St. Louis Post-Dispatch:  Voting rights groups filed suit Friday to allow Missourians to vote by mail if they are sheltering in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic.The American Civil Liberties Union and the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition said they… Continue reading

Michael Morley for Lawfare: As we approach the presidential election this November, election officials are developing plans to deal with the unique risks posed by the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. I have written about how states have grappled with… Continue reading

Anna Baringer, Michael C. Herron, and Daniel A. Smith have posted this draft. Here is the abstract: The coronavirus and its concomitant need for social distancing have increased the attractiveness of voting by mail (VBM). VBM voting is nonetheless… Continue reading

I like this a lot: As the ACLU stated it in its motion in the case, though, it’s arguable that everyone now has a “physical condition” that increases the “likelihood” that going to the polls might “injure[] the voter’s health.”… Continue reading

Ordinarily it requires an excuse for most voters to vote by absentee ballot. The Texas AG has taken the position that fear of contracting COVID-19 is not a valid excuse to vote absentee. This court order, which was expected,… Continue reading

Government Executive reports.

Release: Friday morning, the League of Women Voters of Virginia filed a challenge to the state’s witness signature requirement for absentee ballots. With the increased demand for absentee ballots due to COVID-19, the witness requirement presents a burden for… Continue reading

Release: On Wednesday, April 15, the Joint Center hosted an online briefing on accessible vote-by-mail and safe in-person voting for Black communities. The session—organized in partnership with the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and NAACP LDF—… Continue reading

NYT reports.

WaPo:  Democratic lawsuit challenging Arizona’s absentee ballot deadline is citing the Supreme Court’s recent ruling about the Wisconsin primary to support its case, arguing that the decision to allow absentee ballots to count in Wisconsin if they were postmarked… Continue reading