Latest news with #votersrights
Washington Post
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Independents who want to vote in Pennsylvania's closed primaries seek help from state's high court
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Voters hoping to open up Pennsylvania's closed primary system to independents asked the state Supreme Court on Tuesday to declare the current system violates the state constitution's right to free and fair elections. Four independent voters asked the justices to take up the case directly, arguing that in many districts and in many races, including for the great majority of legislative seats, the primary elections among Republicans and Democrats are the only real contests, not the fall election. There are relatively few 'swing' districts — in most parts of Pennsylvania, one party or the other predominates.
Arab News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Russia main election monitor closes amid crackdown
MOSCOW: Russia's main independent voting observer Golos, which monitored the country's increasingly tightly-controlled elections for 25 years, announced its closure on Tuesday, two months after its co-chair was jailed. Golos — which means 'voice' in Russian — had for years meticulously recorded voting fraud across the huge country as elections under President Vladimir Putin's long rule turned into a ritual with little real choice. Putin faced no real competition at the last presidential election in 2024 and a domestic crackdown accompanying Moscow's Ukraine offensive has made voicing different views dangerous. 'Justice, alas, does not always win — it must be fought for. And there is always the risk of losing. This is how it turned out this time,' Golos said in an online statement, adding: 'Goodbye.' The group's co-chair Grigory Melkonyants, Russia's most respected independent election observer, was sentenced to five years in prison in May as part of the Kremlin's sweeping crackdown. Golos said it had 'no choice' but to end its activity after the sentencing as it put its participants 'at risk.' Melkonyants, 44, was found guilty of working with a European election monitoring association outlawed as an 'undesirable organization' in Russia — which Golos has repeatedly denied. Golos has described itself as an 'all Russian social movement in defense of voters' rights.' It had observers across Russia's regions and had for years published online reports and maps of violations during elections and had a hotline to report voting fraud. It said Tuesday it had shut down its regional offices. International observers have for years reported widespread voter intimidation, ballot stuffing and other election fraud in Russia.
