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☆ Fact Check-Video footage of people dropping off ballots in Maricopa County is not proof of voter fraud
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Social media users claiming that video footage of a Maricopa County drop box proves people dropped off fraudulent ballots during the Arizona midterm election are missing key context. Videos of multiple people putting ballots in the ballot box in Maricopa county.” The tweet received over 2,600 likes and 1,500 retweets at the time of writing (here). One Instagram user shared the video with the caption, “We got Mules again in Maricopa County” (here), (here). Megan Gilbertson, communications director at the Maricopa County Elections Department, confirmed via email that the videos were taken at a Maricopa County Tabulation and Elections Center. Videos of individuals dropping off multiple ballots at a Maricopa County drop box are not in themselves evidence of voter fraud.

☆ Maricopa County elections official moved to 'undisclosed location' for his safety following social media threat
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Summer-Concepcion-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Summer Concepcion | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A top elections official in Maricopa County, Arizona, has been moved to an undisclosed location for his safety following threats on social media related the midterm elections, the county confirmed to NBC News on Monday. The official, Bill Gates, the chairman of the Maricopa County board of supervisors, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. Election workers like Gates have experienced a rise in threats following the 2020 election and former President Donald Trump’s election lies. No one has been disenfranchised,” Gates told reporters in downtown Phoenix on Election Day, following reports of equipment problems. “We have hiccups,” Gates told NBC News at the time.

☆ An Arizona election official went into hiding over threats as Trump-backed Kari Lake refuses to concede
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A top election official in Maricopa County said Sunday he moved to an "undisclosed location." Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates made the move after his office received death threats. Kari Lake, who lost the governor race, raised doubts about the election and suggested legal action. Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, is the state's most populous, with more than 4.4 million residents. Masters also said there were "obviously a lot of problems with this election," previously citing long lines and issues with ballot printers, but ultimately called Kelly to concede.

☆ Arizona attorney general wants report on voting machine problems
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Arizona Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich's office has demanded that Maricopa County officials provide a report on the voting machine problems that caused some delays in the battleground state during this month's midterm elections. A letter dated Saturday by Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Wright calls for county officials to report by Nov. 28 on the specific problems related to the printers at each location as well on how poll workers were trained. Blake Masters lost to Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, and Kari Lake lost the governor's race to Democrat Katie Hobbs. Lake has yet to concede and continues to make unsubstantiated claims about election improprieties on her Twitter feed. Reporting by Chris Gallagher in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Although prominent election deniers in critical battleground states lost at the polls, their movement has had far-reaching impact. In reality, the livestream app suffered a glitch that caused the cameras to stop working, county officials said in a statement after investigating the blackout. IN ARIZONA, BOOSTING SECURITYIn Arizona's Maricopa County, election officials strengthened doors, added shatterproof film on windows and stationed a security guard in the ballot-counting room. In Georgia's Gwinnett County, which includes part of the greater Atlanta area, election officials held planning meetings with local law enforcement to beef up security, Elections Supervisor Zach Manifold told Reuters. The plan included keeping sheriff's officers on site for longer to ensure election staff felt safe, he said.

☆ Faucets poised to run dry for hundreds of Arizona residents by year's end
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Deon J. Hampton | Deon J. Hampton Is A National Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Scottsdale residents also were urged to reduce their usage as a first step toward more stringent restrictions. Some Rio Verde Foothills residents said they don't know how such an important issue could have dragged on so long without a resolution. Rio Verde Foothills resident Jennifer Simpson. Rio Verde Foothills. “I’m sure that if there’s no access to water, we’d be up in arms.”Many Rio Verde Foothills residents say they feel abandoned.

☆ Fact Check-Canvass bags shown in live feed are used to legally transport ballots and results reports to the Election Department, Maricopa County says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Claims on social media that a photo of a pile of black bags at Arizona’s Maricopa County central tabulation location shows something fraudulent are missing key context. A spokesperson for the Elections Department of Maricopa County told Reuters the photo shows “canvass bags” used to transport voted ballots and results reports from polling locations. “This is from the live feed from Maricopa County a few minutes ago. The image circulating online captures a moment of the live video feed provided by Maricopa County Elections Department (here) (select Tabulation – View 1). In a press conference, Maricopa County District Supervisor Bill Gates said the county would have their “last big drop of votes” after 6 pm that day.

☆ Election denier Lake loses governor's race in battleground Arizona
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Julia Harte | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The closely fought governor's race between Lake and Democrat Katie Hobbs was one of the most significant in the general election because Arizona is a battleground state and will likely play a pivotal role in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. After the Arizona governor race was called, Hobbs wrote on Twitter: "Democracy is worth the wait." [1/4] Republican candidate for Arizona Governor Kari Lake speaks at the Republican Party of Arizona's 2022 U.S. midterm elections night rally in Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S., November 8, 2022. Voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin also rejected election deniers in races for governor and other statewide election posts. On Monday, she won the seat currently held by Republican Governor Doug Ducey, who could not seek re-election because of term limits.

☆ U.S. House control hinges on tight races after Democrats take Senate
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Jim UrquhartWASHINGTON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Control of the U.S. House of Representatives hinged on Monday on several tight races that could secure a majority for Republicans following midterm elections that saw President Joe Biden's Democrats beat expectations and retain the Senate. Republicans were closer to winning the House, having secured 211 seats compared to Democrats' 206, with 218 needed for a majority. "That has to be a focal point of every single committee in the Congress, especially in the House under Republican control," Banks told Fox News on Sunday. The Nevada win put Democrats in charge of a 50-50 Senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris holding the tie-breaking vote. Lindsey Graham, a veteran Republican senator, said planned Senate Republican leadership elections should be postponed until after the Georgia race.

☆ Kari Lake calls Arizona 'the laughingstock of elections' as her race has yet to be called 5 days after election day
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

On "Sunday Morning Futures" Arizona candidate for Governor Kari Lake lambasted the state's election process. It has been five days since the election on Nov. 8 and her race has not yet been called. Lake called the state's voting procedures "embarrassing" and called Arizona "the laughingstock of elections." "We need to get in there and restore faith in our elections," Lake said. "We can't be the laughingstock of elections anymore here in Arizona and when I'm governor I will not allow it.

☆ Candidates Who Questioned 2020 Election Shut Out in Key Secretary-of-State Races
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Zusha Elinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Votes were scanned in Maricopa, an Arizona county where a secretary of state candidate had previously introduced a resolution to decertify 2020 election results. Candidates who stated without evidence that the 2020 presidential election was rigged have lost secretary-of-state elections in four key battleground states. Voters in Nevada, Arizona, Michigan and Minnesota rejected Republican candidates who said the election was stolen from former President Donald Trump and were also backed by Mr. Trump.

☆ Election denier Mark Finchem loses secretary of state race in Arizona
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Republican Mark Finchem, a prominent election denier, has lost to Democrat Adrian Fontes in the race for Arizona secretary of state race, NBC News projects. Fontes, a former top elections official for Maricopa County, will succeed Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, the Democratic nominee for governor. “Mark was willing to say what few others had the courage to say” about the 2020 election, Trump said in offering his public support. He also supported a partisan review of Maricopa County’s election results, even though the review reaffirmed Biden’s victory. In Michigan, election deniers lost bids for governor, secretary of state and attorney general.

Control of the Senate - and the shape of President Joe Biden's next two years in office - will now hinge on contests in Nevada and Georgia. Democrats needed one more seat for control, since Vice President Kamala Harris can cast the tie-breaking vote. Political analysts anticipate a rush of campaign funds into Georgia as Republicans and Democrats gear up for the final battle of the 2022 midterm elections. In the fight for control of the House of Representatives, Republicans were inching closer to becoming the majority and ending four years of rule by Democrats. The Republican House leader, Kevin McCarthy, has already announced his intention to run for speaker if Republicans take over, an outcome he has described as inevitable.

☆ Fact Check-Photo shows Maricopa County worker - not Katie Hobbs - at tabulation center
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A widely shared image showing an elections worker at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center on Nov. 9 has been miscaptioned online, with some on social media falsely claiming it depicts Arizona’s Secretary of State and the Democratic hopeful for Governor, Katie Hobbs. The Maricopa County Elections Department told Reuters that the image does not depict Arizona Secretary of State Hobbs. “We can confirm those [people] are Maricopa County Elections Department staff,” the Maricopa County Elections Department told Reuters via Twitter DM. Katie Hobbs has no role in counting ballots and is not the woman pictured,” Sarah Robinson, Communications Director for the Katie Hobbs for Governor campaign said in a statement sent to Reuters. This image does not show Katie Hobbs at the Maricopa County tabulation center, but a worker at the county’s Elections Department.

Either Democrats or Republicans can capture a Senate majority by sweeping contests in both states. In the fight for the House of Representatives, Republicans were inching closer to wresting control of the chamber from Biden's Democrats. House control would give Republicans veto power over Biden's legislative agenda and allow them to launch potentially damaging investigations into his administration. The Republican House leader, Kevin McCarthy, has already announced his intention to run for speaker if Republicans take over, an outcome he has described as inevitable. Even a narrow Republican House majority would be able to demand concessions in exchange for votes on key issue such as raising the nation's borrowing limit.

[1/11] The sun rises over the U.S. Capitol, as control of Congress remained unclear following the 2022 U.S. midterm elections in Washington, U.S., November 9, 2022. The fate of the Senate, meanwhile, rests with a trio of fiercely contested states. (Live election results from around the country are here)Though Republicans remained favored to take over the House, their performance on Tuesday was seen as underwhelming. A Republican Senate would hold sway over Biden's judicial appointments, including any potential Supreme Court vacancies. VOTE-COUNTING CHUGGING ALONGAs ballots were tallied, Democrats expressed cautious optimism about both the Nevada and Arizona Senate races.

[1/11] The sun rises over the U.S. Capitol, as control of Congress remained unclear following the 2022 U.S. midterm elections in Washington, U.S., November 9, 2022. Either party can win a majority by sweeping the races in Nevada and Arizona, where counting late-arriving ballots is expected to last several more days. (Live election results from around the country are here)Though Republicans remained favored to take over the House, their performance on Tuesday was seen as underwhelming. A Republican Senate would hold sway over Biden's judicial appointments, including any potential Supreme Court vacancies. VOTE-COUNTING CHUGGING ALONGAs ballots were tallied, Democrats expressed cautious optimism about both the Nevada and Arizona Senate races.

Nov 10 (Reuters) - Democrat Tina Kotek won a tough three-way race to become the next governor of Oregon, the Associated Press projected on Thursday, enabling Democrats to extend nearly four decades of control over the Oregon governorship. Official returns from Tuesday's election showed Kotek winning 47.1% of the vote to 43.5% for Republican Christine Drazan. The last time a Republican was elected governor was in 1982, and Kotek was always favored to succeed Democratic governor Kate Brown, who could not run again due to term limits. With the polls tightening late in the race, President Joe Biden visited Oregon in mid-October to campaign with Kotek, a former state legislator. In Michigan, Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer was re-elected and voters flipped the state House and Senate from Republican to Democratic control.

☆ This midterm election outcome is 'typically good for markets': What investors can expect
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Election workers open mail in ballots at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in Phoenix on Nov. 11, 2022. "We still effectively have kind of a balanced government, which is actually something markets usually like," Egan said. "This is typically good for markets as it reduces policy and regulatory risk," she said. Keep in mind how little control any given set of politicians has over the stock market or the economy in general. What's more, if you take investment risk off the table in response to the results, you could miss out on the market's upside.

[1/11] The sun rises over the U.S. Capitol, as control of Congress remained unclear following the 2022 U.S. midterm elections in Washington, U.S., November 9, 2022. "Women in America made their voices heard, man," President Joe Biden said at a political event in Washington. At the political event, Biden noted that many so-called "election deniers" had accepted their own losses. A White House official said Biden spoke by phone with Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy, who announced on Wednesday his intention to run for speaker of the House if Republicans control the chamber. Republicans are expected to demand spending cuts in exchange for raising the nation's borrowing limit next year, a showdown that could spook financial markets.

☆ Republicans begin maneuvering for power as control of Congress remains unknown
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Summer Concepcion | Summer Concepcion Is A Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

While control of the next Congress still remains unknown, Republicans in Washington on Thursday began ramping up plans to take over the House of Representatives. For the Senate, control will come down to three races. House controlIn Washington, House Republicans have already begun maneuvering to determine who from their ranks will become the House speaker should they take control. NBC News has not yet projected a winner for House control. "I am determined to ensure that this majority reaches its full potential," McCarthy said in a letter to House Republicans on Wednesday.

☆ U.S. Senate up for grabs as Republicans move toward House majority
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

(Live election results from around the country are here.) But Democrats were able to avoid the major defeat that Republicans had anticipated and were holding on in the close Senate battles in Nevada and Arizona. Even a slim House majority would allow Republicans to shape the rest of Biden's term, blocking priorities such as abortion rights and launching investigations into his administration and family. A White House official said Biden spoke by phone with Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy, who announced earlier in the day his intention to run for speaker of the House if Republicans control the chamber. Control of the Senate, meanwhile, would give Republicans the power to block Biden's nominees for judicial and administrative posts.

☆ Fact Check-As printing issue affected some tabulators in Maricopa County, officials say backup options were available for voters
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Reuters also reported that a Republican request to extend voting in Maricopa County was rejected on Tuesday night. AVAILABLE ALTERNATIVESIn a statement to Reuters on Nov. 8, the Maricopa County Elections Department said that if voters experienced issues with tabulators, they "have a number of options to choose from" (here). The Maricopa County Elections Department explained the process in a tweet (here). Mercer County in New Jersey also reported issues with voting machines scanners on Nov. 8(here) (bit.ly/3zYGFqT). VERDICTThere is no evidence that issues affecting voting machines in Maricopa County led to fraud.

☆ The 2022 election disaster that wasn't: The system worked and Trump-backed candidates are conceding
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The run-up to Election Day 2022 was marred by fears of chaos and refusals to concede. A slew of Trump-backed candidates who rejected the legitimacy of the 2020 election were on the ballot. Election Day went smoothly, and while there were minor issues in places like Maricopa County, Arizona, they were quickly identified and resolved and there were no broader infrastructure problems. Taking a lesson from the 2020 election, cybersecurity and election security officials also stepped up efforts to combat disinformation related to this year's midterms. Crucially, many of Trump's handpicked candidates conceded defeat when their races were called.

☆ Republicans close in on U.S. House majority, Senate still up for grabs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A split would mean the Senate majority would come down to a runoff election in Georgia for the second time in two years. Even a slim House majority would allow Republicans to shape the rest of Biden's term, blocking priorities such as abortion rights and launching investigations into his administration and family. A White House official said Biden spoke by phone with Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy, who announced earlier in the day his intention to run for speaker of the House if Republicans control the chamber. Control of the Senate, meanwhile, would give Republicans the power to block Biden's nominees for judicial and administrative posts. MIXED RESULTSThe party in power historically suffers heavy casualties in a president's first midterm election, and Biden has struggled with low approval ratings.

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