Category Archives: absentee ballots

9th Circuit affirms limits on AZ proof of citizenship laws

February 25, 2025, 3:50 pmabsentee ballots, election administration, NVRA (motor voter), The Voting Wars, voter registrationproof of citizenshipJustin Levitt

Justin here. A 9th Circuit panel is out with 156 pages’ worth of opinion in Mi Familia Vota v. Fontes, the latest in the battles revolving around Arizona’s laws requiring documentary proof of citizenship to vote. There’s (obviously) quite a… Continue reading

Connecticut: “Arrest warrants detail charges of voter fraud in Bridgeport”

February 25, 2025, 6:49 amabsentee ballots, chicaneryRick Hasen

CT Mirror: State prosecutors took a big step Friday when they charged five Bridgeport Democrats with more than 150 election-related crimes, but arrest warrants suggest the sprawling investigation into voter fraud and ballot harvesting might not end there. The charges,… Continue reading

“Kansas bills would end grace period for mail ballots and ban ranked-choice voting”

January 29, 2025, 7:38 amabsentee ballots, alternative voting systemsRick Hasen

Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas’s two election committees are fast at work in the Kansas Statehouse this year and have already had hearings on some of the more controversial election bills being considered. Kansas has taken on a flurry of election security… Continue reading

“Despite Trump’s Attacks, Republicans Made Big Gains in Mail Voting”

January 12, 2025, 12:16 pmabsentee ballotsRick Hasen

NYT: Republicans made almost universal gains in mail voting during the 2024 election, eroding a key Democratic advantage in nearly every state that tracks party registration, according to a data analysis by The New York Times. The Republican rise in… Continue reading

Happy California official canvass deadline day, to all who celebrate

December 4, 2024, 11:30 pmabsentee ballots, election administrationcertificationJustin Levitt

December 5 (30 days after election day) is the final final day for certifying elections in California. Usually, many California counties have certified before today. But this year, as a one-time only change responding to some 60,000 … Continue reading

More mail ballot deadline controversy in Mississippi

December 3, 2024, 10:14 pmabsentee ballots, The Voting WarsJustin Levitt

Advocates protest an apparent conversion of the day after Thanksgiving to a work day, limiting the opportunities for curing mail ballot errors potentially relevant in a very tight Supreme Court race.

“US Postal Service touts timely delivery of mail ballots despite concerns from election officials”

December 2, 2024, 11:38 pmabsentee ballots, voting technologyUSPSJustin Levitt

Here’s the AP report on a 99.88% rate for delivery within one week of 99.22 million ballots. Along with the USPS press release and more detailed report.

Bridgeport Candidate Who Engaged in Deliberate Election Fraud Gets a Slap on The Wrist

November 22, 2024, 5:12 pmabsentee ballots, chicaneryRick Hasen

I was surprised to see such a light punishment for this egregious conduct, especially as this is an area that has seen an unusual amount of problematic activity: A former city councilman, who pleaded guilty to reduced charges in connection … Continue reading

“Losing GOP candidate for NC Supreme Court challenges 60,000 ballots as recount starts”

November 21, 2024, 5:34 amabsentee ballots, ballot access, judicial elections, provisional ballots, recounts2024 Election Cycle, North CarolinaTabatha Abu El-Haj

News&Observer: Jefferson Griffin, the Republican candidate for North Carolina Supreme Court, requests a recount where he trails by 625 votes while also filing “a series of election protests on Tuesday challenging the validity of over 60,000 ballots cast across… Continue reading

“Effort to repeal ranked choice voting and open primaries in Alaska on track to narrowly fail after latest ballot count”

November 19, 2024, 8:25 amabsentee ballots, primaries2024 Election Cycle, Alaska, rank choice voting, Top Four PrimaryTabatha Abu El-Haj

From Anchorage Daily News: “Results posted Monday showed 50.03% of voters opposed the measure repealing ranked choice voting, while 49.97% were in favor of the repeal. Just 192 votes separated the two camps, with more ballots set to be… Continue reading

“Bucks County board chair says comment about violating election law has been misinterpreted”

November 19, 2024, 4:47 amabsentee ballots, recounts, UncategorizedIndependent State Legislature Doctrine, state courtsTabatha Abu El-Haj

Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Diane Ellis-Marseglia, the Bucks County Commissioner, has apologized for the “upset and confusion” caused by her defiant comments last week in which she said: “People violate laws any time they want,” she added. “So, for me,… Continue reading

“In Pennsylvania, the Election Litigation Continues, With a Twist; As a Senate recount plays out, at least four counties are ignoring an order from the State Supreme Court that undated or misdated mail ballots cannot be counted.”

November 18, 2024, 9:20 amabsentee ballots, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: In an election defined in part by a tsunami of litigation before polls even opened, few states saw as much legal haggling over which ballots should count as Pennsylvania. The polls have long since closed, yet a new… Continue reading

CORRECTED LINK to FILING: Breaking: Republicans File Lawsuit Directly in Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Asking Court to Issue Order Today Directing All 67 PA Counties Not to Count Undated/Misdated But Timely Absentee Ballots (Relevant to McCormick-Casey Senate Race)

November 14, 2024, 8:12 amabsentee ballots, recountsRick Hasen

See this filing. (Corrected link to filing) Whatever one can say of the merits of the counting of such ballots and of this lawsuit (which makes a bizarre Purcell Principle argument), this issue, and statewide uniformity, needs to be… Continue reading

PA GOP Senate Candidate McCormick Files Suit Against Bucks County for Counting Misdated/Undated But Timely Mail-In Ballots, as McCormick-Casey Race Goes to Likely Recount

November 14, 2024, 7:11 amabsentee ballots, recountsRick Hasen

Here is the complaint. AP: The U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania between Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick is headed for a statewide recount, as counties continued Wednesday to sort through outstanding ballots and the campaigns… Continue reading