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Voting & Elections 08.11.2020

Associated Press: Inaction by Congress leaves states to pay for election costs

“Without proper funding, guidance and preparedness, the problems seen in previous elections are going to be just the tip of the iceberg this November,” Sylvia Albert, voting and elections director with Common Cause, warned lawmakers during a congressional hearing last week.

Voting & Elections 08.11.2020

ABC News: Why President Trump keeps talking about a New York Democratic primary

"New York did not have any infrastructure or an expanded absentee program. So the Board of Elections had to completely revise the entire way in which they were approaching absentee ballots in six weeks," Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause New York, a nonpartisan good government organization, told ABC News.

Voting & Elections 08.4.2020

Fox News: Election security expert says 2016 was 'worst case scenario' for public's confidence in elections, remains 'biggest challenge' in 2020

Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections for nonprofit group Common Cause, testified at the hearing that President Trump's comments about election security have swayed public perception. "We have seen already that the president's rhetoric is affecting the confidence that voters have both in vote-by-mail particularly and also in elections in general," Albert said.

Voting & Elections 08.3.2020

InsideSources (Op-Ed): Trump’s Elections Delay Tweet — Nonsense!

Let me be clear: Trump’s delayed election suggestion is nonsense. The president has no legal or constitutional authority to do that. Election Day is set by act of Congress and only Congress can change the date — even in an emergency. This year’s general election will happen on November 3, and there is no tweet by Trump that will change that. The timing of our election is not up for debate. The real question we need to be asking ourselves is not when we will vote, but instead how will we vote this November.

Voting & Elections 07.31.2020

Associated Press: Indiana governor urged to expand mail voting during pandemic

On Thursday, a federal lawsuit filed by the Indiana State Conference of the NAACP and Common Cause Indiana seeks to further compel the state to expand absentee voting. The lawsuit argues that the state’s deadline for mail-in ballots — noon on Election Day — doesn’t account for expected surges in mail-in ballots and potential mail delays caused by the pandemic. The nonprofit contends that any ballot postmarked by Election Day should be counted without penalty. “Indiana has seen a surge in requests for mail-in ballots and now we must make sure all those voters who chose to vote by mail to protect their health do not face barriers in making their voice heard,” Julia Vaughn, policy director at Common Cause Indiana, said in a statement. The lawsuit is one of at least three pending in federal court to challenge Indiana’s election protocols. Another of the federal lawsuits, filed on behalf of Common Cause Indiana, argues that an Indiana law blocking voters and candidates from asking courts to keep polling places open past the state’s 6 p.m. closing time because of Election Day troubles violates the U.S. Constitution.

Voting & Elections 07.31.2020

Sinclair Broadcast Group: Despite coronavirus complications, experts confident election will be safe and secure

“Both the good and bad about our election system is that it is completely decentralized. Each state and each local jurisdiction can make the changes necessary to have safe, free, and fair voting in November...,” said Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections for Common Cause. “We know how to do it. They just have to execute the plan.” That plan, according to Albert, is to make sure voters have options to vote however they choose: providing multiple methods to register, to request absentee ballots, and to vote in person without putting their health at risk. “The reality is none of us know what the world is going to look like Nov. 3, so we need to be prepared for whatever choices the voter makes,” she said.

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