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Pennsylvania’s Senate race is heading to a recount, which the narrow margin between Republican Dave McCormick and Democratic Sen. Bob Casey triggered automatically under state law. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt announced Wednesday that the unofficial results showing a narrow race have led to a recount. Any margin under 0.5 percentage points triggers a recount in Pennsylvania. But the current vote count shows a sizable drop-off between Trump and McCormick, with Trump winning more than 100,000 more votes than McCormick. NBC News projected that Democratic Senate candidates in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin won their races even as Trump carried the states.

Persons: Republican Dave McCormick, Democratic Sen, Bob Casey, Commonwealth Al Schmidt, Schmidt, McCormick, Elizabeth Gregory, “, Casey’s, ” Gregory, Casey, ” Dave McCormick, ”, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, ” McCormick, we’ve, I’ll, Trump Organizations: Senate, Republican, Democratic, Commonwealth, NBC News, “, Getty, Capitol, Trump, Republicans, Wisconsin Locations: Pennsylvania, American, Pittsburgh, West Virginia , Ohio, Montana, Arizona , Michigan, Nevada

Bomb threats were reported across five key battleground states, both to polling places and government offices where votes are counted. The FBI, which engaged with local and state officials, confirmed that some of the threats originated from Russian email domains. “There were no major issues across the state” in the election process, said Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar. Voters who need to cure ballots with signature issues have until November 12 to do so, according to state election rules. Election workers process ballots for the 2024 General Election, in Milwaukee on November 5, 2024.

Persons: Donald Trump, Georgia –, –, Jocelyn Benson, Benson, ”, Gabriel Sterling, Brad Raffensperger, Lorena Portillo, State Francisco Aguilar, Aguilar, Omar Sabir, Kamala Harris, ” Sabir, Al Schmidt, Scott Hunt, Sara Innamorato, “, ” Innamorato, Paulina Gutierrez, “ We’re, Gutierrez, Jeff Fleming, Morry Gash, AP Sen, Ron Johnson, Brian Schimming, Johnson, Alysa Horton, they’ll, ” Horton, Horton, Adrian Fontes, Sean Lyngaas, Dalia Faheid, Brian Todd, Zachary Cohen, Casey Tolan, Holmes Lybrand, Scott Glover, Pamela Brown, Jim Acosta, Laura Dolan Organizations: CNN, Electoral, White, FBI, Democratic, Michigan Michigan, Georgia CNN, Trump, Georgia, State, Pennsylvania CNN, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Allegheny, Wisconsin Milwaukee, Milwaukee, AP, Wisconsin GOP, Arizona State, ASU, university’s State Press Locations: Russia, Fulton County, Georgia, Michigan, Wolverine, Detroit, “, Lansing, Atlanta, Chatham County, Savannah, ” Fulton, . Nevada, Nevada, Clark, Clark County, Clark County , Nevada, Washoe County, Nye County, Pennsylvania, Cambria County, Allegheny County, ”, Centre, Bellefonte , Pennsylvania, Milwaukee County, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Arizona, Tempe

Challenges filed in Bucks County – which includes Philadelphia’s northeastern suburbs – were all filed by Pennsylvania state Sen. Jarrett Coleman, O’Malley said. Coleman also filed 519 challenges to overseas voters in Lehigh County, according to Tim Benyo, that county’s elections chief. Republicans and outside conservative groups have launched legal assaults against overseas ballots in multiple battleground states, including Pennsylvania, after Democrats touted efforts to turn out citizens who live abroad. Pennsylvania officials said that the lawsuit risked disenfranchising “tens of thousands” of overseas voters, including those in uniform. “In the absence of a registration requirement that applies to (overseas voters), election officials are required to fill their timely submitted absentee ballot requests,” Morley said.

Persons: –, “ It’s, ”, Ari Savitzky, Jim O’Malley, Sen, Jarrett Coleman, O’Malley, Coleman, Tim Benyo, Cris Dush, Commonwealth Al Schmidt, Joe Biden, Karen DiSalvo, disenfranchising, DiSalvo, Charles Faltenovich, Faltenovich, doesn’t, Michael Morley, ” Morley, CNN’s Danya Gainor Organizations: CNN, White, ACLU, Pennsylvania, Republican, Commonwealth, US Postal Services, US Postal Service, Florida State University, Lycoming County Locations: Pennsylvania, Bucks County, –, Lehigh County, Centre County, Lycoming County, Washington, Beaver, United States, Lycoming

With Pennsylvania expected to be a close and crucial state in the 2024 race for the presidency, it's unusual election laws are again under the microscope. Election experts say Pennsylvania's laws make it fertile ground for rigged election claims to flourish. “The Pennsylvania legislature had multiple opportunities to clarify and improve the state’s election law,” said Nate Persily, an NBC News election law expert and professor at Stanford Law School. Vance, was "voter fraud" perpetrated by Democrats. Trump supporters on county boards across the country have sought to block the certification of election results by delaying or voting against the certification in the past.

Persons: it's, —, ”, Nate Persily, Donald Trump, J.D, Vance, Al Schmidt, “ They’ve, they’ve, ‘, ” Trump, Wendy Weiser, Weiser, isn’t, “, Michael Morse, Morse, Trump Organizations: Pennsylvania, NBC, Stanford Law School, Brennan Center for Justice, NYU Law School, NBC News, Trump, University of Pennsylvania Law, Court of, Electoral Locations: Pennsylvania, Bucks County, Lancaster, Lancaster County , Pennsylvania, ”, Court of Pennsylvania

Some officials pointed to Colorado as a strong example of planning for potential chaos surrounding the electors meeting. GeorgiaIn Georgia, state law mandates that electors “shall” meet at the state Capitol, and elections officials there are making sure they will. MichiganIn Michigan, state law requires electors to meet this year on Dec. 17 in the state Capitol’s Senate chamber. State officials indicated there was no leeway to change that. Per state law, the electors meet in the state House chamber of the state Capitol on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December (Dec. 17).

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris —, ” Elaine Marshall, “, haven’t, they’d, State Jena Griswold, Adrian Fontes, “ We’ve, ” Fontes, Fontes, ”, Mike Hassinger, Brad Raffensperger, Hassinger, hadn’t, ” Angela Benander, Jocelyn Benson, Benander, Gretchen Whitmer, Stacey LaRouche, Whitmer, Whitmer “, Michiganders, Michael Shaw, ” Cecilia Heston, Cisco Aguilar, ” Marshall, ” Amy Gulli, Al Schmidt, Sarah Godlewski, Tony Evers Organizations: Electoral College, Washington , D.C, Colorado, State, . Arizona, Marine Corps, Republican, Capitol Police, Georgia State Patrol, Senate, Michigan State Police, Department of State, Shapiro Administration, Pennsylvania Department of State, The Locations: Washington ,, North Carolina, Colorado, Arizona In Arizona, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, ” Nevada, Nevada, ”, Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin In Wisconsin, Wisconsin

☆ Why it would be difficult for Trump to reverse the 2024 election results
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-29 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

But state officials resisted his pressure, judges tossed out his team’s lawsuits, and Pence defied Trump and carried out his constitutional duty to affirm the result of the vote. If Trump sought to challenge the election results, he would have two potential paths to try to overturn the results, and both routes are “long shots,” said Hasen, director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA Law School. Given the heightened security risk, some state officials have made plans to scrap public, high-profile ceremonies to certify election results in state capitols. Election officials across the country also have bolstered security at polling places, including expanding police presence and issuing bulletproof vests to election workers. State officials resisted.

Persons: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, ”, Richard Hasen, Trump, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Pence, Hasen, Gowri Ramachandran, Wisconsin —, Al Schmidt, Matthew Sanderson, “, Sanderson, Frank Figliuzzi, ” Figliuzzi, —, didn’t, that’s Organizations: U.S . Capitol, UCLA, Count, Trump, Georgia’s, Trump Republicans, UCLA Law School, Elections, Brennan Center for Justice, New York University School of Law, Senate, Electoral, Republican, Electoral College, Washington , D.C, GOP Senators, Capitol, FBI, NBC News, The Department of Homeland Security, United Nations, Assembly Locations: Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan’s Legislature, Washington ,, capitols, Maricopa County , Arizona, Washington

CNN —Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed two Pennsylvania counties are experiencing voter fraud despite both officials there maintaining they’re still investigating potential issues related to voter registration applications. “This on top of Lancaster County being caught with 2600 Fake Ballots and Forms, all written by the same person. While announcing the suspected fraud, Lancaster officials said at least two other counties may have also received fraudulent voter registration applications. On Tuesday, York County spokesperson Greg Monskie would not confirm to CNN whether it had received fraudulent voter registration applications and couldn’t speak to any connection with the issues alleged in Lancaster County. The interaction took place at the Voter Service Center in Media, Pennsylvania, the seat of the suburban Philadelphia county.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, ”, ” Trump, Josh Shapiro, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, “, ” Shapiro, Greg Monskie, Julie Wheeler, ” Wheeler, Al Schmidt, Michael Whatley, Trump’s, Don’t, Val Biancaniello, Biancaniello, Monica Taylor, ” Linda Kerns, CNN’s Jack Forrest Organizations: CNN, Republican National Committee, York, RNC, Trump, Lancaster, State, Pennsylvania Democratic Gov, stoke, Lancaster County, Office, Republican, Voter Service Center, . Delaware County Park Police, Government, GOP, Pennsylvania Department of State, “, Police, Media, Supreme Locations: Pennsylvania, Lancaster, York County , Pennsylvania, Lancaster County, PENNSYLVANIA, Trump, county’s, York, York County, Delaware County, Media , Pennsylvania, Philadelphia county, . Delaware County, ”

☆ What is the ‘red mirage’ or the ‘blue shift’ and will it happen this year?
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-27 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN was able to project that Biden would win the election four days after Election Day, on November 7, but counting would continue. That means a blue shift in the popular vote could still occur even if it does not delay figuring out the presidential election results. A person votes early at a polling station in Deland, Florida, on October 21. North Carolina no longer accepts mail-in ballots if they arrive after Election Day. The Center for Election Innovation & Research has a rundown of the various rules and timelines for processing mail-in ballots.

Persons: CNN — It’s, ”, Donald Trump, Trump, Joe Biden, Phil Mattingly, Biden, CNN’s Marshall Cohen, Hillary Clinton, Miguel J, Rodriguez Carrillo, Brad Raffensperger, Raffensperger, “, Jocelyn Benson, Benson, Republican Al Schmidt, George W, Bush, Al Gore, Harris, George H.W, it’s Organizations: CNN, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Biden, Trump, AFP, Getty, North, Brennan Center for Justice, Georgia, Republican, CBS, Election Innovation, Research, NPR Locations: Arizona , North Carolina , Nevada , Wisconsin , Michigan, Maine, Georgia, Pennsylvania, California, Deland , Florida, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan, “, Florida

LANCASTER, Pa. — Josh Shapiro sits atop what may be one of the most important states this election, and he said he’s doing everything he can to make sure Kamala Harris wins in Pennsylvania. SHAPIRO: I’m not sure I would agree with the characterization. I’m sure you saw the Department of Justice letter yesterday. And that’s OK, folks can express their opinions, and I’m sure he’ll continue to do that. SHAPIRO: I think he is far more unstable and erratic than he was eight years ago.

Persons: Josh Shapiro, Kamala Harris, “, I’ve, ” Shapiro, Harris, Tim Walz, Shapiro, wasn’t, Joe Biden, He’s, Elon Musk —, Donald Trump’s, —, Democrat John Fetterman, Trump, SHAPIRO, It’s, I’m, they’ve, Philly, we’re, Donald Trump, We’re, Al Schmidt, Elon Musk, Sen, John Fetterman, Fetterman, it’ll, “ Geez, Arnold Palmer Organizations: NBC News, Democratic, Minnesota Gov, NBC, Steelers, Democrat, Politico, Republican, Trump, Force, Elon, Department of Justice, Twitter Locations: LANCASTER, Pa, Pennsylvania, Wilkes, Barre, U.S, Lancaster, I’m, Philadelphia, Philly

Fifty-five hard-to-miss nuns of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie. These sisters don’t deserve to be put down by some misinformation that we’re a sham, that we’re a fraud,” said the prioress, Sister Stephanie Schmidt. Sister Stephanie Schmidt speaks during an interview with CNN, in Erie, Pennsylvania. Because the Benedictine Sisters don’t sit still. “If the 53 people registered at this address are legal voters… then I encourage them to participate in their right to vote,” Maloney posted.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Cliff Maloney, Pennsylvania Chase, “ We’re, Annette Marshall, I’ve, “ We’ve, ”, Stephanie Schmidt, Maloney, Al Schmidt, Sister Schmidt, Barack Obama, Diane Rabe, don’t, Sister Marshall, Theresa Zoky, Sister Linda Romey, “, Diane Cook, they’d, Sister Cook, Trump, Roger Stone, ” Maloney, Elon Musk, Tesla, Sisters don’t, Maloney “, …, We’re, they’ll Organizations: Pennsylvania CNN, Republican, Benedictine, CNN, Trump, Erie, Biden, Democratic, Trump . America PAC, Action, America PAC retweeted, Sisters Locations: Erie, Pennsylvania, East, Erie County, Erie , Pennsylvania, “, North Carolina , Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin

Between the time it takes to process mail ballots and deal with provisional ballots in some battleground states, votes will not be fully tabulated on election night. Projections of who won a close presidential race might not come for days, similar to the 2020 election. The sources all noted they did not have direct knowledge that this was a formal Trump campaign plan. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request seeking comment. In 2020, Trump quickly proclaimed victory on election night, even though he ultimately ended up losing to Joe Biden.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Donald Trump’s, Seven Harris, —, Trump, ” Harris, Donald Trump, ”, “, Joe Biden, there’s, “ I’ve, ” “, ” Al Schmidt, Harris, Rudy Giuliani, “ That’s, Susie Wiles, Chris LaCivita, ’ ” Roger Stone, James Baker, George W, Bush, Joseph Kennedy, John F, Kennedy, Stone, ” Stone, ‘, Biden, Harris ’, ” Trump Organizations: NBC, Trump, NBC News, United States Capitol, Republican, CBS, New, “ Locations: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Wisconsin , Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania’s, North Carolina, New York City

☆ How a cop-turned-therapist is helping election workers deal with threats and harassment
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-18 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Every few weeks, a group of active-duty and retired cops gather with election officials to plan for harrowing scenarios on Election Day. Four years after the 2020 election, the threat level hasn’t come down and hostile rhetoric toward election workers is commonplace. Federal and election officials are on edge and are trying to take every security precaution to prevent a violent attack on election workers. The threats, harassment and other pressures have led some election officials, or their family members, to say, “‘Enough is enough. He also leads the state’s Election Threats Task Force, which includes state and federal law enforcement and is designed to detect threats to election workers more quickly.

Persons: Harold Love, ” Love, “, I’m, ’, Donald Trump, —, Brennan, Adrian Fontes, Fontes, ” Fontes, Tina Barton, Barton, Ronna McDaniel, ”, ’ ” Barton, Al Schmidt, Trump, Schmidt, ” Schmidt Organizations: CNN, Secure, Brennan Center for Justice, Federal, Arizona, Republican National Committee, The, Force Locations: Michigan, United States, Maricopa County, Arizona’s, Arizona, City, Rochester Hills , Michigan, Rochester Hills, Indiana, Philadelphia

That law, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), requires that states allow eligible Americans who live overseas to vote in federal elections. Heckel pointed out that the suit was filed two weeks after counties Pennsylvania began mailing ballots to military and overseas voters "and baselessly challenges Pennsylvania law, which provides clear procedures for processing applications by overseas voters." The lawsuits come as former President Donald Trump and his allies have begun to sow doubts about overseas voting. Last month, Trump claimed on Truth Social that Democrats would use overseas voting laws to "cheat," a baseless theory Elon Musk also shared on X last week. “Traditionally, we think of overseas voters as military voters who might skew Republican.

Persons: Guy Reschenthaler, Dan Meuser, Glenn Thompson, Lloyd Smucker, Mike Kelly, Al Schmidt, Schmidt, —, Jocelyn Benson, who’ve, Michael Whatley, Patrick Gannon, ” Gannon, ”, Angela Benander, it’s, Matt Heckel, Heckel, Donald Trump, Trump, Elon Musk, Kamala Harris, “, Jonathan Diaz, Diaz, scapegoating, ” Diaz, Democrats —, Rick Hasen, Hasen, ” Hasen Organizations: Republican National Committee, Republican, North Carolina State Board, Michigan Democratic, Republicans, Uniformed and Overseas Citizens, North, Michigan Department of State, PR, Pennsylvania Department of, Pennsylvania, Social, ” Overseas, Democrats, Democratic, UCLA School of Law, NBC Locations: Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, U.S

And they’ve kept up a drumbeat of dubious claims about voting, along with the lie that the election was stolen in 2020. Prosecutors allege that the Trump campaign used similarly aggressive tactics in Philadelphia to force confrontation with election officials, which Trump and his allies used to claim his supporters were denied access to observe the count. Election officials have been operating in an increasingly hostile environment as GOP skepticism of election administration has climbed. Among them: shifting numbers of noncitizens Trump allies claimed had voted in the 2020 election. In Georgia, state courts are reviewing new rules from the State Election Board that Democrats say give county election officials broad authority to delay certification of the results in search of purported election irregularities.

Persons: Donald Trump, They’ve, they’ve, ”, Sean Morales, Doyle, Brennan, ’ playbook, Jack Smith’s, Trump, Hannah Fried, Smith, Rebecca Cook, Brooks, Republican Al Schmidt, Schmidt, “, You’ve, Michael Whatley, Whatley, Zach Manifold, Joshua Lott, noncitizens Trump, hasn’t, Cleta Mitchell, –, “ I’ve, ” Lisa Posthumus Lyons, ” Posthumus Lyons, Jocelyn Benson, Patrick T, Fallon, Mike Pence, Pence, Trump’s, Smith’s, Adrian Fontes, ” Fontes, It’s, Morales, ” CNN’s Marshall Cohen, Fredreka Schouten Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Republican, Trump, GOP, TCF Center, Detroit’s TCF Center, Prosecutors, Republican National, RNC, Guadalupe, Washington Post, Getty, Republicans, America, Legal Foundation, United Sovereign Americans, Center, Fox News, Republican Party, Board, Arizona, Brennan Locations: Detroit , Michigan, Florida, Philadelphia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Gwinnett County , Georgia, ”, Gwinnett County, Guadalupe Mercado, Guadalupe , Arizona, Kent County , Michigan, Swing, Georgia , Michigan, Maricopa, AFP, Georgia, Arizona, Cochise County

☆ Election experts raise alarms about vote counting delays in battleground states
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-22 | by ( Fredreka Schouten | Sara Murray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Election observers worry that delays in counting mail ballots could give the public a false sense of who’s winning the election. In Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, election officials are still barred from beginning to process mail ballots before 7 a.m. on Election Day – even though election workers in both states have clamored for change. Georgia's State Election Board members discuss proposals for election rule changes at the State Capitol in Atlanta on September 20, 2024. The new law could delay by an hour or more – depending on the county – the posting of unofficial early results, state election officials have said. In Maricopa County, the general election ballot covers both sides of two pages – twice the length of the ballot voters encountered four years ago.

Persons: CNN —, Seth Bluestein, Ann Jacobs, “, Al Schmidt, Donald Trump, Chris McGrath, Joe Biden, Donald Trump baselessly, Rudy Giuliani, Biden, Trump, ” Jacobs, parroting, Daniel Acker, ” Schmidt, ”, Jacobs, David Becker, Sen, Jeremy Moss, Moss, Mike Stewart, Harris, “ It’s, Karen Brinson Bell, I’ll, won’t, Robyn Beck, Stephen Richer, ” Richer, Katie Hobbs, Jennifer Liewer, Liewer, “ We’ve, ” CNN’s Ethan Cohen, Marshall Cohen, Jason Morris Organizations: CNN, Republican, Democratic, Keystone State, ” Police, Philadelphia Convention Center, White, Democratic Milwaukee, Biden, Wisconsin State Assembly, Trump, Reuters, ”, Workers, US, Department, Election Innovation, Research, National Conference of State Legislatures, Democratic Detroit, Capitol, Michigan Senate, State Capitol, North Carolina State Board, Getty, Republicans, Gov, Democrat Locations: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, “, Wisconsin, Georgia, Keystone, Democratic, Kenosha , Wisconsin, Michigan, Detroit, Atlanta, North Carolina, Phoenix, AFP, Arizona, Maricopa County, Maricopa

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Al Schmidt, Pennsylvania’s top state election official, outlined Thursday how administrators in the nation’s biggest battleground state are preparing to take on election misinformation and even potential violence before and after ballots are cast this year. But he said election officials have learned a lot since 2020. Election officials also faced threats and attacks from furious voters, with one local election official reporting that a third of the state’s 67 county election directors retired or resigned after the 2020 election. To help combat some of the threats against election workers that emerged around the 2020 race, Pennsylvania has established a new election threats task force to monitor the situation. After a drawn-out court battle, the Pennsylvania state Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that mail-in ballots without correctly written dates can be tossed out.

Persons: — Al Schmidt, Schmidt, Donald Trump, peddled, “, ” Schmidt, Josh Shapiro, ” It’s, ”, Trump, hasn’t, didn’t, You’ve, they’re, It’s Organizations: Republican, NBC, Democratic Gov, Capitol, ” Locations: Mich, Pennsylvania’s, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, “

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Battleground state election officials from both parties are pushing back against a falsehood that has proven pervasive ahead of the 2024 reaction: that noncitizens are voting in widespread numbers. The comments came as former President Donald Trump and his GOP allies have talked up efforts to crack down on noncitizens voting, which is already illegal. Maricopa County has sued seeking clarity on whether those voters can vote in state and local elections this fall. Republicans at the national and state level have fueled unfounded noncitizen voting claims in the run-up to this year's presidential election. Election officials said Thursday they were taking steps to debunk conspiracy theories ahead of the 2024 election.

Persons: Donald Trump, “, ”, Al Schmidt, Schmidt, they’re, Jocelyn Benson, Benson, ” Benson, —, Bob Bauer, Ben Ginsberg, Brad Raffensperger, ” Raffensperger, we’re, Mike Johnson, Ken Paxton, they're, it's, Karen Brinson Bell, It's, Stephen Richer, Katie Hobbs, Richer, Kim Pytleski Organizations: GOP, Department of Transportation, The, Republican, Republicans, Texas, Arizona Gov Locations: Mich, —, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Michigan, American, Arizona, Maricopa County, Georgia, Oconto County , Wisconsin

That cleared the way for counties to start preparing, printing and distributing mail ballots to those who request them. Most rejected ballots are tossed out for arriving after Election Day, but thousands have been rejected for missing signatures and similar paperwork errors. Pennsylvania's mail ballots have once again been the subject of a major election-year legal battle. The state Supreme Court ruled last week that mail ballots with improper dates can't be counted. Looking ahead to November, clerks in Pennsylvania still won’t be able to process any mail ballots before Election Day, meaning it could again take days to count them.

Persons: Commonwealth Al Schmidt, Cornel, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, —, Trump baselessly, won’t Organizations: Commonwealth, Pennsylvania, Officials Locations: Pennsylvania, In Pennsylvania, Dauphin County, Harrisburg

☆ Secretaries of State say X's AI shared false election information
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Five secretaries of state on Monday urged Elon Musk to fix his social media platform X’s artificial intelligence search assistant after it allegedly shared false information about the 2024 presidential election. “In all nine states the opposite is true,” said the letter, which was first reported by The Washington Post. In Monday’s letter, the secretaries of state wrote that Grok’s false claim was “shared on multiple social media platforms” within hours of Biden’s announcement. But “the false information about ballot deadlines has been captured and shared repeatedly in multiple posts — reaching millions of people,” the officials wrote. “Furthermore, Grok continued to repeat this false information for more than a week until it was corrected on July 31, 2024,” the letter alleged.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, chatbot Grok, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Biden, Kamala Harris, ‘, Steve Simon, “, ”, Simon, Al Schmidt, Pennsylvania, Simon Steve Hobbs, Michigan’s Jocelyn Benson, Maggie Toulouse Oliver, Schmidt, Grok, X, OpenAI’s Organizations: Monday, SpaceX, Democratic, The Washington Post, Republican, CNBC, Trump, Republicans, America PAC Locations: Pennsylvania , Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Alabama , Indiana , Ohio , Texas, Washington, United States

☆ Elon Musk's X AI shared false election information after Biden dropped out, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Five secretaries of state on Monday urged Elon Musk to fix his social media platform X's artificial intelligence search assistant after it allegedly shared false information about the 2024 presidential election . Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, had endorsed Republican presidential nominee Trump before Biden quit the race and backed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. "In all nine states the opposite is true," said the letter, which was first reported by The Washington Post. Musk has previously said that he created and is donating to a political action committee that is supporting Trump and Republicans. That group, America PAC, is being investigated by Benson's office over its efforts to collect voter data in key swing states.

Persons: Musk, chatbot Grok, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Trump, Biden, Kamala Harris, Steve Simon, Simon, Al Schmidt, Steve Hobbs, Jocelyn Benson of, Maggie Toulouse Oliver, Schmidt Organizations: Monday, SpaceX, Democratic, The Washington Post, Pennsylvania, Republican, CNBC, Trump, Republicans, America PAC Locations: Pennsylvania , Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Alabama , Indiana , Ohio , Texas, Washington, United States, Jocelyn Benson of Michigan

☆ North Carolina AG office eyes Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC after voter data complaint
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The America PAC is supporting Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the 2024 election against Vice President Kamala Harris, the de facto Democratic nominee. Wheeler alleged America PAC has broken state laws, according to a copy of the complaint reviewed by CNBC. "The America PAC is pretending to be running an online voter registration drive," Wheeler wrote. Representatives for the North Carolina State Board of Elections did not return requests for comment on Wheeler's complaint against America PAC. America PAC has spent over $100,000 on digital advertisements targeting voters in Pennsylvania since early July, according to AdImpact.

Persons: Elon Musk, Chuck Schumer, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Musk, Josh Stein, Stein, Jocelyn Benson, Benson's, CNBC's, David Wheeler, Wheeler, Madison Cawthorn, Lauren Boebert, Al Schmidt Organizations: Intelligence, Senate, U.S, Capitol, North Carolina Attorney General's, CNBC, Musk's America PAC, The America PAC, Democratic, SpaceX, PAC, North Carolina, Michigan, Sunday, America PAC, America, North Carolina Board, American, Republican, Rep, Colorado . Representatives, North Carolina State Board, Department Locations: Washington , U.S, America, North Carolina, Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin, Colorado, Pennsylvania

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s cybersecurity agency has launched a program aimed at boosting election security in the states, shoring up support for local offices and hoping to provide reassurance to voters that this year's presidential elections will be safe and accurate. Officials with the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency planned to introduce its new election security adviser program Thursday to the National Association of State Election Directors and on Friday to the National Association of Secretaries of State. For state and local election officials, the list of security challenges keeps growing. The CISA program includes 10 new hires, all of whom join the federal agency with extensive election experience. CISA Director Jen Easterly announced plans for the program at a July meeting of the state election directors in South Carolina.

Persons: Jen, Cait Conley, ” Conley, Keith Ingram, Spencer Wood, David Stafford, “, ”, Lori Augino, CISA, Al Schmidt, Karen Brinson Bell, Brinson Bell Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Security Agency, National Association of State, National Association of, State, Ohio, State’s, North Carolina State Board Locations: New Hampshire, Fulton County , Georgia, Russia, South Carolina, Texas, Escambia County , Florida, Washington, ”, “

☆ A tide of election worker resignations raises alarms ahead of 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Fredreka Schouten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —A wave of departures by election officials in key states risks adding new stress to the nation’s election system ahead of next year’s presidential contest, voting rights groups and several state election chiefs warn. The growing alarm over the resignations and retirements comes as officials say election workers continue to face a barrage of threats and harassment and partisan interference in their duties, first ignited by false claims of a stolen White House election in 2020. In King County, Washington – which includes Seattle – Julie Wise, the county election director, recalled receiving a letter over the summer with a rant about elections. Election watchdogs say more action is needed – including boosting federal funding and extending a federal law that criminalizes the release of restricted personal information about federal workers to cover election officials. Brinson Bell began tracking the departures when she became the state’s election chief that year.

Persons: Joe Biden, ”, Adrian Fontes, Pennsylvania –, Republican Al Schmidt, “, Nick Penniman, Schmidt, Donald Trump’s, ” Schmidt, Seattle – Julie Wise, Wise, ’, ” Penniman, Meagan Wolfe, Trump, Wolfe, there’s, Roy Cooper, Critics, Karen Brinson Bell, Brinson Bell, Kathy Holland, Holland, –, Brinson, ” Adam Byrnes, he’s, ” Byrnes, Fontes, ” Fontes, that’s Organizations: CNN, Democrat, Republican, US Justice Department, National Conference of State Legislatures, Committee, ” Workers, GOP, supermajorities, Gov, North Carolina State Board, Emory University, “ Locations: Arizona, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, King County , Washington, Seattle, In Wisconsin, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Alamance County, Swain County, Georgia

“This feels like a really precarious spot.”In Pennsylvania, officials estimate 40 of the state’s 67 county election offices have new directors or deputy directors since 2020. In North Carolina, where the Republican Legislature recently moved to gain more control of state and local election boards, roughly a third of 100 county election directors have left since the 2020 election. Of the local election office, Fitzgerald said he knows they are trying to improve: “But they are not coming through when you need them the most,” he said. Local election officials were in a tough position trying to explain what happened given the active investigation, Sanguedolce said. She recalls angry voters showing up at the election office, contentious public meetings and law enforcement officials warning her about threats.

Persons: Emily Cook, “, ”, Cook, Jennifer Morrell, Al Schmidt, Schmidt, ” Schmidt, “ We’ve, ‘, ’ ”, Walter Griffith Jr, you’re, Griffith, “ They’re, Denise Williams, I’ve, ” Cook, we’ve, Theodore “ T.J, ” Fitzgerald, Al Gore, John Kerry, Barack Obama, Fitzgerald, Sam Sanguedolce, Sanguedolce, Bryan Steil, Romilda Crocamo, ” Crocamo, I’m Organizations: Republicans, Republican Legislature, Republican, ” Lawmakers, Justice Department, Democrat, Trump, U.S . Rep, Cook, Associated Press, AP Locations: BARRE, Pa, Pennsylvania, Luzerne County, Utah, Colorado, ”, In Nevada, Arizona, North Carolina, Philadelphia, Illinois, Luzerne County’s

President Joe Biden on Friday will mark the second anniversary of the attack on the Capitol by awarding the Presidential Citizens Medal to a dozen election workers, officials and law-enforcement officers for "contributions to our democracy" before and during the riot, a White House official said. "These 12 heroes demonstrated courage and selflessness during a moment of peril for our nation," the official said. Other elected officials receiving the medal are Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Al Schmidt, the former vice chair of Philadelphia’s Board of Elections. Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, left, is comforted by her mother, Ruby Freeman, during a House select committee hearing on June 21, 2022. Biden is also posthumously awarding the medal to Brian Sicknick, the Capitol Police officer who died the day after the riot after suffering two strokes.

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