LeBron James’ voting initiative recruits 10,000 poll workers, and Obama joins NBA virtual crowd to thank them
More Than A Vote, the voting rights organization led by LeBron James, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund announced that they have recruited 10,000 new poll workers to serve in primarily Black voting districts during the general election in November. More Than A Vote and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s next push will be to get new poll workers to sign up in nearly a dozen key cities. You can find More Than A Vote on our Voting Organizations page. Visit CNN to learn more.
Gov. Greg Abbott limits counties to one absentee ballot drop-off location, bolstering GOP efforts to restrict voting
Texas governor Greg Abbott signed a proclamation on October 1 limiting counties to only one ballot drop-off location each and allowing political parties to send poll watchers to observe the process. This applies even to very large counties like Harris County, home to the city of Houston, which has over 4.7 million residents. Governor Abbott (a Republican) called these measures “enhanced security protocols,” while Democrats and voting rights advocates are calling them voter suppression. Visit the Texas Tribune to learn more.
US Supreme Court allows SC vote-by-mail restriction to proceed
On the first day of its new term, the Supreme Court reinstated a South Carolina witness-signature law for mail-in ballots which had previously been blocked by a lower federal court. The law requires a person submitting a mail-in ballot to swear an oath that they are qualified to vote, received no help while voting, have a witness present for the oath, and have that witness’ signature on their mail-in envelope. The Court explained that it was not the judiciary’s job to second-guess legislative changes
The legal battles over voting that could swing the US election
Courts in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan have recently given voters using mail-in ballots more time to return and have their ballots counted for the general election in November. Republicans in each of these states are urging state and federal to reconsider these changes. Voting rights advocates are still concerned that mail-in ballots will be dismissed over small technicalities, and both the Biden and Trump campaigns are gearing up for intense and widespread litigation over valid mail-in ballots after Election Day. Visit The Guardian to learn
Federal judge refuses to stop mail-in voting in Montana, blasts Trump-backed ‘fiction’ of massive voter fraud
Federal District Judge Dana Christensen ruled against the Trump campaign’s effort to stop Montana’s new voting rules. The new rules, issued by Governor Steve Bullock, allows counties to switch to an essentially all-mail voting system for 2020. Bullock, a Democrat, is running against sitting Republican Senator Steve Daines this November. Visit CNN to learn more.