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Texas Republicans approve bill forcing Harris County to eliminate election chief
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free newsletters here.The Texas House of Representatives voted Tuesday to force Harris County to eliminate its chief election official and to give state officials more authority over elections there. On a 81–62 party line vote, House Republicans passed Senate Bill 1750, which will abolish the Harris County elections administrator position — a nonpartisan position appointed by local elected officials — and return all election duties to the county clerk and tax assessor-collector. Failed amendments by Democrats would have changed the new law’s...
Arizona isn’t banning machines to count ballots. Why a top senator’s declaration means nothing.
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free newsletters here.A letter from the Arizona Senate majority leader to all of the state’s 15 counties Monday is sowing confusion over whether Arizona counties can still use machines to count ballots in future elections.The letter from Sen. Sonny Borrelli, however, changes nothing about existing laws governing election equipment.Borrelli’s letter tells county leaders that the Legislature, through a resolution they passed earlier this year, is prohibiting the use of “electronic voting systems” as the primary method of conducting federal elections...
After a setback, a GOP effort to pull Texas out of a multi-state program to clean voter rolls could move forward
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S.A Texas House Democrat used procedural tactics this week to delay a vote on legislation pushed by right-wing believers in voter fraud and based on an election conspiracy theory, though the measure could yet move forward.Senate Bill 1070 was set to allow Texas to withdraw from the Electronic Registration Information Center, also known as ERIC, a multistate coalition used by dozens of states for flagging duplicate voter registrations and cleaning voter rolls. The ERIC program, considered by election administration experts across the country as the best...
Why Kari Lake is still, six months after losing, in Arizona courts arguing the 2022 election was stolen
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free newsletters here.GOP candidates for Arizona’s top offices who claim the November election was stolen from them have spent months presenting shape-shifting arguments in court — and six months after races were called, they aren’t done.A Maricopa County judge on Monday granted losing GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake a trial on a claim initially made in December that has changed over time as it made its way up to the Arizona Supreme Court and back down again. That trial begins...
These local candidates have given oxygen to election conspiracy theories. Now the Pa. primary could hand them control over the 2024 election.
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free newsletters here.When Zach Scherer woke up on Nov. 4, 2020, he was convinced something was wrong.“When we all went to bed that night, Trump was up by millions of votes, but the next morning, we suddenly ‘lost’ by millions of votes,” he recalled recently on his website, repeating widely debunked misinformation. “It just didn’t make sense.”So, he decided to do something about it, organizing a local group called Butler PA Patriots, which cited conspiracy theories to press the county...
True the Vote co-founder Alan Vera dies at Texas Capitol moments before scheduled testimony on election bills
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free newsletters here.Alan Vera, an influential Republican voter-fraud activist who pushed controversial election bills in Texas, died Thursday at the Texas Capitol as he was preparing to testify on election legislation. He was 75. The news was announced suddenly during a Texas House Elections Committee meeting Thursday morning as the committee heard public testimony on one of about a dozen bills that would give the state more oversight of elections. At the podium, Harris County Republican Party Chair Cindy Siegel stumbled...
Texas House advances bill to eliminate Harris County election chief
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free newsletters here.A bill that would force Harris County to get rid of its elections administrator is closer to becoming law after the Texas House Elections Committee approved it Monday. Senate Bill 1750 would abolish the county elections administrator position in Harris County and transfer election duties to the county clerk and tax assessor-collector. The Senate passed the bill, written by state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Republican, on April 18. It will now go up for debate on the House floor. The...
Here are the Texas election bills to watch with a month left in the legislative session
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free newsletters here.During the 2021 legislative session, Texas lawmakers responding to baseless claims of widespread voter fraud after the 2020 presidential election backed a sweeping law that reworked voting by mail and put election workers under new scrutiny. House Democrats, in a desperate and unsuccessful attempt to deprive the chamber of a quorum and block the law’s passage, fled the state.This year, there’s been less drama. But some of the election legislation most likely to emerge from this session also has...
A GOP lawyer said it’s too easy for young people to vote. It isn’t.
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. A version of this post was originally distributed in Votebeat’s weekly newsletter. Sign up for our free newsletters here.Good morning, Longtime lawyer Cleta Mitchell, a leader in the conservative effort to shape election laws across the country, spoke to an audience of major GOP donors last month. She took direct aim at how easy it is for young people to vote, and she didn’t sound happy about it. “They basically put the polling place next to the student dorm so they just have to roll out...
Tarrant County faces big challenge in replacing elections chief amid contentious atmosphere
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free newsletters here.Tim O’Hare, Tarrant County’s top government official, this week laid out his preferred qualifications for the next person to lead the county’s elections department: someone trustworthy to people of all political stripes “whose goal is to remain behind the scenes” while delivering timely results. O’Hare also wouldn’t rule out hiring someone who questions the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election results, calling it “not an automatic disqualifier.” Replacing Tarrant’s outgoing elections director, Heider Garcia, will be a daunting task for...
Cochise County hires elections director who has spread election misinformation
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Dig deeper into how our democracy works with Votebeat’s free newsletters at votebeat.org/newsletters.An Arizona county that refused to certify the 2022 election has hired a new elections director who repeatedly spread false claims about widespread election fraud.The Cochise County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 2-1 to hire Bob Bartelsmeyer, La Paz County’s elections director for the past year, to run the county’s elections, after he was chosen by Republican Recorder David Stevens. Republican Supervisors Tom Crosby and Peggy Judd voted yes and Democrat...
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Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization committed to reporting the nuanced truth about elections and voting at a time of crisis in America. Our mission is to help people understand our system of democracy so they can participate in strengthening it. Our approach is to cover and explain the mechanics of voting — no political polls, candidate platforms, or Election Day results; instead we will focus on how elections are run, from early and mail-in voting to voter registration and election security. Because we believe that elections are fundamentally a local issue, our coverage is rooted in local communities. Votebeat’s stories are available at no cost to readers, as well as to all local and national news outlets.
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