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☆ Voting machine problems in battleground Arizona seized on by Trump, election deniers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Tim Reid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Richer called the malfunctions "disappointing" and correctly predicted that election deniers and conspiracists such as Trump would "exploit" the issue. The state's Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who has echoed Trump's false claims of a stolen 2020 election, also seized on the machine problems, issuing a "voter alert" on her Twitter account. Trump, Lake and other election deniers have been calling for the end of electronic voting machines, Election Day-only voting, and the use of just paper ballots and hand counts, a process that is time-consuming, costly and far less accurate than machine counting. The machine malfunctions fueled distrust among many Republican voters in Arizona that fraud was involved, especially after Trump issued a statement on his Truth Social platform. "Reports are coming in from Arizona that the Voting Machines are not properly working in predominately Republican/Conservative areas," Trump said, adding: "Here we go again?

☆ Live updates: Election Day approaches as voters cast early ballots in races that could determine House and Senate control
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Dawn Kopecki | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Voters are casting early ballots in the midterm elections that will determine control of the House and Senate, as candidates try to muster last-minute support. Kathy Hochul, who is facing an unexpectedly tight race against Republican U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin. Another former president, Bill Clinton, campaigned with Hochul in Brooklyn on Saturday, along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Voters have already cast more than 42 million ballots in the midterm elections as of Monday morning. Election officials and U.S. prosecutors will be keeping a close watch on the polls for any signs of voter intimidation on Tuesday.

☆ DOJ plans to monitor elections in these 46 cities and counties to ensure voters aren't harassed
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Justice Department plans to monitor polls in two dozen states across the country to ensure no one intimidates voters or otherwise meddles with Tuesday's midterm elections. The department's Civil Rights Division selected 64 jurisdictions in 24 states, including Alaska, Florida, Georgia and Nevada, for oversight in both the general election and early voting. The division routinely monitors elections in the field, starting in 1965 when Congress passed the Voting Rights Act. DOJ monitored polls in 18 states and 44 cities and counties in 2020, by comparison. Attorneys' Offices and the Office of Personnel Management will assist the DOJ Civil Rights Division in monitoring efforts and maintaining contact with state and local election officials.

☆ Officials in key Arizona county combat misinformation, election security fears a day before midterms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Rocio Fabbro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Key county officials refuted misinformation about vote counting spreading on Twitter, among other platforms. "We're here in Maricopa County, we've got residents of Maricopa County that are trying to do the right thing and understand what the truth is, and a lot of this misinformation is being spread by people who don't even live here in Maricopa County," Gates said. For the past two years, Maricopa County has been ramping up efforts to combat misinformation, which has especially affected the area. Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone said the county is "committed to protect the free vote in a republic." As of Monday morning, the Maricopa County recorder's office received 974,760 early voting packets and signature verified 965,000 of those, according to county Recorder Stephen Richer.

[1/3] Eliza Luna, a ballot designer with the Maricopa County Elections Department, counts ballots for the Arizona Presidential Preference Election at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., March 17, 2020. Between July 11 and Aug. 22, the county election office documented at least 140 threats and other hostile communications, the records show. Maricopa officials appeared at times overwhelmed by threatening posts on social media and right-wing message boards calling for workers to be executed or hung. Eight people face federal charges for threats, including two who targeted Maricopa County officials. The county election director had instructed him to shut down the server for delivery to the Arizona State Senate in response to a subpoena.

☆ Election officials combat voter intimidation across U.S. as extremist groups post armed militia at some polls
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Rocio Fabbro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Instead they are leading to voter intimidation complaints," Maricopa County election officials Bill Gates and Stephen Richer said in a joint statement the next day. But its presence caused unease among Maricopa County voters, who saw these "drop box watchers" as a blatant attempt at voter intimidation. Fears about voter intimidation and suppression have been brewing nationwide since the 2020 presidential election, when Trump refused to accept his loss and accused several states of voter fraud. Two in five U.S. voters said they were worried about threats of violence or voter intimidation at the polls, according to a new Reuters/Ipso poll. "There's an alarming rise in the number of people in this country condoning political violence or simply remaining silent," Biden said.

☆ Hate in America is on the rise. It's making it more dangerous for everyone from politicians to librarians to do their jobs.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Politicians, poll workers, and even librarians report growing harassment, threats, and attacks. "I'm scared for this country," Ringer told Insider. B-A-D," George Rattay, the chair of the Democratic Party in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, told Insider. Poll workers and even librarians face violenceThere have been multiple reports of increasing threats and violence targeting poll workers. The breadth of the threats to politicians, poll workers, and other civic employees like librarians indicates hate in America has become prolific.

☆ Election deniers are trying to influence the midterm elections at the polls, in the courts, and on the ballot
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Katie Balevic | Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Election deniers who challenged the 2020 presidential election are influencing the 2022 midterms. Organizing efforts to reach voters directlyState by state, election deniers are already having an impact on the ground. Election deniers on the ballotDozens upon dozens of election deniers are also running for office in the midterms — many of whom Trump has endorsed. Nearly 300 election deniers are running for public office with 171 expected to be victorious on election night, according to The Washington Post. Mario Tama/Getty ImagesMany election deniers are running for seats in Congress while others are running in significant statewide races.

☆ Evictions are piling up across the U.S. as Covid-era protections end and rents climb
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Shannon-Pettypiece-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Shannon Pettypiece | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

Still, rents nationwide were up 9% in September, compared to a year earlier, and more than a dozen cities had double-digit rent increases, it said. In Phoenix, for example, rent increases have slowed in recent months, but in June were up 24% year over year, with a median asking rent of $2,261. In Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, evictions are at their highest levels since at least 2016, with more than 45,000 filings this year. Zenovia Johnson is one of those Phoenix renters who’s been struggling to stay in her home because of rising rents. In Minneapolis, where rent increases have trended below the national average, evictions in September were 37% above their historical averages after shooting up in June, when the state lifted its eviction moratorium.

☆ Democratic Rep. Tom O'Halleran faces off against Republican Eli Crane in Arizona's 2nd Congressional District election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Hanna Kang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Tom O'Halleran is running against Republican Eli Crane in Arizona's 2nd Congressional District. Three-term Democratic Rep. Tom O'Halleran faces off against Republican Eli Crane in Arizona's 2nd Congressional District. Arizona's 2nd Congressional District candidatesO'Halleran, first elected in 2016, serves on the House Committees on Agriculture and Energy and Commerce. Voting history for Arizona's 2nd Congressional DistrictArizona's 2nd Congressional District encompasses the northwest corner of the state. His opponent, Crane, has raised $3.45 million, spent $3.1 million, and has about $356,000 still left to spend, as of October 19.

In the aftermath of the 2020 election, local election officials became frequent targets of supporters of former President Donald Trump who supported his false claims of election fraud. Election officials also said that the courts could inject chaos into the process if results are contested for weeks following the vote. Droves of election workers throughout Georgia quit their positions following the 2020 election. And in Pennsylvania, nearly 50 top election officials have left their post within the past two years. “Election workers and election officials leave or stop coming in, more errors can occur as a result, which in turn can fuel disinformation,” he said.

☆ Election Officials Prepare for Voter Intimidation, Threats at Midterm Polling Sites
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Jan Wolfe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In Arizona, after armed activists began monitoring ballot drop boxes, two Republican officials in Maricopa County issued an unusual joint statement to poll watchers: “Don’t dress in body armor to intimidate voters as they are legally returning their ballots.”In Pennsylvania, the Democrat who oversees the state’s elections has embarked on a public speaking tour to explain why delays and other unevenness in reporting election results is normal—and not an indicator of fraud.

In an NBC News poll of registered voters last month, economic concerns beat out every other issue. Recent data from three swing states — Wisconsin, Arizona and Pennsylvania — sheds light on the varying economic pressures that might influence choices at the ballot box. Tony Evers faces Republican challenger Tim Michels, the job market is hot. Gas prices in the state have recently come down to an average of $3.60 a gallon, compared to $3.76 nationally, after this summer’s nationwide surge. Wisconsin’s metro areas aren’t big enough to be broken out in federal data, but food prices in the Midwest have risen by 12.7% over the last year, compared to 11.2% nationally.

But the door knockers didn't explain where to vote or promote a candidate, the usual work of canvassers ahead of a big election. At another, they listed names of registered voters and demanded to know if they still lived at the address. In at least one state, Michigan, they plan to use their list of alleged irregularities to challenge voters in the Nov. 8 election. Reuters identified at least 23 state-wide or local efforts where canvassers may have crossed the line into intimidation, according to election officials and voting rights lawyers. This August, people affiliated with USEIP were also canvassing in La Plata County, according to the county clerk.

“We are seeing more litigation in 2022 relating to elections and election administration and the like than we have ever seen before,” Elias said. Consovoy McCarthy, a 20-lawyer Washington law firm that represented Trump in lawsuits over congressional subpoenas, is playing an especially active role on the Republican side. The lawyers' real test may come after election day, when close or contested results are likely to spark fresh lawsuits, attorneys said. Whatever shape those cases take, "you have to be ready,” said Adam Bonin, an election lawyer who has represented Democrats in Pennsylvania. Opinion polls show Republicans are set to win back control of the House of Representatives and perhaps also the Senate at the midterm elections.

☆ Federal judge issues restraining order against group monitoring Arizona ballot boxes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A federal judge in Phoenix issued a restraining order Tuesday night against a group that has been photographing and recording voters casting ballots at drop boxes in Arizona. Liburdi's order also bars the group's members from taking photos, recording, following or yelling at voters within 75 feet of drop box locations. Armed individuals dressed in tactical gear at the site of a ballot drop box in Mesa, Ariz., on Oct. 21, 2022. Maricopa County Elections Department / AFP - Getty ImagesThe restraining order comes after a series of warnings about potential voter intimidation in the battleground state. Liburdi's order comes after his refusal on Friday to grant the restraining order requested by Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans and Voto Latino.

Nov 1 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Tuesday issued a temporary restraining order against an Arizona group being sued over voter intimidation, banning members from coming within 75 feet of a ballot drop box, following voters or harassing them. The lawsuit was filed last week after two people were seen wearing military gear and allegedly carrying weapons while monitoring a drop box in Maricopa County, Arizona. In his order on Tuesday, Liburdi said the group and its representatives were also banned from speaking to or yelling at voters unless they were spoken to or yelled at first. He also forbade them from openly carrying firearms wtihin 250 feet of a ballot drop box. He also ordered the group to post on the conservative Truth Social website and social media platform a statement that it is not always illegal to drop multiple ballots at a drop-box.

☆ Republican Rep. David Schweikert faces off against Democrat Jevin Hodge in Arizona's 1st Congressional District election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Hanna Kang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. David Schweikert is running against Democrat Jevin Hodge in Arizona's 1st Congressional District. Trump-endorsed Schweikert is the only Republican in Arizona's congressional delegation who voted to accept the state's election results. Arizona's 1st Congressional District candidatesDemocratic Rep. Schweikert is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. Voting history for Arizona's 1st Congressional DistrictArizona's 1st Congressional District includes Scottsdale and parts of north and central Phoenix. His opponent, Hodge, has raised $1.9 million, spent $1 million, and has $855,517 cash on hand, as of September 30.

☆ Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton faces off against Republican Kelly Cooper in Arizona's 4th Congressional District election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Hanna Kang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Greg Stanton is running against Republican Kelly Cooper in Arizona's 4th Congressional District. The 4th District is located in Maricopa County. Arizona's 4th Congressional District candidatesStanton is a member of the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Judiciary. Voting history for Arizona's 4th Congressional DistrictArizona's 4th Congressional District is located in Maricopa County and covers the city of Tempe and parts of Mesa and Chandler. House Majority PAC, a Democrat-backing hybrid PAC, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have been the race's top outside spenders.

☆ Arizona early voting marred by ballot box intimidation. Courts needs to intervene.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Richard L. Hasen | Richard L. Hasen Is Professor At Ucla School Of Law | Where He Directs Its Safeguarding Democracy Project. He Is An Nbc News Msnbc Election Law Analyst. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

First Amendment rights do not extend to threats of violence and voter intimidation. A great deal of the attention has been on ballot drop boxes. There has been no indication of any widespread fraud through the use of ballot drop boxes. Nonetheless, conspiracy theories about the drop boxes have continued to circulate, fueled in part by a widely debunked film by Dinesh D’Souza, “2000 Mules,” which uses false and unproven claims to try to show drop boxes being used for fraud. Reporting by NBC News shows that ballot drop box conspiracies have flooded Trump’s social media website, Truth Social, and that has led to organizing on the ground, including in places like Arizona.

Fontes, a Marine and former Maricopa County elections administrator, is running for the job that oversees elections in Arizona. His opponent is Republican state legislator Mark Finchem, a 2020 election denier and self-identified member of the far-right militia group Oath Keepers. There are several Latino Republican candidates who are election deniers, too, such as Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican running for election to the U.S. House to represent Florida’s 13th District. 'Our community is demonized'Election denialism is still “overwhelmingly concentrated among non-Hispanic whites," said Francisco Pedraza, an associate director at Arizona State University's Center for Latinas/os and American Politics Research. In 2020, Latino voters helped Joe Biden win the state.

WASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice expressed support on Monday for a lawsuit filed by voting rights organizations in Arizona, which alleges that groups monitoring ballot drop boxes in the state are engaging in illegal voter intimidation. Among the activities that can be considered voter intimidation, it said, are photographing and video-recording voters, an activity that multiple conservative groups in Arizona have engaged in. The plaintiffs, which include the League of Women Voters of Arizona and the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans, immediately appealed. Arizona officials earlier in the month asked the Justice Department to investigate a case of possible voter intimidation after a group of people followed and filmed a voter in Maricopa County, who was dropping off a ballot for the midterm elections. Since then, Arizona officials have said they have observed several more instances of voter intimidation.

☆ Federal judge in Arizona rejects restraining order request, lets group monitor ballot drop boxes
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Some voters have complained alleging voter intimidation after people watching the boxes took photos and videos, and followed voters. The attorney for Clean Elections USA had argued that such a broad restraining order would be unconstitutional. A second lawsuit involving charges of voter intimidation at drop boxes in Arizona’s Yavapai County has since been merged with the first one. “We love our country very much.”Cilano said The Lions of Liberty is in no way associated with Clean Elections USA. He said his group is connected to the Yavapai County Preparedness Team, but the team was not involved in ballot box monitoring.

REUTERS/Michael Patacsil/WASHINGTON, Oct 28 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge has rejected a request for a temporary restraining order against a group accused of alleged voter intimidation, according to a ruling released on Friday. Judge Michael Liburdi, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump to the federal court in Arizona, rejected the request against Clean Elections USA and its founder, Melody Jennings. A lawyer who represented Clean Elections USA and Jennings in a hearing earlier this week did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He also dismissed Voto Latino from the case, stating he did not think the organization proved it would be harmed financially by Clean Election USA's actions. "We continue to believe that Clean Elections USA's intimidation and harassment is unlawful."

Here is a summary of significant cases filed ahead of the Nov. 8 election and where they stand. The case is now before the Nevada Supreme Court, which earlier this month blocked officials from livestreaming the count ahead of election day. And in North Carolina, Republicans lost a bid to shorten the deadline for election officials to receive mail ballots from Nov. 14 to Nov. 11. Another lawsuit in Illinois, challenging the counting of mail ballots up to two weeks after election day, is pending. In Texas, the Justice Department and civil-rights groups are challenging a wide-ranging 2021 state law that criminalizes many voter outreach efforts.

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