Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday signed a bill automatically restoring voting rights to people who have been released from prison after committing felonies, even if they are still on parole — a measure sponsored by a lawmaker who was herself formerly incarcerated. Read More
Legislation making it more difficult to get initiatives or referendums on ballots is heading to the governor, who has hinted of a possible veto. The House voted 51-18 on Wednesday to approve the measure backers said is needed because the current process favors urban voters. It passed the Senate 26-9 last month. Those numbers are enough to overcome a veto. Read More
Major League Baseball's 2021 All-Star Game will be played in Colorado's Coors Field, the league says, after it canceled plans for Atlanta to host baseball's midseason centerpiece. The change came in response to Georgia's controversial new voting law, which the MLB says is against its values. Read More
Washington state lawmakers have voted to automatically restore voting rights to people who have been released from prison after committing felonies,
even if they’re still on parole. With the support of majority Democrats, the state Senate passed the measure 27-22 Wednesday night, following earlier approval by the House. It now heads to Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, who is Read More
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday signed a massive overhaul of election laws, shortly after the Republican-controlled state legislature approved it. The bill enacts new limitations on mail-in voting, expands most voters' access to in-person early voting and caps a months-long battle over voting in a battleground state. Read More
Covering a bill making its way through Olympia that could impact the voting rights of 26,000 people. Continue Reading Voting After Prison In WashingtonRead More
Deepening polarization is eroding faith in the electoral and democratic process on which our democracy depends. What can we do to cultivate mutual respect, repair damaged relationships, and reweave a civic fabric frayed from years of growing division? Read More
The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Tuesday in a major voting rights case that could give state legislatures a green light to change voting laws, making it more difficult for some to vote. Continue Reading High Noon For The Future Of Read More
Legislation to make permanent changes in Idaho’s absentee ballot counting procedure passed the Senate on Thursday and is headed to the House. The state Senate voted 35-0 to approve the bill intended to speed absentee vote counting. It was used in the last general election and spurred by the coronavirus pandemic. Read More
Dominion Voting Systems has filed suit against former President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani over baseless claims he's made that Dominion was at the center of a scheme to perpetuate widespread election fraud. Continue Reading Read More
If you've been riding an emotional, politics-fueled rollercoaster in 2021 (not to mention 2020), believe us: Your kids have noticed. Here's a quick primer from Life Kit on how to talk with your kids about politics — and, even get them thinking about civics. Continue Read More
A top employee of Dominion Voting Systems, who has gone into hiding after becoming the subject of conspiracy theories on the right since the election, is suing the Trump campaign, a number of campaign surrogates and pro-Trump media outlets, alleging defamation. Read More
The lawsuit argued a 2019 state law authorizing universal mail-in voting was unconstitutional and that all ballots cast by mail in the general election in Pennsylvania should be thrown out. Continue Reading U.S. Supreme Court Read More
The decision means about 127,000 ballots cast by drive-through voting in the Houston area will be counted. It follows a similar ruling by the Texas Supreme Court on Sunday. Continue Reading Federal Judge Dismisses Effort To Throw Out Read More
"I think it's terrible when we can't know the results of an election the night of the election in a modern-day age of computers," Trump said. But the vote totals are never fully counted the same day. Continue Reading Read More
According to figures provided by the Secretary of State’s office, 513,000 people registered to vote in Washington prior to the 2016 election. So far this year, this state has seen approximately 440,000 new registrants, a 14 percent drop compared to four years ago. However, the last two months have shown something of a rebound. Read More
Washington’s latitude about late-arriving ballots stands in stark contrast to Oregon, and more than half of states, where ballots must arrive by Election Day. In fact, by allowing ballots to still be counted nearly three weeks after the election, Washington has the most generous policy in the nation, according to a recent analysis. Read More
State and local election officials in Washington said Thursday that election systems here are secure and haven’t been hacked. Those assurances follow multiple reports in recent days of efforts by foreign actors to interfere with the upcoming national election. Read More
State elections officials said Idahoans should not worry about the security of their ballot if they vote absentee. Idaho has used the same basic absentee voting procedures since 1972. So the process is not new to elections officials, even though they are expecting a significant increase in absentee ballots due to the pandemic. Read More
Pennsylvania Republicans had sought to block the counting of late-arriving ballots, which the state's Supreme Court had approved last month. Continue Reading U.S. Supreme Court Rules Pennsylvania Can Count Ballots Received Read More
A majority of Republicans, Democrats, Independents, men and women from across the country, of all ages and races, are expecting some or many attempts to block people from voting, according to the latest PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll, conducted less than a month before Election Day. In November 2016, 57 percent of registered voters anticipated attempts to thwart voting; that Read More
Republicans have challenged state laws that they say will lead to voter fraud. The judge said the Trump campaign's concerns were mere speculation. In reality, voter fraud is extremely rare. Continue Reading Judge Blocks Trump Read More
Gov. Greg Abbott ordered order a limit to the number of places where voters can hand deliver mail-in ballots. Some county officials worry it will lead to confusion and voter suppression. Continue Reading Texas Read More
Changes in Wisconsin and North Carolina mean absentee ballots that are postmarked by Election Day will count, if received within six and nine days of the election, respectively. Continue Reading Rule Changes In Swing States Mean Read More
The move by the USPS prompted a scramble by county auditors who run elections in their counties and the Washington Secretary of State’s office, which oversees elections statewide, to put out public messages to clarify the process. Read More
Whether you’re new to Washington state or just making sure you are fully prepared to vote in the Nov. 3 general election, here’s what you need to know about voting (plus lots of links for voters who live outside the state or have recently moved). Read More
The 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment offers an opportunity to take a closer look at stories of women of the movement — those we think we already know, and those that have been lost to history. Continue Reading Read More
Washington state has laws in place to prevent that. And the state, which has been all-vote-by-mail since 2011, has a decade of experience with ballot boxes that counters the president’s claims. Continue Reading Security And Ballot Drop Boxes In Read More
The report concludes Wisconsin voters who braved the pandemic and went to the polls in April did not see a surge in COVID-19 infections, although another study reaches the opposite conclusion. Continue Reading New Research Read More
The director of the museum, Deborah L. Hughes, suggests that the best way to honor Anthony would be to take a clear stance against voter suppression and to advocate for human rights for all. Continue Reading Susan B. Anthony Museum Read More
The U.S. Postal Service has suffered from financial problems for years, but Louis DeJoy, a Republican fundraiser, chose this summer to cut some overtime, withdraw sorting machines and impose other operational changes that have effectively reduced the system's throughput. Read More
One hundred years ago, both chambers of Congress passed the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed American women the right to vote. The landmark amendment was ratified into the U.S. Constitution the following year, in August of 1920. Continue Read More
Louis DeJoy, an ally of President Trump, has come under fire in recent weeks for what's viewed as directives to slow down USPS in order to suppress absentee or mail-in votes. Continue Reading Postmaster General Suspends Read More
President Trump told Fox Business Network that he's against additional funding and election assistance for the U.S. Postal Service in order to sabotage efforts to expand mail-in voting. Continue Reading President Trump Admits He Read More
While turnout in November could easily top 80 percent, Washington’s August primary typically draws 40 percent or less of the electorate. We break down the dynamics of this year's unusual election season during the coronavirus pandemic. Read More
Washington’s typically sleepy August primary will test the endurance of voters as they navigate a larger-than-usual crop of candidates. The robust turnout of would-be officeholders may be, at least partially, the result of the state making it easier to qualify for the ballot in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Read More
The charges, filed Tuesday, stem from Watkins registering to vote using the address of a UPS storefront. Continue Reading Kansas GOP Rep. Steve Watkins Charged With Felonies Over Voter Registration At UPS StoreRead More
Yakima County is being sued over how it runs elections. In a lawsuit filed Monday, plaintiffs argue the current at-large voting system dilutes Latinx votes. That would violate the Washington State Voting Rights Act. A 2012 lawsuit against the city of Yakima claimed a similar disenfranchising voting system. Federal courts agreed in that case. Read More
Monday's decision brought a sigh of relief from election experts, who worried that if Electoral College delegates were free to vote as they chose, the 2020 election would have turned into a free-for-all, with no rules to prevent corruption and manipulation, with delegates offered gifts and even cash for their votes, and blackmail also a possibility. Read More
Mail ballots take longer to process than votes cast in person. So, despite what some politicians may say, experts say it's not a sign of nefarious activity when results take days to come in. Continue Reading This November, Election Night Read More
The matchups have been set for Idaho’s November election. Results were announced Tuesday night in the state’s first all-mail primary election. Continue Reading Idaho Primary Election Results Show Familiar Names Returning To Read More
Among the main targets are requirements such as signing a ballot envelope, or getting a witness or notary to sign it. Small details matter a lot and could affect the outcome in November. Continue Reading Need A Witness For Your Read More
Most places where Americans usually register to vote have been closed since March. It's led to a big drop in new registrations right before an election that was expected to see record turnout. Continue Reading Pandemic Puts A Crimp Read More
Elections are run by state and local governments, and it's unclear what legal means the president would have to withhold funds from the states. Continue Reading President Trump Repeats Unfounded Claims About Mail-In Read More
Under state laws, Electoral College delegates are pledged to cast their ballots for the candidate who carries the popular vote in their state. But in 2016, seven cast votes for other candidates. Continue Reading Read More
As some states turn to Internet voting to increase accessibility for vulnerable populations, the federal government sends out an eight-page report detailing the risks. Continue Reading Feds Warn States That Online Voting Experiments Are Read More
With mail-in voting set to grow due to the coronavirus, experts warn that the companies that print ballots could get overwhelmed. One of the country's biggest vendors is ramping up capacity quickly. Continue Reading Ballot Printers Increase Read More
Despite a partisan divide over increasing absentee voting, about half of all Republicans support universal access to a mail ballot, according a new Pew Research poll. Continue Reading New Poll: Americans Overwhelmingly Read More
As confirmed cases of the virus surge, state leaders are trying to slow its spread with sweeping measures. Here's a look at the rules enacted in all 50, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Continue Reading States Have Made Read More
But because of COVID-19, Paddy McGuire said Mason County has closed his building and he doesn’t think in-person registration is a safe idea. So, he asked the governor’s office to use its emergency powers to waive the requirement for this election. The answer back, he said, was “no.” Read More