GOP announces plan to encourage early, mail-in voting despite previous messaging
After multiple years of criticizing mail voting and so-called ballot harvesting as “ripe for fraud,” Republican party leaders want to change their strategy. The GOP now plans to launch ambitious get-out-the-vote campaigns for 2024, endeavoring to match the emphasis on early voting that Democrats have used for years to lock in their supporters prior to election day. The goal is to encourage voters who support Republican candidates that early voting techniques are secure and to make sure they turn in their ballots in time
ME considers ranked choice voting for governor races
Maine is expected to vote in the state Legislature this month to elect its governor using ranked-choice voting, potentially becoming the second state to elect its governor using the new method. Alaska is the only state that currently uses ranked-choice voting to elect its governor, but both Maine and Alaska use the ranked-choice voting in presidential and congressional primaries. Supporters of ranked-choice voting say it deters “spoiler” candidates and encourages cooperation, civility, and moderation. Visit News Center Maine to learn moreImage Credit:MoneyforCoffee (Public Domain Certification)
Supreme Court backs landmark voting rights law, strikes down Alabama congressional map
The Supreme Court has struck down Republican-drawn Alabama congressional districts in a surprising affirmation of the Voting Rights Act. The court, in a 5-4 vote, ruled against Alabama, which means the seven congressional districts which heavily favored Republicans will now be redrawn. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, both strong conservatives, joined the three liberal justices in the majority. Visit NBC News to learn moreImage Credit:Joe Ravi (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Katie Hobbs vetoes GOP bills criminalizing homelessness, ranked choice voting
Governor Katie Hobbs recently vetoed two Republican-backed bills that would have criminalized homelessness and ranked choice voting. Senate Bill 1413 would have forced city officials to take down homeless encampments and charge people living in them with criminal trespassing and Senate Bill 1265 would have outlawed the use of ranked-choice voting throughout Arizona, even though it currently does not exist anywhere in the state. Those two bills vetoed by the Governor on Monday are just a few of the 106 bills that Hobbs has
Youtube changes policy to allow false claims about past U.S. presidential elections
Youtube has decided to stop removing content that falsely claims the 2020 election or other U.S. presidential elections were fraudulent or marred with “fraud, errors, or glitches.” The decision is a major reversal for the google owned video service, which began a policy of removing new posts that falsely claimed widespread voter fraud or errors changed the outcome one month after the last presidential election. In a recent blog post, Youtube representatives claimed the policy change is an attempt to protect users ability to,