 million to help people with criminal records vote in the state, some officials said the billionaire is “buying votes” for Joe Biden.
Foreign Hackers Cripple Texas County’s Email System, Raising Election Security Concerns
The malware attack, which sent fake email replies to voters and businesses, spotlights an overlooked vulnerability in counties that don’t follow best practices for computer security.
First Came the Floods. Then Came the Polling Place Changes.
Baton Rouge's 2016 floods offers 2020 coronavirus parallels.
Millions Raised to Pay off Debts so Floridians with Criminal Records Can Vote
The money, partially raised by Mike Bloomberg, will go towards paying off the court fines and fees of thousands of people with criminal records, allowing them to vote in the upcoming election.
Court Ruling Clears Way for Ranked-Choice Voting in Presidential Contest in Maine
The state would become the first to allow for the voting method in a presidential election.
Poorly Protected Postal Workers Are Catching COVID-19 by the Thousands. It’s One More Threat to Voting by Mail.
More than 50,000 workers have taken time off for virus-related reasons, slowing mail delivery. The Postal Service doesn’t test employees or check their temperatures, and its contact tracing is erratic.
Concerned About Mail-In Voting? Maybe a Virtual Assistant Can Help.
Idaho is using IBM's virtual assistant platform to answer common questions about mail-in voting, a technology available for free in the lead-up to the presidential election.
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