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Voting & Elections 07.1.2020

WESA (NPR) "The Confluence" (AUDIO): Pennsylvania Legislature Considers Voting Reforms Before Next Election

Suzanne Almeida, the interim executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, a nonpartisan organization working for good government, says she worries that some election lawsuits could make it harder for people to vote. “I am always concerned when I see legal filings or policies that are designed to make it more difficult for people to vote. We know that the June 2 primary was challenging for a lot of folks—for voters, for election administrators,” she says. “Ultimately, our goal at Common Cause is to make sure that every eligible voter can cast a ballot and not create an atmosphere that scares people away or makes it more difficult for them to get to the ballot box.” “We have time, we have political will” to make changes, Almeida says. “Ensuring that we have an election that works for everyone from election administrators to voters is something that I think both Republicans and Democrats in Pennsylvania have demonstrated that they want to get behind.”

Voting & Elections 06.24.2020

Washington Post: Here's why all election officials should pay attention to Kentucky's primary

“Governor Beshear and Secretary of State Adams made a good faith effort to make the best of the difficult task of holding an election in the middle of a pandemic. But now they must take the lessons learned from the primary and get things right for the general election when we will likely see even higher turnout,” Richard Beliles, Kentucky Board Chair for the voting rights group Common Cause, said in a statement.

Voting & Elections 06.24.2020

Associated Press: Kentucky incumbents win easily in rare unfinished primaries

Richard Beliles, Common Cause Kentucky board chairman, said the primary “went remarkably smoothly for most who made it to the polls but certainly not for all.” “We don’t know how many never made it to the polls in the first place in an election where many counties -– including those encompassing Louisville and Lexington — had only one polling location for voters,” he said.

Voting & Elections 06.23.2020

Politico: Primary voters in New York and Kentucky turn out despite pandemic

Lines were short all day in Louisville, though, with reporters on site noting the process appeared to be running mostly smoothly. “I’m really happy people didn’t have that much trouble,” Richard Beliles, the chairman of the board of Common Cause Kentucky who was in Louisville observing the polls, said. “The only problem was cars [coming in].”

Voting & Elections 06.23.2020

Associated Press: New York votes after primary season like no other

Sarah Goff, Deputy Director at Common Cause New York, said the primary election process has moved “remarkably smoothly” so far, given the challenges, though people may have to wait two to three weeks to know Tuesday's official results. “So we just ask voters and candidates for patience,” Goff said. “And it’s more important that the local boards of elections take the time they need to get the count right and make sure every vote is counted.”

Voting & Elections 06.23.2020

ABC News: New York, Kentucky among 6 states bracing for voting on Tuesday

"So the most important thing for the public to know the process here in New York is going to be lengthy. The deadline for the boards to receive absentee ballots is June the 30th, that's a week after the primary. So, they're not going to be opening and starting to count absentee ballots until July 2 at the earliest," said Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause New York. "Two weeks includes the July 4 weekend," she said. "So there's a very real possibility that we may not have truly reliable results, until after the July 4 weekend -- and how far after July 4 we don't know."

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