Democrats say moving local elections to even years, when state gubernatorial and presidential elections are held, will yield higher voter turnout. Republicans argue local issues and candidates will get less attention during high-profile races.
“Republican member of Fulton elections board wonât certify primary results”
A Republican member of the Fulton County elections board refuses to certify primary election results unless given access to detailed voting data, in a move that Democrats worry could jeopardize certification of Novemberâs general election results.
Julie Adams, who joined the Fulton County Board of Registration & Elections in February, filed a lawsuit against the board and the countyâs elections director immediately after the May 21 primary, claiming sheâs being prevented from performing her board duties. Adams wants access to âessential election materials and processesâ and a ruling that her duties â including certification of election results â are discretionary, not mandatory.
“DNC prepares to nominate Biden via âvirtual roll callâ before convention”
The Democratic National Committee is preparingto nominate President Biden as the partyâs presidential nominee through a âvirtual roll callâ ahead of its August convention in Chicago, an unusual step to ensure that Biden can meet a deadline to appear on the ballot in Ohio.
The move comes despite a special legislative session in Ohio this week that Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said would resolve the issue. Democrats are not optimistic about the special session, given that DeWine has added an unrelated proposal on campaign finance to the agenda that Republicans want considered alongside legislation that would allow Biden on the ballot.
“Top Republicans are already rushing to buy into Trumpâs 2024 election fraud narrative”
Top Republicans are already rushing to buy into a new 2024 election fraud narrative sown by ex-President Donald Trump in their zeal to appease their partyâs presumptive nominee.
Leading party figures are increasingly warning they will only recognize the result of Novemberâs presidential vote if there is no fraud. But there is no indication that there will be irregularities in the election. And their warnings come despite many Republican state legislatures taking steps to tighten voting rules â based on Trumpâs lies about fraud in 2020.
The new Republican trend of casting doubt on the integrity of the 2024 election in advance was exhibited by Sen. Ted Cruz on Wednesday in an interview with CNNâs Kaitlan Collins. The Texas lawmaker, who in 2016 fell in line behind Trump despite the ex-presidentâs insults about his father and his wife, falsely stated that the 2020 election was tainted by fraud. Despite Trumpâs claims of voting irregularities, multiple courts, including the US Supreme Court, rejected the former presidentâs claims he was cheated out of power. And Trumpâs then-attorney general, William Barr, looked into his claims and decided that there was no widespread fraud that would have changed the result of the election.
But Cruz told Collins that a question about whether he would accept the results of the 2024 election was âridiculous.â
âSo youâre asking, âWill you promise, no matter what, to agree an election is legitimate regardless of what happens?,â and that would be an absurd thing to claim,â Cruz said. âWe have an entire election law system: that people challenge elections, elections get overturned, voter fraud gets proven. That happens all the time.â Cruz, who objected to election results in Arizona, which Trump narrowly lost to Biden, on January 6, 2021, went on to suggest there was significant fraud in 2020. And he implied the same could happen this year.
âIf the Democrats win, I will accept the result, but Iâm not going to ignore fraud regardless of what happens,â Cruz said.
“Voter outreach groups targeted by new laws in several GOP-led states are struggling to do their work”
Florida is one of several states, including Kansas, Missouri and Texas, where Republicans have enacted voting restrictions since 2021 that created or enhanced criminal penalties and fines for those who assist voters. The laws have forced some voter outreach groups to cease operations, while others have greatly altered or reduced their activities.
The Florida law, signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis last May, imposed a $50,000 fine on third-party voter registration organizations if the staff or volunteers who handle or collect the forms have been convicted of a felony or are not U.S. citizens. It also raised the fines the groups could face, from $1,000 to $250,000, and reduced the amount of time they are able to return registration applications from 14 days to 10 days.
A federal judge blocked portions of the law earlier this month, including the one targeting felons and those who are not citizens. Even so, the law had a direct effect on the operations of Equal Ground and other voter advocacy organizations in the state before the ruling.
The League of Women Voters in Florida, one of the plaintiffs, shifted away from in-person voter registration to digital outreach. Cecile Scoon, the leagueâs co-president, said the law stripped the personal connection between its workers and communities. Digital tools arenât easy to use when registering voters and can be expensive, she said….
“The Republican Nominee to Lead Oregon Elections Wants to Stop All Mail Voting”
The moderator of an April candidate forum hosted by the City Club of Central Oregon wanted to know: Could the Republicans running for secretary of state confirm that, if elected, theyâd certify the results of Oregon elections, even when their preferred candidates lose?
That would depend, candidate Dennis Linthicum responded. Heâd first want to check with citizen activists.
âNo detective will ever find a body in the backyard if he doesnât look,â said Linthicum, who is currently a state senator representing a district in south central Oregon. âSo, at some point, the public is the best lookers we have. Theyâre out there, theyâre investigating. Youâve got people doing the math. Youâve got people chasing ballots and understanding how ballot harvesting has been harming the public.â
At no point in the forum did Linthicum provide evidence of widespread voter fraud in Oregonâthere isnât anyâbut that has never stopped him. He is part of a nationwide network of conservative officials and cultural influencers who have stoked election-related conspiracies for years now. Three years ago, he joined lawmakers from around the country in calling for an audit of the 2020 presidential election in all 50 states based on unspecified âfraud and irregularities.â
Linthicum last week easily captured the GOP nomination to be secretary of state, Oregonâs top elections official. The office oversees voter registration and voting procedures, and is also charged with certifying election results.