Latest news with #ElectionIntegrity
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
LO council candidate arrested on illegal electioneering charge
Unsuccessful Live Oak city council candidate Cruz Fuentes Mora was arrested July 4 on suspicion of illegal electioneering during the Nov. 2024 election. The 26-year-old Mora was reported to the Sutter County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) by a Sutter County precinct inspector last November. The precinct inspector reported Mora was 'interfering with the election by wearing a campaign shirt and video recording inside the polling place with his cell phone,' the SCSO wrote in a press release on July 7. 'It should be noted that observers shall not display any election material or wear campaign badges, buttons or apparel or intimidate a voter by means of photographing, video recording, or otherwise recording a voter entering or exiting a polling place, or at the central county location,' officials said. A warrant was issued for Mora's arrest. The SCSO said that he was located riding his bike in Live Oak and booked into the Sutter County Jail without incident. He is accused of violating a section of the California Elections Code that restricts activities at polling places on election day. Mora was released after his booking on the misdemeanor charge.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
RNC sues over Arizona voter registration law
The Republican National Committee (RNC) and Arizona GOP have filed a lawsuit seeking to block an Arizona law that allows military and other temporarily absent overseas voters to cast ballots without providing proof of citizenship directly to the state. 'Arizona's elections should be decided by Arizonans, not by individuals who have never lived a single day in this country,' RNC Chair Michael Whatley said in a statement Monday. 'Democrats want to cheat in our elections by allowing votes from people who have never established legal residency.' 'The RNC is defending the rights of Arizona voters to stop this unconstitutional law in its tracks,' he added. The Arizona law, adopted in 2023, allows some overseas U.S. citizens who have not lived in the Grand Canyon State but have a parent who is a registered Arizona voter to cast ballots through a federal write-in system created under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) of 1986. The 1986 act applies only to presidential and other federal elections, but some states have extended provisions from it to apply to state and local elections. Arizona's law allows county registrars to accept the federal form in lieu of a separate state affidavit. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes's (D) office didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment on the GOP's lawsuit. The Arizona election law was reviewed by the Supreme Court last August, when justices sided with the RNC and Arizona GOP leaders' argument that proof of citizenship should be required for state voter registration forms. But the high court also upheld the portion of the law that allows overseas voters to cast ballots by mail without confirming citizenship to the state if they meet other federal registration requirements. Arizona became a hotbed for Republicans' election law challenges after President Trump lost the state to former President Biden in the 2020 cycle. Trump won support from the majority of Arizona voters four years earlier and won the state again last fall. Multiple Republicans have faced defamation claims, obstruction charges and conspiracy allegations over unfounded objections to Arizona election results in recent years. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Report: Voter confidence in election systems high, but more education needed
Getty Images Voters in Michigan had a high opinion of the 2024 election being accurate, fair and secure, both before and after the election took place, and appear to have the same confidence in the upcoming 2026 election, according to a new poll that was hailed Thursday by a partisan group. Poll findings released this week from Glengarrif Group showed that eight in 10 voters – from a sample size of 800 registered voters with a margin of error of 3.5% – felt that the upcoming election to select the three top heads of state; governor, attorney general and secretary of state, would be equally secure and fair. The results of the poll, which was conducted during the first week of June, were released in conjunction with an event on Thursday at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids. The panel featured members of the Democracy Defense Project, including two former Michigan governors, a former congressman and others. Glengarrif Group noted that nearly 76% of Michigan voters said the November 2024 election was fair, and that 88% of voters said they trusted their local elections, which is a 10-percentage point increase from those who answered a related poll in October 2024. That said, nearly 57% of voters who engaged with the poll said they were at least somewhat concerned about noncitizens voting in state elections, with nearly 36% also saying they were very concerned about that issue. Only 21% of respondents, however, said voters should show an ID to vote, which is already required by Michigan law, and a slim 7.7% said voters should show proof of citizenship. That polling on some voters' feelings on citizenship as a prerequisite to vote serves as a counterpoint to Michigan Republican efforts to get a constitutional amendment requiring proof of citizenship in order to cast a ballot. The lead sponsor of that movement is state Rep. Bryan Posthumus (R-Rockford), who told Michigan Advance in late May that he believed 85% of the state's population agreed that only U.S. citizens should vote in statewide and national elections. That said, Posthumus' aim was to put that question before the voters in 2026, giving the voting populace a chance to say whether they believed only U.S. citizens should vote in Michigan's elections. It is still an open question if a large enough group of Michigan voters want to make that a constitutional requirement. At Thursday's forum to announce the poll findings, former Democratic Michigan Gov. Jim Blanchard said the state's residents should be proud of the professionalism of local election workers, regardless of the political outcome. 'As with any election, people will have strong feelings about the outcome and the winners,' Blanchard said. 'One thing our poll clearly shows is that despite those feelings, Michigan voters are confident in our election system, especially the work of our local and county-level officials and the many hardworking volunteers who provide support at precincts in communities across Michigan.' Former Republican Michigan Gov. John Engler also said that the state's voters appear overwhelmingly satisfied with existing election processes. Engler went on to say that more education was needed to bring them up to speed on what measures are already in place to ensure secure and safe elections. 'In the past few years, we have seen clerks from both parties actively engaging voters from all backgrounds in their communities – Republicans, Democrats and independents,' Engler said. 'At the same time, local media outlets have covered these events and supported civic public education that benefits all of us, and we encourage them to build on these efforts.' Engler's comments come at a time when some Republican state lawmakers remain committed to pushing the falsehood that the 2020 and 2022 elections were unfair and are working to relitigate the outcome of those elections despite recent polls like the Glengarrif offering and other assurances through the years. Former Lt. Gov. John Cherry, a Democrat, said the Glengarrif poll was striking because it was the first time polling has been done where a majority of voters from all backgrounds said they were satisfied with the 2024 results and looked confidently ahead to 2026 – all while acknowledging that existing safeguards were working. 'Where voters say they want to see changes, that list is very narrow,' Cherry said. 'We believe that by working together, in a bipartisan way, Michigan policymakers can find reasonable, commonsense and cost-effective ways to address voters' concerns.' Former Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop of Rochester said the poll was evidence that voters of all political leanings wanted to be in the driver's seat for local, state and national elections, and not politicians in Lansing. That said, Bishop did say he believed that the proof of citizenship responses in an open-ended portion of the poll shows there is an appetite to move that measure across the finish line. 'Voters also have a real desire to ensure only U.S. citizens vote in our elections, and we encourage policymakers to explore solutions that keep our elections secure without putting up barriers that may prevent any eligible voter from exercising their right to vote,' Bishop said. Board members of the Democracy Defense Project proposed a solution to that conundrum: expand and support voter access to Michigan Enhanced IDs and driver's licenses. Both forms of enhanced identification indicate if someone is a U.S. citizen and are compliant with new federal requirements for REAL ID, which allow access to federal buildings, boarding planes and traveling domestically by air and other activities. In late May, the Michigan Department of State said it had issued 200,000 REAL IDs in the last few months. A REAL ID differs from Enhanced ID in that it does not indicate U.S. citizenship, so a pathway to getting the latter could ease citizenship and voting concerns.
Russia Today
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Moscow hits back at Romania's election meddling claims
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has dismissed allegations from Romania that Moscow interfered in the second round of the country's presidential elections. In a statement on Monday, Zakharova pointed to the contentious nature of the vote in Romania, advising its officials to focus on 'cleaning' their own reputation. The diplomat was responding to claims by Romanian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Andrei Tarnea, who alleged that there were 'hallmarks of Russian interference' during the election. On Sunday, pro-EU centrist Nicusor Dan was elected president of Romania, defeating conservative and Euroskeptic rival George Simion, who has accused France and Moldova of attempting to undermine his campaign. Zakharova questioned the legitimacy of Romania's presidential vote, saying it should not be considered a proper election. 'You can't interfere in something like that – only get entangled in it,' Zakharova wrote on Telegram. 'They shouldn't try to drag others into their electoral mess. They should clean it up themselves.' The election followed the annulment of the previous vote, in which independent right-wing candidate Calin Georgescu had led in the first round with 23% of the vote. Romania's Constitutional Court overturned the results, citing electoral irregularities and allegations of foreign interference, including claims of Russian involvement – accusations that Moscow has denied. Georgescu was subsequently barred from standing in the re-run. Simion, the leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), has publicly backed Georgescu and appeared alongside him at a polling station on Sunday. He had earlier condemned the annulment of the 2024 election results as a 'coup d'état' and said that, if elected, he would consider appointing Georgescu as prime minister. Simion, who opposes military aid to Kiev and has been barred from visiting Ukraine, decisively swept the first round on May 4, securing 40%, while Dan and former Senator Crin Antonescu each garnered around 20%. Dan is known as a staunchly pro-EU and pro-NATO candidate, and has called Romania's support for Ukraine vital for national security. Ahead of the Sunday's runoff, Simion accused the pro-EU government in neighboring Moldova of attempting to rig the vote. The two countries share close historical and cultural links, with about 30% of Moldovans holding dual citizenship. He claimed on Facebook that the country's voter rolls included 1.7 million fictitious names, alleging that many of them belong to people who are no longer alive. Simion also alleged that voters were being bussed in from Moldova to cast ballots. He previously accused his opponent, Dan, of breaking the campaign silence rule by engaging in political activity on the eve of the vote. Telegram founder Pavel Durov said in a post on Sunday that Nicolas Lerner, head of French foreign intelligence, had personally urged him to censor conservative voices on the platform ahead of Romania's presidential election rerun. The Russian-born entrepreneur said he refused the request.
Forbes
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Why Nonvoters Don't Vote: What New Census Data Show
(Photo by Paul Hennessy/Anadolu via Getty Images) In April, the Census released its report on registration and voting in the 2024 election. The data make it possible to look at many voter characteristics such as race and ethnicity, gender, age, family income, and much more. The trend data on voters is valuable, but I'm especially interested in a different question the Census includes in this series. The Census also asks people who are registered but didn't vote why they didn't do so. I focus on this question because of the drumbeat of news stories each election season claiming there are significant difficulties or impediments to voting. Those concerns among others persuaded Democrats to introduce legislation at the beginning of President Biden's term which would have federalized many aspects of elections. The legislation, which passed the House but not the Senate, would have required states to provide automatic voter registration, established same day registration and voting, put in place two weeks of early voting, and expand vote by mail. In March, President Trump recently issued an Election Integrity Executive Order that would require, among other things, proof of citizenship to vote. Court challenges are expected. The new Census data do not suggest that impediments are a significant or even minor reason why nonvoters don't vote. Before reviewing the data, a cautionary note about the data is in order. The Census data are what we call 'recall' data, which means the Census goes into the field after the election and asks people if they were registered and voted. Many people still give what they see as the civically correct response and tell Census interviewers that they voted, when in fact some did not. Still, this Census release is widely used by academics and others to show trends in voting by specific characteristics. The Census has been providing this invaluable data for every national election since 1964. Nonvoters in the Census data have already taken the step to register, yet still they don't vote. The top explanation for this group in 2024 was that they were 'not interested' with nearly two in ten voters, 19.7%, giving this response. That was followed by being too busy (17.8%), and not liking the candidates or campaign issues (14.7%). Illness or disability was chosen by 12.4% and 7.4% said they were out of town. Four percent told interviewers they simply forgot. There were some unsurprising subgroup differences among nonvoters. Thirty-five percent of those in the 65 and over group said illness or disability prevented them from voting compared to 2.8%for the youngest presumably healthier age group, those ages 18-24. The top three responses were the same for whites, blacks and Hispanics, but black and Hispanic nonvoters were more likely than whites to say they weren't interested. High school grads were slightly more likely to give the not interested response than those with a BA or more. As for possible voting impediments, 3.6% in the Census report said they had registration problems, 2.4% said their voting places were inconvenient, and 2.2% noted transportation problems. These responses augment responses from a 2024 PRRI poll. Fewer than 2% said they faced impediments to voting such as being told they didn't have the correct ID, or, separately, that their name wasn't on the list though they were registered. One percent said they were harassed or bothered. The one problem a lot of voters had was long lines (17%), something local election officials can work to correct. The dearth of serious voting impediments is long-standing finding in polls. To take just one, a 1983 report by ABC News and Harvard looked closely at likely and unlikely voters. Jeff Alderman of ABC wrote that both groups did 'not perceive major logistical obstacles to voting in either the registration or election process. They are generally satisfied with voting procedures. . .' In this poll, a similar number of nonvoters gave the 'too busy' and 'long lines' response the Census has tracked. Other studies since that time confirm that impediments are not a significant problem for the vast majority of citizens. So why do we hear so much about voting impediments in election years? First, we should know about real impediments and correct them because voting is important and gives people a say in how government works. It is also always worth examining proposed changes to see if they will make the system work better. But it also appears that both parties use the issue to try to secure political advantage – to appeal to their base voters and widen their appeal. But getting the federal government more involved in a system that needs some improvements but works very well across the country seems to me at least to be a big mistake.
