democracy
Swing states prepare for a showdown over certifying votes in November
GRAYLING, Mich. — Clairene Jorella was furious. In the northern stretches of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, the Crawford County Board of Canvassers had just opened its meeting to certify the August primary when Jorella, 83 years old and one of two Democrats on the panel, laid into her Republican counterparts. Glaring, she said she was gobsmacked […]
With 2024 campaign growing intense, watchdogs warn of election threats
Voter intimidation, an exodus of election workers fed up with harassment and continued misinformation and disinformation campaigns threaten the integrity of the November elections, say officials with the government watchdog group Common Cause. This year will be the first presidential election since “the big lie,” Common Cause President Virginia Kase Solomón said on a July […]
‘Profile in Courage:’ Kentuckian Michael Adams honored for protecting election integrity
Accepting the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award Sunday night, Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams thanked the JFK Library Foundation for incentivizing political courage “because it may be needed now more than ever before.”? Adams, a Republican who was elected to a second term last fall, was selected for his work to increase […]
McConnell says Biden should let Ukraine use US weapons across Russian border
FRANKFORT — U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that President Joe Biden should allow Ukraine to use U.S. weapons to launch attacks inside Russia. McConnell said he’s “consistently argued” with the administration that its restriction against Ukraine launching U.S. weapons across the border into Russia “doesn’t make any sense at all.” “I think […]
With GOP opposed, U.S. Senate panel advances bills to combat AI in elections
Members of the U.S. Senate are sounding the alarm about the threat that artificial intelligence poses to elections through its ability to deceive voters. But the prospects for legislation that can meaningfully address the problem appear uncertain. In a Wednesday hearing, the Senate Rules Committee advanced three bills designed to counter the AI threat. But […]
Legal fights leave question marks over ballot access in presidential battleground states
In Wisconsin, voters don’t yet know whether the ballot drop boxes that were in use in the state for years will be allowed this fall. Georgians are waiting to find out whether much of their state’s sweeping 2021 voting law, which imposed a range of restrictions, will be in place. In North Carolina, procedures for […]
Unopposed, Stivers dips into stuffed war chest to boost Republicans, entertain supporters
FRANKFORT — Since no one challenged him for reelection this year, Senate President Robert Stivers has used his overstuffed campaign fund as a sort of personal political action committee that makes political contributions of its own and has paid other expenses including nearly $10,000 for a dinner party to thank his donors and supporters at […]
Though noncitizens can vote in few local elections, GOP goes big to make it illegal
Preventing people who are not United States citizens from casting a ballot has reemerged as a focal point in the ongoing Republican drive to safeguard “election integrity,” even though noncitizens are rarely involved in voter fraud. Ahead of November’s presidential election, congressional and state Republican lawmakers are aiming to keep noncitizens away from the polls. […]
Governor’s Derby guests?
FRANKFORT —? Unlike his predecessors, Gov. Andy Beshear has declined to identify friends and political supporters who buy prime tickets to the Kentucky Derby made available by Churchill Downs each year for the governor’s guests. The Louisville racetrack sets aside large numbers of Derby tickets for sale at face value to Kentucky elected officials, including […]
Billionaire TikTok investor, charter school advocate puts $8 million into Paul affiliated PAC
Jeff Yass, the Pennsylvania billionaire and major investor in the parent company of TikTok, contributed $8 million last month to a super PAC affiliated with U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. The super PAC is called Protect Freedom PAC, and a report it filed with the FEC on Wednesday says Yass gave the $8 million […]
Republican National Committee courts election conspiracy theorists to help watch polls
As the Republican National Committee ramps up plans to monitor the polls for illegal voting this fall, the national party is increasingly working with a loose network of anti-fraud extremists who have been found to routinely spread election lies. The extremists also have close ties to the prominent far-right conspiracy theorists who tried to overturn […]
GOP, Trump build on immigration fears to push voting restrictions in states
With polls showing unauthorized immigration as Republicans’ best issue for the fall, the GOP is looking to raise the alarm about voting by non-citizens and the undocumented. The multi-pronged effort has been advanced in congressional legislation, public statements by top election officials and U.S. senators, plans produced by grassroots activists, and posts on X by […]