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Texas AG’s office appeals order to temporarily block law to abolish Harris County elections 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 Attorney General’s Office on Tuesday appealed the decision of a judge to temporarily block a new law passed by Republicans to abolish Harris County’s elections chief position. The decision by a Travis County district judge earlier Tuesday found that the law is unconstitutional and would disrupt this...
Critics say gambling on election outcomes could be risky
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 version of this post was originally distributed in Votebeat’s free weekly newsletter. Sign up to get it delivered to your inbox every Saturday.It is a universal truth in politics that elections have consequences. Citizens weigh their choices for political leadership, and they vote. The winning candidates have a...
Latest Trump indictment highlights election officials’ key role in holding him accountable.
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 version of this post was originally distributed in Votebeat’s free weekly newsletter. Sign up to get it delivered to your inbox every Saturday.Hi y’all, We’ve waited a long time for something, anything, to happen to the people who organized things behind the scene while rioters barreled up the...
Cochise County may contract with Authentix for ballot security after push from Mark Finchem
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free newsletters here. Update, Aug. 8: Cochise County supervisors tabled the vote on the Authentix contract until a special meeting on Aug. 22.As an Arizona county prepares to spend up to $1 million in state money to test anti-counterfeit features on ballots, it appears the project was tailored for one company in...
Charges in DePerno case over Michigan voting machine breaches should serve as deterrent
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free newsletters here.This week’s indictments of three Michigan allies of former President Donald Trump on claims of illegally seizing voting machines demonstrate that the rules and laws governing the security of Michigan’s election systems worked, say experts and local clerks, and it sends a message that voting systems must be kept...
Why fake electors in Pennsylvania are likely to avoid prosecution
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free newsletters here.Sixteen people in Michigan who served as so-called “fake electors” for Donald Trump are now facing state-level forgery charges, but similar prosecution appears unlikely here in Pennsylvania as the investigation into an alleged plot to overturn the 2020 election ramps up.The Keystone State was one of seven won by...
Election officials brace themselves to explain updated voting machine standards as rumors swirl
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 version of this post was originally distributed in Votebeat’s free weekly newsletter. Sign up to get it delivered to your inbox every Saturday.Our Arizona reporter, Jen Fifield, and I were at the National Association of State Election Directors conference this week in Charleston, South Carolina. I ate...
Pennsylvania’s Act 88 election grants have become popular with the counties
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free newsletters here.Pennsylvania counties that benefitted from $45 million in state funding to help cover election costs say they are happy with the investment and plan to apply for a new round of grants beginning next month.In the lead-up to last year’s November election, counties spent much of their share on...
Should Maricopa County have known its ballot printers would fail? Printer maker says yes.
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free newsletters here.One big question Maricopa County voters had after many had trouble casting ballots at polling places in November’s election was whether county leaders should have seen the problem coming.The county continues to insist that there’s no way it should have known certain ballot printers would fail during Election Day...
Hand-counting ballots is less accurate, more expensive, and takes longer
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S.Despite widespread coverage of the follies of hand-counting ballots, the quest to expand use of the method continues. This year alone, there have been 16 bills in 8 states that would ban the use of tabulators. It’s a really bad idea. And so, Votebeat has decided to compile a list of our favorite cold-hard evidence. I’m sure...
Shelby Township clerk accused of being “false elector” stripped of elections duties
The Shelby Township clerk who has been criminally charged as part of an alleged “false electors” scheme to overturn the 2020 election in favor of Donald Trump has been ordered to step aside from his official election duties.Michigan Elections Director Jonathan Brater Thursday sent an official letter informing Stanley Grot, a longtime Republican politician, that he is being relieved of duties related to elections administration while the criminal case against him...
Texas resigns from ERIC, a national program that helps update voter rolls
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S.The Texas secretary of state submitted its exit notice Thursday to a national coalition that is one of the best tools to combat voter fraud, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Votebeat. The withdrawal from the program comes after Republican leaders pushed the effort and approved legislation to stop using the Electronic Registration Information...
Law to abolish Harris County elections office could lead to more problems in 2024
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 new state law eliminating the elections department in Harris County is likely to cause large disruptions and problems for voters in this fall’s elections and potentially 2024, experts say, throwing responsibility for dozens of state-mandated deadlines to new officials in the middle of the crucial process. Harris County has...
Is hand-counting ballots legal in Arizona elections? Republican lawmakers banking on it as push continues
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free newsletters here.As they tour the state to try to convince county decision-makers to hand-count ballots in the upcoming presidential election, Republican lawmakers in Arizona are emphasizing one point: They believe it’s legal here.“Once again, you aren’t mandated to use machines,” state Sen. Sonny Borrelli told the three Republican supervisors in...
At secretaries of state gathering, battling election misinformation still a priority
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 free weekly newsletter. Sign up to get it delivered to your inbox every Saturday.My colleague Carter Walker and I spent a few days last week in chilly conference rooms at Washington D.C.’s Grand Hyatt hotel, listening to secretaries of state swap strategies at the National Association...
Have we learned the lessons of lever machines, online elections, and hanging chads?
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 free weekly newsletter. Sign up to get it delivered to your inbox every Saturday.Happy Fourth of July. Also, happy summer vacation to everyone at Votebeat — we’re taking next week off to recharge. In light of the holiday, here’s an homage to historical election practices that were bad...
Texas fixes some obstacles to mail voting that dogged voters after 2021 restrictions
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free newsletters here.Texas lawmakers are once again revamping requirements to vote by mail, this time with the goal of lowering rejection rates of mail-in applications and ballots. The changes come a year after thousands of Texans’ applications were rejected due to more stringent identification requirements adopted as part of a sweeping 2021 law.The latest round of changes, which passed with bipartisan support this legislative session, will give voters more opportunities and time to correct errors. Voters should also be able to more...
Voting by mail in Texas to get easier after legislative fixes
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free newsletters here.Texas lawmakers are once again revamping requirements to vote by mail, this time with the goal of lowering rejection rates of mail-in applications and ballots. The changes come a year after thousands of Texans’ applications were rejected due to more stringent identification requirements adopted as part of a sweeping 2021 law.The...
Al Schmidt wins Senate committee’s approval at confirmation hearing
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free newsletters here.Update, June 29: As of Thursday morning, Al Schmidt has been confirmed as secretary. A spokesperson for Senate Republicans confirmed Wednesday that the Senate would not be voting on his nomination, meaning that he was confirmed by default.“It’s a privilege to be able to serve Pennsylvania as secretary of the...
What led to Pinal County Elections Director Geraldine Roll’s resignation
Pinal County’s elections director abruptly resigned this week after facing harsh criticism from the county GOP. Her scathing resignation letter led many to compare her departure to those of other elections directors across the country who are facing harassment and resigning in droves as GOP leaders and residents confront them with false accusations about elections. But the circumstances here are far different.There have been real problems in Pinal County’s elections, and...
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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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