The Voting Thread (Procedures, Turnout, Legal Challenges)(Update: Trump to file suit in PA, MI, WI, AZ, NV, GA) (5 Viewers)

[Lapaz]

There is a lot of push-back from Trump on voting by mail, but most states allow it, and 1/3 allow it without any excuse. His rationale is that it will lead to vast fraud, but of course that isn't his real reason. His real reason is that he thinks it will be worse for conservatives, but studies have shown that states that have instituted much broader voting by mail haven't had any statistical changes in party voting.

Stanford study: Mail voting doesn't benefit one party over another

Coronavirus-spurred limits have intensified a push to allow more mail balloting in November.

www.politico.com

Voting Outside the Polling Place: Absentee, All-Mail and other Voting at Home Options

Most states offer at least one method for any eligible voter to cast a ballot before Election Day. While some states provide early in-person voting, this webpage addresses absentee voting and all-mail voting.

www.ncsl.org

Although, normally voting by mail doesn't affect party votes, I bet it might this year if we have another resurgence of Covid, because I think the right is much more apt to discount the virus than the left. I know that is why Trump is against it.

Whether you're left or right wing, expanding mail in votes is the right thing to do to reduce the likelihood of spreading the virus, to expand voter participation, and to make it easier for those that do show up to stay distant. It will also allow any people with susceptibilities to remain safer. I think voting by mail could be made extremely secure by having people vote using traditional postal mail, coupled with requiring a confirmation either by phone, email or text. If done by phone, then voters can provide confirmation that can include confirming their form number. If done by email or text, it can include a picture of their form, and then confirmation that that was their form. Rather than staffers individually calling people, this can be automated by having voters call the number, text the number, or email the address provided to them on their form. A website can even be created with a database of those that have voted, and perhaps a link to allow people to confirm their vote was correctly registered. For people without computers, a site can include a means to access the database over the phone with some confirmation information. These types of systems are used extensively by banks and other sites that need security, so I think they are mature enough to use. We could even use such a site for people to confirm their vote on the day of the election.

 

[MT15]

I like Ted

 

[nolaspe]

Supreme Court Blocks Curbside Voting In Alabama, An Option During Pandemic

The high court issued its order Wednesday night, over the dissent of the court's three liberal justices. The practice was intended to accommodate people with disabilities and at-risk individuals.

www.npr.org

The Supreme Court has sided with Alabama state officials who banned curbside voting intended to accommodate disabled individuals and those at risk from the COVID-19 virus.

The high court issued its order Wednesday night, without explanation, over the dissent of the court's three liberal justices.

At issue was the decision by the Alabama secretary of state to ban counties from allowing curbside voting, even for those voters with disabilities and those for whom COVID-19 is disproportionately likely to be fatal.

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

Feds just announced Iran and Russia actively working to undermine... This is one of their tactics per announcement

I finally listened to DNI Ratcliff's press release...I am now dumber for having listened to that, he has no business holding such an important position. He's a partisan hack who has repeatedly lied to get where he is today.



The DNI is suppose to be a non-partisan position, but yet he felt the need to say that those letters were designed to hurt trump's presidential campaign...THAT'S NOT HIS forkING JOB! His job is to ensure that the IC communicates with each other. He shouldn't even be talking to us, that's the job of the investigating authority which, in this case, is the FBI Director and he contributed no information on what this press release was all about.

 

[GrandAdmiral]

I finally listened to DNI Ratcliff's press release...I am now dumber for having listened to that, he has no business holding such an important position. He's a partisan hack who has repeatedly lied to get where he is today.



The DNI is suppose to be a non-partisan position, but yet he felt the need to say that those letters were designed to hurt trump's presidential campaign...THAT'S NOT HIS forkING JOB! His job is to ensure that the IC communicates with each other. He shouldn't even be talking to us, that's the job of the investigating authority which, in this case, is the FBI Director and he contributed no information on what this press release was all about.

Hell, Wray had a completely different message than Ratcliff all together and his comments made more than enough sense. Makes me wonder if he was forced to be out there. And if he was, I'm sure Trump didn't care for what he said either.

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

Hell, Wray had a completely different message than Ratcliff all together and his comments made more than enough sense. Makes me wonder if he was forced to be out there. And if he was, I'm sure Trump didn't care for what he said either.

I have no doubt that Wray was forced out there, that's why he talked for about 2 minutes and said nothing but 'we are doing our job'.

 

[efil4]

Laying the groundwork... Sowing doubt.
So when Trump loses, he has the groundwork laid to contest on basis of fraud.

That's why Biden needs to win convincingly

 

[superchuck500]

 

[superchuck500]

 

[wardorican]

The beginning of the order...

ORDER _________________ BOGGS, Circuit Judge. The district court enjoined Michigan’s enforcement of a state statute designed as a prophylactic measure against voter fraud. After the state attorney general declined to challenge the injunction, the two houses of the Michigan Legislature jointly sought an emergency stay of the injunction from the district court—which denied their motion—and now from this court. Because the legislature has standing to appeal the order granting the injunction, the state statute is likely not preempted by federal law, and the balance of equities weighs in favor of staying the district court’s order, we grant the legislature’s motion.

I. PROCEDURAL SUMMARY Three voter-advocacy organizations challenged two Michigan election statutes in the district court, one regulating absentee ballots—not at issue here—and another mandating that no one “hire a motor vehicle or other conveyance or cause the same to be done, for conveying voters, other than voters physically unable to walk, to an election.” Mich. Comp. Laws (MCL) § 168.931(1)(f), which we denote as the voter-transportation law. While Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel was the named defendant in the district court, four other parties moved to intervene in the case as defendants: both houses of the Michigan Legislature, the Michigan Republican Party, and the Republican National Committee. All four were granted permissive intervenor status.

The district court later denied the voter-advocacy organizations’ motion for a preliminary injunction against enforcement of the absentee-ballot statute but granted their motion to preliminarily enjoin enforcement of the voter-transportation law. The four intervenors appealed—the legislative parties in this docket and the Republican-Party parties in Docket No. 20-1940, not currently before us—but Nessel did not. When all four intervenors moved in the district court for an emergency stay of the injunction pending appeal, Nessel declined to take a position on the motion. The district court denied the intervenors’ motion for a stay, and the Michigan House of Representatives and Senate now move this court for an emergency stay of the district court’s injunction. The voter-advocacy organizations have responded in opposition, and we have granted several election-law scholars leave to appear as amici curiae in support of none of the parties.

.....



2. Balancing the Equities As described above, the legislature’s likelihood of success on appeal is high. We now consider the remaining factors relevant to granting a stay. The harm to the legislature without a stay would be irreparable: November 3, 2020, will only happen once, and the legislature would lose its ability to regulate paid voter transportation for that election. Although prosecutions for illicit vote-buying would still be possible, enforcement would be far more difficult, requiring proof of a quid pro quo. And any vote-hauling fraud that does occur would still have affected the election itself. On the other side, the harm to the voter-advocacy organizations appears modest. There are other ways, without violating Michigan’s statute, to take voters to the polls. Volunteers can drive voters for free. Generally paid campaign workers—ones who are not specifically paid to take voters to the polls—may also fall outside the statute’s ban, as might using cars that are commercially rented for many different campaign purposes, only some of which are to haul voters. So the organizations’ resources will likely not go to waste. And with the expansion of mailed ballots in Michigan this year, there are likely fewer voters who need to be driven to the polls at all. These injuries also track the public interest, which lies in both fair elections—conducted with a minimum of fraud—as well as free elections—in which as many eligible voters can vote as desire to. A stay benefits the public interest more than harms it

May not be as big of a deal as the headline suggests.

 

[superchuck500]

The beginning of the order...



May not be as big of a deal as the headline suggests.

Thanks. I need to slow down and read these more often than I do.

 

[zztop]

I think that happened a couple years back in GA too. If I recall, some (I want to say non-partisan) were offering buses to transport people to the few remaining places to vote (I believe GA did the same as TX, in severely restricting to only 1 or 2 per county - I can't imagine why they would want to make it more difficult for people to vote) and the courts said not so fast! you can't do that! I really hope after this election, there is some kind of voting reform.

Oh and speaking about making voting more accessible, I just read about this

 

[zztop]

meanwhile, I just read about this:


A Maryland man is accused of threatening to execute former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris on national television, as well as harm voters, according to the United States Justice Department.

James Dale Reed, 42, of Frederick, Maryland, was arrested last Thursday after confessing to writing a very graphic and threatening letter and leaving it on the doorstep of a Frederick residence which had signs in the yard supporting the two candidates for president and vice president.

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

meanwhile, I just read about this:


A Maryland man is accused of threatening to execute former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris on national television, as well as harm voters, according to the United States Justice Department.

James Dale Reed, 42, of Frederick, Maryland, was arrested last Thursday after confessing to writing a very graphic and threatening letter and leaving it on the doorstep of a Frederick residence which had signs in the yard supporting the two candidates for president and vice president.

Is he Iranian? Also, why did he do this to hurt President trump?

 

[SFIDC3]

meanwhile, I just read about this:


A Maryland man is accused of threatening to execute former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris on national television, as well as harm voters, according to the United States Justice Department.

James Dale Reed, 42, of Frederick, Maryland, was arrested last Thursday after confessing to writing a very graphic and threatening letter and leaving it on the doorstep of a Frederick residence which had signs in the yard supporting the two candidates for president and vice president.

Keeping the Neck in FredNeck (it is fairly common knowledge that both Frederick and Thurmont in northern MD have a lot of KKK/redneck types)...above is disappointing but unfortunately not surprising....

 

[superchuck500]

Much of these closures appear to be budget related and across the country.

 

[Optimus Prime]

CNN talking now about how the Trump campaign is filming people in Philadelphia dropping off their ballots

The campaign is saying it shows people dropping off multiple ballots in a clear example of voter fraud

(You're allowed to drop off other ballots, like if you live with someone who is disabled or elderly for example)

The guest on CNN is saying that the filming can be considered voter intimidation

I expect to see more of this through Election Day

 

[superchuck500]

These early turnout numbers are kind of amazing. It's going to be really interesting to see how much greater turnout is this year. And I think a lot of it has to do with being able to vote on more than just one forking Tuesday.

And I think it's going to compel a discussion in many states (and nationally) about how maybe one day to vote for the president and senators and really important shirt just isn't reasonable - and having to request an absentee ballot just isn't a good enough substitute for having multiple days, even weeks to go down and vote.

Provided that voting is secure and authentic, the argument against expanded voting options just seems so weak and cynical. But of course I'm sure there will be those who make it . . . I wonder who?

 

[SaulGoodmanEsq]

Keep in mind there is a lot of increased pro-Trump turnout as the GOP made a significant effort to find those in 'social alignment' with Trump who had never bothered to vote before.