Archive for May 2020

The North Carolina House overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill aimed at expanding vote-by-mail for the 2020 election in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a significant development given the state’s recent controversies over election rules in the Tar Heel State.

A West Virginia mail carrier is facing federal charges after his “joke” of altering absentee ballot requests was discovered by county election officials.

North Dakota’s Secretary of State is looking past all the controversy on voting by mail and finding a surprising bright side: the opportunity for kids to learn more about the election process. In the current fractious and frantic environment surrounding vote-by-mail, it’s nice to see a “teachable moment” about elections.

A federal court, as expected, struck down the State of Florida’s limits on restoration of voting rights for individuals with former felony convictions, saying the requirement to pay outstanding fines and fees was a “tax” and an unconstitutional basis for denying the franchise.

State Senator Shemia Fagan won the Democratic nomination for Oregon Secretary of State after an erroneous Election Night media call gave the race to an opponent.

McDuffie County, GA’s election office is suddenly shorthanded with Election Day approaching as two full-time staff and some temporary workers have contracted COVID-19.

Following the news that its county clerk is resigning, Texas’ Harris County (Houston) is discussing whether or not to follow the lead of other counties and appoint rather than elect its election administrator.

A new report from the Wisconsin Election Commission analyzes the state’s April 7 election, with special attention to the spike in absentee ballots and a look ahead to the general election in the fall.

Missouri voters will have expanded opportunities to vote by mail in 2020 after the legislature agreed to a compromise bill that broadened the reasons to obtain an absentee ballot but excluded a voter ID provision sought by the Secretary of State.

Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), PA is fielding questions from voters after a software problem resulted in mailings of duplicate ballots for the state’s upcoming primary.