“Bomb threats force closures at some New Jersey polling places”
Across New Jersey, bomb threats at multiple polling locations have prompted closures and relocations today.
Attorney General Matthew Platkin says law enforcement responded to emailed threats at polling places in seven New Jersey counties and secured each location.
He says some of these polling locations have already reopened to the public, while at others, voters have been directed to a nearby polling location to cast their ballot. “Voters should continue to have confidence that they can cast their ballot without fear of intimidation, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure a free, fair, and secure election. Make no mistake: We will not tolerate any attempts to interfere with our elections, and we will swiftly hold accountable anyone who seeks to interfere with the safety or security of our electoral process.”…
Threats have been sent via email to the following locations:
- Bergen County
- Essex County
- Mercer County
- Middlesex County
- Monmouth County
- Ocean County
- Passaic County
“Parties, Power, and Possibility: Revisiting Fusion Voting in Wisconsin” Event Nov. 14
Great lineup for this event at the University of Wisconsin.
“Donors to Trump’s Ballroom Are Asked Why They Chose to Remain Incognito”
Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut is asking a handful of business interests about their donations to President Trump’s ballroom project, and why they were not disclosed by the White House.
“Many questions remain about the fund-raising for this project, including the amount of each contribution, the agreement reached with each contributor, what promises may have been or may yet be made in exchange for what presumably will be substantial contributions, and why the White House chose to allow donors to remain anonymous,” Mr. Blumenthal, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, wrote in letters to several donors who were revealed in a report by The New York Times over the weekend.
The Trump administration has promised transparency about the funding of the ballroom that is replacing the East Wing of the White House. But donors were given the option of remaining anonymous, and The Times found several whose identities were not disclosed by Mr. Trump’s team last month when a list of more than three dozen donors was released.
Among them were the health care companies Vantive and Extremity Care, which are seeking to shape Medicare reimbursement rates for their products, and the Wall Street powerhouse BlackRock, whose bid to acquire a stake in Panama Canal ports has been supported by Mr. Trump amid opposition from China. An individual donor who was not disclosed by the White House is Jeff Yass, a major investor in TikTok’s parent company who could benefit from a Trump-backed deal to keep the social media app running in the United States….
I Spoke with the Radio News Hour in Australia About Prop 50 and the Redistricting Wars
Huntington Beach Loses Appeal, Cannot Enact Its City Voter ID Law in Contravention of California State Law
See here.
From a press release:
The Fourth District Court of Appeal, Third Division, issued decisions in two companion cases striking down the Huntington Beach Voter ID Charter Amendment. In Mark Bixby v. The City of Huntington Beach, et al., Nos. G065461 and G065499, Huntington Beach resident Mark Bixby challenged the Voter ID charter amendment, and the Secretary of State, through the Attorney General, later filed a similar challenge in The People of the State of California et al., City of Huntington Beach, et al., No. G065589. The Court of Appeal heard arguments in both matters on October 22, 2025, and issued orders in both cases reversing the trial court’s judgment for the City and striking the Charter Amendment and prohibiting its enforcement.
The Court based its order on Elections Code Section 10005, adopted by the Legislature as SB 1174, authored by then-State Senator Dave Min, which expressly prohibited local cities from imposing a Voter ID requirement. Huntington Beach city leaders nevertheless persisted in defending the Voter ID amendment, claiming that the law did not apply to Huntington Beach as a charter city. The Court of Appeal decidedly disagreed with the City’s arguments.
The City will have a ten-day window to seek review in the California Supreme Court, once the decision of the Court of Appeal becomes final. Barring any modifications in the Court of Appeal, that period of time is anticipated to be between December 4, 2025, and December 15, 2025.
‘NAACP and Advancement Project Sue Virginia Over Illegal Rejection of College Student Voter Registrations”
Press release:
National civil rights organization Advancement Project and the NAACP Virginia State Conference filed a lawsuit against the Virginia Department of Elections on October 31 for unlawfully disenfranchising college and university students, including those attending Historically Black Colleges and… Continue reading
“Ford Foundation’s New Leader Vows to Protect Elections and the Rule of Law”
Adam Liptak profile for the NYT:
The Ford Foundation, the nearly 90-year-old international philanthropy, is now in the cross hairs of the Trump administration, which has called for scrutiny of the organization as part of a broad crackdown on the… Continue reading
“Indiana Republican Tries Different Approach in Debate on Voting Maps: Listening”
NYT:
For two hours on Saturday, Greg Goode, a Republican member of the Indiana Senate, sat on a tall wooden chair, listening as constituents told him they oppose a plan to redraw the state’s political map to send more Republicans… Continue reading
“Trump escalates demands for 2020 election investigations and prosecution”
WaPo:
President Donald Trump is dialing up pressure on the Justice Department to freshly scrutinize ballots from the 2020 election, raising tensions with administration officials who think their time is better spent examiningvoter lists for future elections.
In recent… Continue reading
“Are We Losing Our Democracy?”
Important and powerful look from NYT Opinion on the slippage into autocracy.
“Future of Gerrymandering? Here’s How Weird Things Could Look”
NYT’s The Tilt:
You’ve probably seen gerrymandered congressional maps with snaking, winding, twisting districts drawn to give one party an advantage.
In the not too distant future, it might be possible to imagine even crazier maps.
For decades, Section… Continue reading
Federal District Court Issues a Permanent Injunction Barring the U.S. Election Assistance Commission from Altering the Federal Form to Register to Vote to Require Documentary Proof of Citizenship, as Trump Purported to Order
You can find the careful and well reasoned district court opinion at this link. From the introduction:
The first question presented in these consolidated cases is whether the President, acting unilaterally, may direct changes to federal election procedures. Because… Continue reading
“Dems ‘Need the Votes’ of ‘Illegal Citizens,’ Top Federal Election Official Claims in Unhinged Rant” (Republican EAC Commissioner Christy McCormick)
Despicable:
A top federal voting official is facing a call to step down after accusing Democrats of encouraging “open borders” and widespread voting by “illegal citizens,” because “they need the votes.”
The outlandish conspiracy theory is common on the… Continue reading