Several states are working to ban foreign funding of ballot issue campaigns after a dark money group poured cash from foreign billionaires into ballot initiatives last year.
As of October, the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a nonprofit that has funneled more than $1 billion dollars in dark money to liberal causes, had <a href="https://americansforpublictrust.org/uncategorized/late-october-2024-update-foreign-backed-spending-in-state-ballot-issue-campaigns/">spent</a> over $37 million on state ballot initiatives. The fund is fueled, in large part, by Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss, who has given the group $243 million. Wyss has said he has “never felt the need to become an American” but wants to “(re)interpret the American Constitution in the light of progressive politics.”
That may be easier said than done.
In June, Ohio became the first state to ban both direct and indirect foreign funding of state ballot issues. Since then, at least eight other states have begun trying to ban foreign nationals from funneling cash into American ballot initiatives. Last week, the Mississippi Senate as well as the Kentucky and Wyoming Houses passed legislation to ban foreign nationals from funding ballot issue campaigns.
The Indiana House of Representatives passed similar legislation this week, as did the Kansas House last week. committees in Indiana and Utah voted to advance similar legislation, and similar bills have been introduced in Tennessee and Missouri.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Kansas HB 2106 — a crucial bill to stop foreign nationals from funding state ballot issue campaigns — has cleared the House Committee on Elections.
The bill now heads to the House floor for a full vote. Kansas lawmakers must act to protect Kansas elections! <a href="https://t.co/RAvUZCRBdv">pic.twitter.com/RAvUZCRBdv</a>
&mdash; Americans for Public Trust (@apublictrust) <a href="https://twitter.com/apublictrust/status/1889437490295324801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Federal lawmakers have taken note as well.
In December, the House committee that oversees federal elections <a href="https://cha.house.gov/2024/12/top-takeaways-from-full-committee-hearing-on-prohibiting-foreign-interference-in-american-elections" target="_blank" rel="noopener">held</a> a hearing discussing loopholes that allow foreign nationals to contribute to political campaigns.
In the recent election cycle, the Sixteen Thirty Fund funded ballot initiatives in several swing states or states with a close Senate election, Americans for Public Trust found.
In Arizona, the group gave $1.25 million to support an abortion ballot initiative that passed, enshrining a right to abortion in the state constitution. Nevada approved a similar abortion initiative on the ballot this November, and the Sixteen Thirty Fund gave $500,000 to that effort. Democrats <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/abortion-rights-amendment-one-step-closer-appearing-arizona-ballot-rcna159753" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hoped</a> that putting abortion on the ballot would boost Democratic voter turnout in these states.
The Sixteen Thirty Fund also funded ballot initiatives in Ohio, Florida, Nebraska, Montana, Missouri, and Alaska.
Since 2014, the Sixteen Thirty Fund has spent nearly $130 million on ballot initiatives in 25 states — <a href="https://americansforpublictrust.org/uncategorized/late-october-2024-update-foreign-backed-spending-in-state-ballot-issue-campaigns/">including</a> $34 million in Michigan, $21 million in Ohio, $17 million in Florida, $13 million in Missouri, $11 million in Colorado, $7 million in Nevada, around $3.5 million in North Carolina, and around $1.5 million in Arizona.
States that ban foreign nationals from funding ballot issue campaigns would no longer see these influxes of foreign cash flowing into their ballot initiatives.
“It’s clear that Americans across the country are sick and tired of foreign funds influencing our politics and want their election officials to take action,” said Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust.
&#8220;We are encouraged by the momentum happening in the states, and look forward to Congress building on their work from last session to pass a bill that bans foreign nationals from influencing ballot initiatives nationwide,&#8221; Sutherland said.
&#8220;Closing the foreign election influence loophole is crucial to promoting election integrity,&#8221; said Jason Snead, executive director of the Honest Elections Project. &#8220;Fortunately, states are beginning to take action to prevent foreign nationals from impacting American elections.”

US-VOTE-POLITICS-PENNSYLVANIA

These States Are Fighting To Keep Foreign Leftist Billionaires Out Of American Elections

Bans On Foreign Election Funding Gain Momentum Across The Country

Election Laws

Elections

Foreign Policy

The Trump campaign is demanding action after the<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/colorado"> Colorado</a> Secretary of State’s office said it had accidentally posted county voting system passwords publicly on its website for months.
Lawyers for former President<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump"> Donald Trump</a> told Secretary of State Jena Griswold on Wednesday to order county clerks to temporarily stop processing mail-in ballots until county election systems can be reconfigured after the password leak was discovered. The voting system passwords from nearly every Colorado county, for equipment like vote tabulating machines, were posted to the Secretary of State&#8217;s office website in June and could be viewed by clicking “unhide,&#8221;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-republicans-critical-of-secretary-of-state-after-voting-system-passwords-posted-online/"> according</a> to The Denver Post. 
Griswold, who is facing calls to resign from Republicans over the security breach, has said that the password leak did not compromise election security because the state&#8217;s voting system had multiple safeguards in place. Still, Trump&#8217;s campaign is pushing for further transparency. 
“We are particularly concerned because your office knew of this security breach at least as early as October 24, yet concealed the problem by failing to notify anyone,” Trump lawyer Scott Gessler<a href="https://prod-static.gop.com/media/documents/24.10.30_Demand_Letter_to_CO_SoS_1730308198.pdf"> wrote</a> on Wednesday. Gessler asked Griswold to order impacted counties to take steps to reprogram the election machines and said that it was “essential that you act immediately to protect the integrity of Colorado’s general election.”
“We recognize these steps may be an inconvenience for your office and for the affected counties. But this inconvenience is necessary because it is the only way to guarantee that the elections equipment in those counties whose current BIOS [basic input/output system] passwords were disclosed by your office are secure and that the chain-of-custody for that equipment required by Colorado law and regulations is unbroken,” he wrote. 
In a Thursday<a href="https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/coloradopolitics.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/07/107b3950-97e4-11ef-8dc7-6b56fe4bba8f/672419dca4bc2.pdf.pdf"> response</a> to Trump and the Colorado Republican Party, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Beall wrote that officials became aware of the breach last week. 
“It was quickly determined that the spreadsheet presented no immediate threat to the security of Colorado’s voting systems or the 2024 General Election,” Beall wrote. “The Department determined that because Colorado’s voting systems are protected by layers of security and redundancies, no single error can compromise the integrity of the system.”
Beall said state cybersecurity experts would go to impacted counties to update voting systems&#8217; passwords. CBS reported that Griswold’s office did not immediately inform county election officials after discovering the security lapse. 
&#8220;Unfortunately, clerks found out about it from an email that came from the state GOP, which was incredibly disappointing,&#8221; Colorado County Clerks&#8217; Association Matt Crane told CBS Colorado. &#8220;If a mistake happens in a county, counties have to report that out to the state immediately. And so with something like this, when it is such so severe in nature, potentially severe, we think that the first call should have been to the county, so that we could have taken a look at our systems and at our security processes and make sure that everything was okay.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
Griswold’s handling of the incident has drawn criticism from Republicans in Colorado, including former Deputy Secretary of State Suzanne Taheri. Taheri said that Griswold was trying to downplay the mass posting of the passwords. 
“She&#8217;s trying to say that in order to get in, you need both passwords,&#8221; Taheri told CBS. &#8220;Well, not really. The first password, as long as you&#8217;re physically there, you could then plug a USB into the computer, bypass the system password and get in and start doing whatever you wanted with the software.&#8221;
Griswold has so far resisted calls to resign, saying there were no serious consequences from the breach. 
“No, I&#8217;m not going to resign,” Griswold<a href="https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/griswold-says-she-wont-resign-after-voting-system-passwords-were-shared-on-website"> told</a> Denver7. “A civil servant in the department made a serious mistake that we have actively taken action to remedy. Humans make mistakes. And that&#8217;s why I&#8217;ve been so focused on adding more layers of security to our elections.”

US-VOTE-POLITICS-TRUMP

Trump Demands Action After Colorado Officials Say Voting System Passwords Leaked

2024 Election

Colorado

Donald Trump

Politics

Wisconsin was perhaps the most consequential swing state in 2016, and was decided in the past two presidential elections by razor-thin margins. This year doesn&#8217;t seem like it will be any different.
Here&#8217;s everything you need to know about Wisconsin.
Polling
Throughout August, Harris led Trump by as much as an average of five points before Trump started taking ground back in September and retook the lead in October. Trump currently leads Harris 48.8% to 48.2%, according to a DecisionDeskHQ <a href="https://elections2024.thehill.com/wisconsin/harris-trump-wisconsin/">average </a>of 67 polls from Wisconsin. 
DecisionDesk HQ now <a href="https://elections2024.thehill.com/forecast/2024/president/wisconsin/">projects</a> Trump has a 55% chance of winning Wisconsin, a major reversal after Harris was given a 59% chance at the end of August. 
Trump winning Wisconsin would buck recent trends in the state, which Democrats won every year from 1988 until 2016. Before that, Republicans <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Presidential_voting_trends_in_Wisconsin">won</a> Wisconsin in every presidential election but two from 1952 to 1984. 
The top issues for Wisconsin voters are the economy, immigration, and abortion. The <a href="https://law.marquette.edu/poll/category/poll-release/">most recent polling</a> available from Marquette University Law School shows that 40% of voters said the economy was the most important, 15% said immigration and border security, and 12% said abortion. 
Trump is trusted by 51% of voters on the issues of immigration and the economy while Harris was trusted by just 36% of voters on those issues. On the issue of abortion, Harris was trusted by 53% of voters compared to the 30% of voters who trust Trump on the issue. 
What The Candidates Are Saying
Unlike Hillary Clinton&#8217;s notorious 2016 decision to skip campaigning in the Badger State, both Trump and Harris have campaigned heavily in the critical battleground. 
Trump has at least two major rallies planned in Wisconsin for the final week of the campaign. On Wednesday, Trump will <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nfl-legend-brett-favre-to-rally-with-trump-in-wisconsin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">take the stage</a> alongside football legend Brett Favre for a rally in Green Bay. Then on Friday, Trump will head to the Democratic stronghold of Milwaukee — where he received the endorsement of the city’s police association — for another rally. 
On Monday, Trump&#8217;s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, spoke in both Wausau and Racine.
Harris has a rally scheduled at the University of Wisconsin in Madison on Wednesday, where she hopes to appeal to young voters through a joint appearance with Mumford &amp; Sons. Earlier this month, Harris campaigned with former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney in Brookfield. 
How Wisconsin Has Voted In The Past
In 2016, former President Donald Trump became the first Republican to carry <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/wisconsin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wisconsin</a> since Ronald Reagan, winning the state by just over 20,000 votes. 
Four years later, Wisconsin swung for President Joe Biden, again by just 20,000 votes. This year&#8217;s race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is again expected to be determined by a razor-thin margin as polls indicate a statistically tied race to claim the state’s 10 electoral votes. 
What Early Voting Shows
Hundreds of thousands have already voted, with Wisconsin&#8217;s election commission reporting Friday that early voting had jumped almost 40% since the same time in 2020. As of Sunday, the commission <a href="https://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/documents/AbsenteeCounts_County_2024%20General%20Election_9.csv">reported</a> that some 405,744 people had already voted early.
Around 108,213 early voters were reported in the Democratic strongholds of Dane and Milwaukee County. In Wisconsin’s traditionally Republican “WOW” counties (Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington), around 86,244 people have voted early, according to election commission data.
Republicans need to perform well in the WOW counties in order to offset Democrats&#8217; advantage in urban areas. Republicans will also need high turnout from the state&#8217;s rural counties.
When Can We Expect A Result?
In both 2016 and 2020, the results of Wisconsin’s presidential election were not known on Election Day. In 2016, the results were <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/10/24/when-will-the-presidential-election-be-called-in-wisconsin/75806755007/">announced</a> the morning after the election, while in 2020 the state was called for Biden after the election. Milwaukee and other cities have followed policies that require all ballots to be counted in one central area, which has caused delays in getting ballots counted in previous years. 
The 2024 results could see a similar timeline as 2020, but will likely not take as long as officials say it will in states like Arizona. 
Voting Issues From 2020 To Now
Election integrity was a major concern for Republicans in Wisconsin after widespread mail-in voting during the 2020 election. 
One of the most contentious issues has been that of the use of drop boxes for ballots. In July 2022, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the use of drop boxes in 2020 violated the state constitution. However, the court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/swing-state-supreme-court-rules-that-ballot-drop-boxes-can-be-used-in-2024-election">reversed</a> its decision in July after the liberal wing of the court took the majority earlier this year. 
The decision was celebrated by Democrats and decried by Republicans, who argued that the use of drop boxes would compromise election integrity.
Use of the drop boxes is <a href="https://www.wispolitics.com/2024/elections-commission-says-at-least-78-drop-boxes-in-use-across-wisconsin/">reportedly</a> down this year from 2024 with about just 78 in use compared to the 500 that were employed in 2020. Multiple cities and villages throughout the state have banned the use of drop boxes this time around after security concerns. 
“I think that a ballot drop box does create opportunity for those that want to circumvent the law,” Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt <a href="https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/the-ongoing-clash-over-using-ballot-drop-boxes-in-wisconsin/">said</a> earlier this year. 
Wausau Mayor Doug Diny is <a href="https://www.wxpr.org/election/2024-10-22/wausau-mayor-confirms-justice-department-visited-his-home-and-office-seizing-phones">under investigation</a> by the Justice Department after he moved the city’s drop box into his office because of concerns that it was secured to the ground outside city hall. 
Mail-in voting has already come under scrutiny in Madison after 2,215 duplicate ballots <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/swing-state-voters-receive-mail-ballots-for-relatives-who-died-moved-away">were sent out</a> to the heavily Democratic city. City officials said the incident was a “mistake” while Republicans demanded a more in-depth investigation. 
The DOJ has also <a href="https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/doj-sues-two-wi-towns-switching-only-paper-ballots-not-using-voting">taken action</a> against the cities of Lawrence and Thornapple after they decided to only have paper ballots and cast them by hand. Federal officials accused the cities of discriminating against the disabled. Lawrence <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-wisconsin-townships-ensure-accessible-voting">has agreed</a> to use one electronic voting machine and a federal judge also <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-court-issues-preliminary-injunction-against-town-thornapple-wisconsin-requiring-use">placed an injunction</a> this month against Thornapple.
Wisconsin’s Election Commission <a href="https://www.wpr.org/news/conservative-firm-public-interest-legal-foundation-sues-wec-same-day-voter-audit-guidance">has been sued</a> by the Public Interest Legal Foundation for records on the state’s voter registration process while another suit <a href="https://www.wpr.org/news/lawsuits-seeking-changes-to-wisconsin-voter-rolls-filed-weeks-before-presidential-election">accuses</a> the Milwaukee Election Commission of having 143,000 invalid voters on its rolls. 
In September, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/voter-id-loophole-ripe-for-exploitation-in-election-battleground-legal-group-warns">warned</a> that there are 144,347 people in Wisconsin who do not have to show an ID to vote because they are classified as “indefinitely confined.” This status exploded during COVID when officials in Milwaukee and Madison said all voters could claim it, though the state Supreme Court later struck down this guidance. 
The Republican National Committee has already filed multiple lawsuits in the state as well, focusing on ensuring that cities hire an equal number of Republican <a href="https://protectthevote.com/litigation/hendrickson-v-city-clerk-for-the-city-of-racine/">poll workers</a> and special voting deputies to <a href="https://protectthevote.com/litigation/recker-v-city-clerk-for-the-city-of-appleton/">administer</a> elections at nursing homes. 
This time around there will be no private funding for elections, thanks to a Republican-backed measure that passed in April targeting “Zuckerbucks,&#8221; referring to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg&#8217;s widespread funding of state elections in 2020. 
More than $10 million in Zuckerbucks was spent in Wisconsin during the 2020 election, <a href="https://thefga.org/research/the-wisconsin-zuckerbucks-problem/">according</a> to the Foundation for Government Accountability. The FGA estimated that more than 80% of the funding went to areas Biden won by an average of 37 points. 
Other Races To Watch
Other key elections in Wisconsin include a contentious contest between Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Republican challenger Eric Hovde. Like Trump, Hovde has jumped in the polls in recent weeks, with polls showing the race within one or two points. 
November also marks the first election with new legislative maps ordered by the state’s liberal Supreme Court and signed by Democratic Governor Tony Evers. Democrats are looking to chip away at the Republican’s supermajority in the Senate and majority in the Assembly. 
Voters will also have the opportunity to pass an amendment to the state constitution that would ensure only American citizens are allowed to vote in national, state, and local elections.

Donald Trump Campaigns For President In Racine, Wisconsin

Swing-State Showcase: Everything You Need To Know About The Race In Wisconsin

Kamala Harris

Mark Zuckerberg

Wisconsin

Voters in Georgia shattered a voting record on Tuesday when early voting began, despite claims from Democrats that the state’s election integrity law would suppress voting.
Since 2021, Democrats and their media counterparts compared Georgia’s voting law to Jim Crow – laws that ensured most black people would not be able to vote. CNN perpetrated many of the news articles against the Georgia law, but on Tuesday <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/15/politics/early-voting-record-georgia/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that 328,000 ballots were cast in Georgia on the first day of early voting – a massive increase from the 2020 record of 136,000.
Gabe Sterling, from Georgia’s secretary of state’s office, announced the numbers on X, saying, “So with the record breaking 1st day of early voting and accepted absentees we have had over 328,000 total votes cast so far.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
So with the record breaking 1st day of early voting and accepted absentees we have had over 328,000 total votes cast so far. You can track this data on <a href="https://twitter.com/GaSecofState?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GaSecofState</a> Raffensperger’s Data Hub here: <a href="https://t.co/0mcozlOrTa">https://t.co/0mcozlOrTa</a> <a href="https://t.co/lzGdYh25Su">pic.twitter.com/lzGdYh25Su</a>
— Gabriel Sterling (@GabrielSterling) <a href="https://twitter.com/GabrielSterling/status/1846378150600606207?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp called out the media’s past claims while touting the numbers on X.
“For years, Kamala Harris, Stacey Abrams, Joe Biden, and their allies in the media lied about Georgia election laws to raise campaign cash and scare people,” Kemp wrote. “It was wrong then, and it’s wrong now. Here’s the truth: in Georgia, it’s easy to vote and hard to cheat.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
For years, Kamala Harris, Stacey Abrams, Joe Biden, and their allies in the media lied about Georgia election laws to raise campaign cash and scare people.
It was wrong then, and it’s wrong now. Here’s the truth: in Georgia, it’s easy to vote and hard to cheat. <a href="https://t.co/lfdlEFuma7">https://t.co/lfdlEFuma7</a>
— Brian Kemp (@BrianKempGA) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrianKempGA/status/1846339642825527667?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In 2021, Georgia passed a law designed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/georgias-election-integrity-act-everything-you-need-to-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to improve election integrity</a>, in part by requiring an ID for absentee voting. It also reduced early voting and updated voter processes and disparities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Drop boxes were also moved to election offices and early voting locations and are only available during business hours. Counties in the state will also have to certify the results within six days instead of 10 and must complete counting ballots once counting has started.
These changes predictably prompted Democrats and the media to claim the law would lead to voter suppression.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729077615157000&amp;usg=AOvVaw17Kprl74oE9DYOLREdiBPU">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ COMING TO DAILYWIRE+ OCT. 28</a>
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) compared the law to the Jim Crow era while at the same time saying Democrat candidate Stacey Abrams actually won the governor’s office in 2018.
“The Republican who is sitting in Stacey Abrams’ chair just signed a despicable voter suppression bill into law to take Georgia back to Jim Crow. The Senate must pass the #ForThePeople Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Act immediately — our democracy is at stake tonight,” Warren <a href="https://x.com/SenWarren/status/1375276181034045441">wrote on X</a> in 2021.
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) also claimed the law would “make it harder for Georgians to vote.”
“Tonight Georgia’s legislature passed a bill brazenly intended to make it harder for Georgians to vote,” Ossoff <a href="https://x.com/ossoff/status/1375258814505742337?lang=en">posted to X</a> in 2021. “Among its outrageous provisions: it criminalizes *giving water to voters who are waiting in line.* It’s no wonder Gov. Kemp hid behind closed doors while he signed it.”
President Joe Biden made the same <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/joe-biden-media-claim-georgia-law-prevents-giving-water-to-voters-in-line-thats-not-true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claim</a>.
“It’s an atrocity. The idea, you want any indication, it has nothing to do with fairness, nothing to do with decency. They pass a law saying you can’t provide water for people standing in line, while they’re waiting to vote.  You don’t need anything else to know that this is nothing but punitive, designed to keep people from voting. You can’t provide water for people about to vote? Give me a break,” Biden said in 2021.
The law makes it illegal to give money or gifts to voters – including food and drink – but doesn’t make it illegal for poll workers to make self-service water available to those waiting in line to vote. The law is meant to keep people from soliciting votes by giving gifts, not harm people waiting to vote.
Vice President Kamala Harris also called the law voter suppression, <a href="https://www.ajc.com/politics/politics-blog/the-jolt-vice-president-harris-says-georgia-election-law-is-clear-voter-suppression/ZKGXISC6NRAJ7NFHBMMY4CHAYU/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">telling</a> the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the law is a “renewed attempt to suppress the ability of people to vote.”
Major League Baseball moved its annual All-Star game from Atlanta because of the law. The game was moved to Denver, which also required ID to vote and was a far less diverse city than Atlanta, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mlb-moves-all-star-game-to-colorado-which-has-voter-id-laws-significantly-less-diverse-than-georgia">reported</a> at the time. In 2023, the All-Star game <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mlb-all-star-game-returns-to-atlanta-despite-uproar-over-jim-crow-voting-laws" target="_blank" rel="noopener">returned</a> to Atlanta.
Leftist media outlets also made wild claims about the Georgia law, leading to widespread voter suppression.
CNN was one of the worst offenders, with headlines such as “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/21/politics/georgia-republican-voting-restrictions/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Putting ‘cologne on Jim Crow’: Georgia GOP lawmakers drive toward new voting restrictions</a>,” “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/26/politics/georgia-voter-suppression-law-trump-biden/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Georgia’s new law suppressing the vote is a victory for Trump</a>,” and “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/06/politics/georgia-voting-rights-jim-crow/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Dripping in the blood of Jim Crow’: Voting rights groups say GOP-backed bills in Georgia target Black voters</a>.”
Now, CNN has admitted that it is easier to vote in Democrat strongholds like Atlanta. One Atlanta-area voter told the outlet that the last time she voted, “the lines were out the door.”
“They only had like, maybe like three people working,” the voter <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/15/politics/early-voting-record-georgia/index.html">said</a>. “So, people honestly just started leaving because it was like that. Yeah, like, ‘This is too long. I can’t sit here (and) wait, I have to go back to work.’ But here, no, it was easy.”

Voting In Georgia

Dems Compared Georgia Election Law To Jim Crow – The State Just Broke Its Early Voting Record

Democrats Compared Georgia Election Law To Jim Crow - The State Just Broke Its Early Voting Record

Georgia

Media Bias

U.S.

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ohio" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ohio</a> Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed a measure to take effect mandating that voters place their own ballots in drop boxes, rejecting an effort from the Democratic Party to block the directive. 
The court <a href="https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/0/2024/2024-ohio-4953.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> 4-3 to dismiss a challenge to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s directive restricting drop box access to people dropping off their own ballots. The court said that the Ohio Democratic Party waited an unreasonable amount of time to file its suit and denied the effort to block the directive. 
“I’m grateful the court has allowed us to proceed with our efforts to protect the integrity of Ohio’s elections,” LaRose said in response to the ruling. “Political activists tried once again to dismantle the safeguards we’ve put in place, specifically in this case against ballot harvesting, and they’ve been rejected.”
“This is the same policy that’s been used successfully in other states, and it’s designed to protect both individuals and election officials from accusations of illegal voting,” he added. “The court’s decision should reinforce the confidence Ohio voters have in the security, honesty, and accountability of our elections.”
Ohio Democratic Party chair Elizabeth Walters lamented the decision. 
“Today’s decision is disappointing not just for us as a party, but for Ohioans who will be forced to jump through unnecessary hoops to exercise their right to vote in this historic election,” she <a href="https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2024/10/16/split-ohio-supreme-court-turns-down-lawsuit-challenging-new-dropbox-restrictions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. 
In a dissenting opinion, Judge Pierre Bergeron called the majority decision “a sleight of hand that should make our citizens shudder” and said the directive was “an affront to personal dignity.” 
LaRose’s directive was issued on August 31, and the Democratic Party challenged the suit on September 27. 
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729077615157000&amp;usg=AOvVaw17Kprl74oE9DYOLREdiBPU">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ COMING TO DAILYWIRE+ OCT. 28</a>
The directive said that individuals could return a ballot for a disabled voter or family member, but only to a county board of elections. This includes a requirement for the person dropping off the ballot to attest that they were authorized to return it inside the election board office.  Election officials were also required to post signs over the drop box explaining the guidelines. 
“I am acting under my statutory authority to compel the observance of election laws, in this case Ohio’s prohibition on ‘ballot harvesting,’ a process by which an individual attempts to collect and return absent voters’ ballots of other persons without accountability,” La Rose said. 
In the same directive, LaRose urged officials to remain vigilant about ballot harvesting. 
“Ongoing routine monitoring of drop boxes should continue, specifically monitoring for individuals who are dropping off more than one ballot,” he said. “My office will vigorously investigate and refer for prosecution any individual engaged in ballot harvesting in violation of Ohio law.”
Early voting began last week in Ohio as voters cast their ballots in the presidential race and a key Senate race between incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican challenger Bernie Moreno.

On Demand Voting Begins In Pennsylvania

Ohio Supreme Court Rejects Dems Lawsuit, Allows Drop Box Restrictions To Fight Ballot Harvesting

Ballot Harvesting

Courts

Democratic Party

Lawsuit

Ohio

The Republican National Committee alongside the Trump presidential campaign filed a lawsuit on Friday against <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nevada" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nevada</a> for allowing mail-in ballots that arrive up to four days after Election Day to be counted.
The <a href="https://prod-static.gop.com/media/documents/NV_Election_Day_Complaint_filed_05.03.20243_1714757420.pdf?_gl=1*ngtvz6*_gcl_au*NzcyMzM4ODUxLjE3MTQ3NjY3MTA.&amp;_ga=2.197772207.1005609544.1714766711-708067852.1714766710" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suit</a>, also joined by the Nevada Republican Party, is challenging a Nevada law that says mail-in ballots can be counted if they are postmarked before the end of the day on Election Day and arrive up to four days after the election. According to the suit, this law violates federal election law and disproportionately harms Republicans. 
“Nevada’s ballot receipt deadline clearly violates federal law and undermines election integrity in the state. Ballots received days after Election Day should not be counted — the RNC and our partners are suing to secure an honest election, support Nevada voters, and oppose unlawful schemes,” <a href="https://gop.com/press-release/rnc-trump-campaign-and-nvgop-files-ballot-deadline-election-integrity-lawsuit-in-nevada/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> RNC Chair Michael Whatley. 
Filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Nevada, the suit names Democratic Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar and the county clerks and registers of Washoe and Clark County. 
One issue raised in the lawsuit is the provision of Nevada law that allows ballots with illegible postmarks to be counted. The suit pointed to a provision of Nevada <a href="https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-293.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">law</a> saying that a “mail ballot shall be deemed to have been postmarked on or before the day of the election” if the postmark cannot be read and it was received before 5 p.m. the third day after election day. 
“The result of Nevada’s violation of federal law is that timely, valid ballots are diluted by untimely, invalid ballots, which violates the rights of candidates, campaigns, and voters under federal law,” the suit says. “Counting mail ballots received after Election Day doesn’t just dilute the valid ballots — it specifically and disproportionately harms Republican candidates and voters.” 
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1714657703188000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0-8IzS3B7axoRMsynY0m75">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
The suit hopes to block state election officials from counting ballots that are received after election day for the November 2024 election. 
&#8220;Our office will not comment on ongoing litigation, but I hope the RNC is putting as much time and energy into educating voters on how to participate in elections as they put into suing the state of Nevada,” Aguilar <a href="https://twitter.com/tabitha_mueller/status/1786495737364152618" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in response to the suit’s filing. 
The suit is the latest RNC effort to challenge state election laws ahead of the 2024 election with Nevada expected to be closely contested by both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

US-POLITICS-VOTE-NEVADA

Trump Campaign Sues Nevada Over Law Allowing Mail Ballots To Be Counted 4 Days After Election

Mail-In Voting

Nevada

Republican National Committee (RNC)

A group of 16 Republican attorneys general told Attorney General <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/merrick-garland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Merrick Garland</a> on Wednesday that he was sowing “distrust” in the American electoral system with his comments criticizing state election integrity laws.
Led by Indiana AG Todd Rokita and West Virginia AG Patrick Morrisey, the Republican officials sent a <a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/INAG/2024/04/10/file_attachments/2843216/FINAL%20Garland%20Election%20Letter.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to Garland over <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-deliver-remarks-bloody-sunday-tabernacle-baptist" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comments</a> he made in Alabama discussing the Justice Department&#8217;s efforts to challenge Red state laws related to voter identification requirements and safeguards on vote-by-mail initiatives.
“The Biden administration is weaponizing the U.S. Department of Justice against the states,” Rokita said in a statement. “These actions pose a direct threat to democracy, election integrity and the rule of law. We will stand up and defend our rightful authority within the framework of American federalism.”
The letter was referring to a speech Garland gave at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Selma on March 3. At the church, Garland said the DOJ was “challenging efforts by states and jurisdictions to implement discriminatory, burdensome, and unnecessary restrictions on access to the ballot, including those related to mail-in-voting, the use of drop boxes, and voter ID requirements.”
According to the Republicans, these comments threatened the principles of federalism and the separation of powers, as well as the rule of law. Joining Indiana and West Virginia were the attorneys general of Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1712759107458000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2Tu_bbgaIzPZlwVTiisdPO">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
“By using the DOJ against the states, you continue to sow the seeds of distrust among the American electorate,” the officials said. “The DOJ has no authority to dictate to the states in matters that concern their sovereign right to ensure safe, secure, and free elections. Although we do not know exactly the strategy the DOJ intends to take with its numerous election attorneys, we intend to vigorously defend our election laws. We will not allow intimidation and fear mongering to supersede the will of the people.”
The Republicans argued that the DOJ’s criticism of voter ID laws didn’t make sense because people were required to provide IDs for voting, driving a car, purchasing alcohol, or boarding an airplane. The letter also pointed to a bipartisan report that came out in 2005 that found that absentee voting could open up the door for fraud, saying that Garland’s criticism of state laws tightening up scrutiny of mail-in-voting was unfounded. 
As the DOJ plans to challenge state election laws ahead of the 2024 election, the RNC has filed several suits to make Democratic secretaries of state in Michigan and Nevada clean up their voter rolls and enforce voter ID laws.

Attorney General Merrick Garland Makes Antitrust Announcement At Dept. Of Justice

Republican Attorneys General Warn Biden Admin About Challenging Election Integrity Laws

Biden Administration

Department of Justice

Indiana

Merrick Garland

West Virginia

Voters in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/wisconsin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wisconsin</a> approved two election-related amendments to the State Constitution on Tuesday, including one that bans the use of private money for election administration. 
The Republican-backed amendments came after Facebook founder <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mark-zuckerberg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Zuckerberg</a> spent millions backing groups that funded election administration in counties across the country, including in Wisconsin, during the 2020 election. Critics argued that the massive amount of election funding distributed to non-profit groups, known as “Zuckerbucks,” unfairly benefited Democrat-dominated counties.
The initiative to ban private funding, Question 1, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/04/02/us/elections/results-wisconsin-question-1-prohibit-private-funding-of-elections.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> with 54% of the vote in favor and nearly 46% against. A section will now be added to the State Constitution that says &#8220;private donations and grants may not be applied for, accepted, expended, or used in connection with the conduct of any primary, election, or referendum,” The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4572010-wisconsin-pass-measure-private-funds-elections/">reported</a>. 
The second initiative, Question 2, defined who can administer various aspects of elections. It <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/04/02/us/elections/results-wisconsin-question-2-limit-election-conduct-to-election-officials.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> with nearly 59% supporting and 41% opposed. It stipulated that “only election officials designated by law may perform tasks in the conduct of primaries, elections, and referendums.”
Opposition to the two amendments was greatest in the Democratic-heavy counties surrounding Madison and Milwaukee. The amendments were approved as Wisconsin is again expected to be a battleground state for a likely rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in November. 
“Victory! Wisconsin has spoken and the message is clear: elections belong to voters, not out-of-state billionaires,” Wisconsin GOP Chairman Brian Schimming <a href="https://wisgop.org/wisgop-statement-on-questions-1-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement. “Thanks to the efforts by the Republican Party of Wisconsin and grassroots organizing, Wisconsinites have turned the page on Zuckerbucks and secured our elections from dark money donors.”
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
<a href="https://thefga.org/research/the-wisconsin-zuckerbucks-problem/">According</a> to the Foundation for Government Accountability, more than $10 million in “Zuckerbucks” was spent in Wisconsin during the 2020 election. The FGA estimated that more than 80% of the funding went to areas Biden won by an average of 37 points. 
Jason Snead, the executive director of the Honest Elections Project, a group that has urged states to ban the use of outside funding for elections, praised the move in a statement obtained by The Daily Wire. 
“Honest Elections Project Action congratulates Wisconsinites for voting to enshrine a ban on private influence on election administration in their state constitution,” Snead said. “Private influence schemes such as ZuckBucks in 2020 and ZuckBucks 2.0 in 2024 sow distrust in election outcomes, which is why they should be banned in all 50 states. Moneyed interests, conservative and liberal alike, have no business influencing how elections are administered.”

A Voters Fills Out Their Ballot At A Polling Station In Green Bay Wisconsin

Wisconsin Voters Approve GOP-Backed Amendment To Ban Private Funding For Elections

2020 Election

Joe Biden

Milwaukee

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/republican-national-committee-rnc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Republican National Committee</a> filed another election-related lawsuit against Democratic <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/michigan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan</a> Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson over her enforcement of signature verification law.
The <a href="https://prod-static.gop.com/media/documents/Summonses_Verified_Complaint_and_Exhibits_1711648258.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a>, filed on Thursday, says that Benson directed local election officials before the February 2024 presidential primary election to presume that an absentee voter’s signature was legitimate. The RNC <a href="https://gop.com/press-release/rnc-sues-michigan-secretary-of-state/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">described</a> this directive as “secret instructions” that were given “outside the public eye.”
“Michigan’s State Constitution is very clear: election officials have to verify the identity of voters casting absentee ballots,” RNC Chair Michael Whatley said in a statement. “Jocelyn Benson is yet again working to undermine election integrity by secretly instructing officials to disregard and circumvent these clear requirements. The RNC is suing Benson because Michiganders deserve election integrity, not underhanded Democrat schemes.”
The lawsuit said that the presumption of validity undercut state law requiring verification of absentee ballot signatures.
“While the Michigan Constitution expressly mandates that election officials ‘verify the identity’ of any voter who applies for an absent voter ballot or who votes an absent voter ballot other than in person by completing the signature comparison scheme outlined above, see Const 1963, art 2, § 4(1)(h), the Secretary has instructed local election officials to apply a ‘presumption of validity’ to those signatures,” the lawsuit says.
The suit was filed in Michigan state court by the RNC, the Michigan Republican Party, the National Republican Congressional Committee, and several Michigan voters. The plaintiffs want Benson’s actions to be declared unlawful and they want a judge to make her retract her Signature Verification Instructions.
Similar instructions from Benson before the November 2020 election <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2021/03/15/judge-rules-secretary-state-bensons-ballot-signature-verification-guidance-invalid/4699927001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were ruled</a> &#8220;invalid&#8221; in March 2021 with a state judge saying that Benson had acted outside of the law. Michigan is again expected to be a hotly contested state with President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump gearing up for a rematch.
Earlier this month, the RNC filed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rnc-sues-michigan-secretary-of-state-over-inflated-voter-rolls" target="_blank" rel="noopener">another lawsuit</a> against Benson, accusing her office of maintaining inaccurate voter rolls.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
According to the <a href="https://prod-static.gop.com/media/documents/1_Complaint_1710344302.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a>, at least 53 counties in Michigan have more active registered voters than adult citizens over the age of 18. According to the RNC, the number of counties with registration rates above 100% ballooned after 2020, when only one county had that rate.
The suit also said that 23 counties have voter-registration rates of over 90% of eligible adults registered, which is far above the average national and statewide rate.
Under Whatley’s leadership, the RNC hired two new election-focused lawyers, Charlie Spies, who will serve as the RNC’s chief counsel, and Christina Bobb, a Trump campaign lawyer who has challenged the outcome of the 2020 election.

Last Day Of Early Voting In Michigan Presidential Primary

RNC Files Another Election-Related Lawsuit Against Democrat Michigan Secretary of State

Michigan

Voting

A conservative watchdog group unveiled a <a href="https://www.honestelections.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/HEP_2024-Election-Reform-Report_v4.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> listing 14 recommendations for securing voting ahead of a critical 2024 election cycle, including cracking down on foreign funding of elections.
Honest Elections Project Executive Director Jason Snead told The Daily Wire that several red states had made strides since 2020 in improving election integrity, but there were still problems to address, including how foreign nationals can pour money into state-wide ballot races.
“If you are a voter in a red state, the odds are your laws are significantly better than they were in 2020,” Snead said. “There’s a lot of momentum on the Right for improving elections, for taking the slack out of voting laws.”
One of the key recommendations highlighted in the report is that foreign money can go toward state ballot measures that have far-reaching policy ramifications.
“Federal and state laws bar candidates and campaigns from receiving foreign donations, but these laws generally do not apply to ballot measures. Left-wing groups like the 1630 Fund routinely pour tens of millions into ballot measure campaigns while simultaneously accepting substantial donations from foreign nationals such as Hansjörg Wyss,” the report said.
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-wyss-loophole-campaign-grows-to-halt-foreign-billionaires-spending-on-u-s-politics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously reported</a>, Wyss nonprofits, including the Wyss Foundation and the Berger Fund, have spent $475 million influencing U.S. politics.
&#8220;The Left has railed against foreign influence and yet at the same time they got themselves addicted to foreign money, and now they are using it to rewrite election laws in very fundamental and highly partisan ways,” Snead told The Daily Wire.
Snead praised an <a href="https://www.toledoblade.com/local/politics/2024/01/23/bill-would-ban-foreign-contributions-to-ohio-ballot-issue-campaigns/stories/20240123138" target="_blank" rel="noopener">effort</a> by Republicans in Ohio to ban foreign money from being used in state ballot initiatives. The lawmakers pointed to dark money funding for an initiative to put abortion into the state constitution, some of which may have come from Wyss.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1706370777182000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1rZs278QeRErxuxwtCwcq8">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
Snead also warned about the push for ranked-choice voting to replace partisan primary elections and for it to be used in general elections. The report said that ranked-choice voting “makes it harder to vote, harder to understand the results of elections, and harder to trust the voting process.”
“There is a concerted national campaign being pushed right by some liberal megadonors to essentially reinvent the electoral system,” Snead said, adding that ranked-choice voting was “designed to harm conservatives” and push “politics to the Left.”
Several conservative states, like Missouri, Idaho, and Montana are all set to vote on or consider votes on adopting a ranked-choice voting system in November.

Voters cast their ballots on Election Da

Watchdog Group Warns Of Foreign Money Being Used To Influence Elections Ahead Of 2024 Cycle

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/north-carolina" target="_blank" rel="noopener">North Carolina</a> Republicans voted on Tuesday to override Democrat Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/roy-cooper" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Roy Cooper</a>’s vetoes of two election bills that Republicans say will increase election integrity and Cooper claims are a “threat” to democracy.
The <a href="https://www.carolinajournal.com/nc-legislature-adds-to-growing-list-of-overridden-cooper-vetoes-elections-energy-and-regulatory-reform/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">measures</a> in question, Senate Bills 747 and 749, ban <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/north-carolina-republicans-override-governors-vetoes-sweeping-election-rcna119766" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drop boxes</a> for ballots, end the acceptance of absentee ballots after election day, limit the use of private money for elections, and shift authority away from the governor over the state’s board of elections.
“North Carolina voters deserve to know their elections are safe and secure. Thankfully they can have that confidence now that we have overridden the Governor’s veto of this commonsense elections bill,” North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore <a href="http://speakermoore.com/north-carolina-house-overrides-governor-coopers-veto-sb-747-elections-law-changes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> after the vote to bypass Cooper’s veto of SB 747.
The House <a href="https://www.carolinajournal.com/nc-legislature-adds-to-growing-list-of-overridden-cooper-vetoes-elections-energy-and-regulatory-reform/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted</a> 72-44 to override the veto and the Senate voted 30-19 to override the veto.
According to a press release from Moore, the bill will “Strengthens the rights of poll observers,” “Improves voter registration rolls by establishing a process for periodic removal of ineligible voters, including the deceased, convicted felons, and those who have moved,” and “closes same-day registration loophole.”
It also will ban election officials from using private money to administer elections. The use of private money to fund elections became <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/georgia-bans-counties-from-using-private-money-for-elections-after-2020-zuckerbucks-controversy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">widely debated</a> after the 2020 election when groups-backed by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg poured millions of dollars into state elections. Some argued that the money was not distributed fairly, but mainly benefited areas that leaned Democrat.
After the original passage of SB 747, Cooper claimed that Republicans were being racist. “If you are black or brown, Republicans really don’t want you to vote,” Cooper said.
“This legislation has nothing to do with election security and everything to do with Republicans keeping and gaining power,” Cooper <a href="https://dashboard.ncleg.gov/api/Services/BillDocument/2023/7138/0/S747-BILL-NBC-11326" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in his veto message. “It encourages voter intimidation at the polls by election deniers and conspiracy believers.”
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
The other bill Republicans voted to enact, SB 749, will allow the North Carolina legislature the authority to appoint the State Election Board instead of the governor. Majority and minority leaders in the legislature would each select four members to serve on the elections board.
“The legislative takeover of state and local elections boards could doom our state’s elections to gridlock and severely limit early voting,” <a href="https://governor.nc.gov/news/press-releases/2023/09/28/governor-cooper-signs-three-bills-vetoes-one-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cooper said</a> in his veto message. “It also creates a grave risk that Republican legislators or courts would be empowered to change the results of an election if they don’t like the winner. That’s a serious threat to our democracy.”
The House voted 72-44 to override and the Senate voted 30-19 for the override. Republicans said that the measure will help the public trust elections in North Carolina.
“Single-party control has led to distrust and skepticism among voters. Voters should be asking themselves why Gov. Cooper is so desperate to maintain his partisan grip on the State Board of Elections,&#8221; Republican State Sen. Warren Daniel said, <a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article280300589.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Charlotte News &amp; Observer.
Democrats have already moved to challenge the laws in court.

Electric carmaker Vinfast breaks ground in its $4B NC manufacturing plant.

North Carolina Republicans Override Democrat Governor Vetoes On Election Bills

North Carolina

The U.S. Supreme Court <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/courts/scotus-rules-against-north-carolina-gop-congressional-map">ruled</a> Tuesday against a Republican-drawn congressional map in North Carolina, rebuking “independent legislature theory.”
The <a href="https://fedsoc.org/events/litigation-update-state-legislatures-state-courts-and-federal-elections">theory</a> proposed by the GOP lawyers <a href="https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archive/five-questions-independent-state-legislature-theory-elections-expert-richard-briffault">believes</a> that because Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution gives state legislatures the power to determine the “times, places and manner” of federal elections, state and federal courts have no business reviewing state decisions in redistricting. 
“The Elections Clause does not insulate state legislatures from the ordinary exercise of state judicial review,” Chief Justice John Roberts <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-1271_3f14.pdf">wrote</a> in the majority opinion. 
The controversy was spurred when the North Carolina Supreme Court struck down the legislature’s congressional map, which favored Republican candidates. However, after the state’s top legislative Republicans appealed to SCOTUS, the party gained control of the state’s high court, which subsequently overruled the reasoning — but not the result — of the original decision. 
The decision gives power to federal courts to review state supreme court decisions regarding congressional maps’ compliance with state election laws. This means that federal courts could overrule state courts in deciding whether a map violates state law, not just federal law. 
Roberts was joined by Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, and the three Democrat-appointed justices to form the 6-3 majority. The majority argued that the Supreme Court had jurisdiction over the case, state constitutions govern the legislature’s redistricting power, and state and federal courts can review the legality of state legislatures’ maps under state and federal laws.
Roberts argued that the Court had authority to hear the case because the only path for the GOP petitioners to be relieved is if SCOTUS overturned the state supreme court’s first decision on the matter, which was only partially overturned after Republicans took over the Tar Heel State’s high court. 
The Chief Justice also turned to the practice of judicial review before Marbury v. Madison solidified the practice in SCOTUS. “State cases, debates at the Convention, and writings de- fending the Constitution all advanced the concept of judicial review,” he wrote. “The idea that courts may review legislative action was so “long and well established” by … Marbury in 1803 that Chief Justice Marshall referred to judicial review as ‘one of the fundamental principles of our society.’” 
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1687972190386000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2poz7lKxiyhNV9ljBcMSzM">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
“State courts retain the authority to apply state constitutional restraints when legislatures act under the power conferred upon them by the Elections Clause. But federal courts must not abandon their own duty to exercise judicial review,” Roberts concluded.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote a concurrence where he emphasized that federal courts should be limited in their jurisdiction to review state redistricting cases, pointing out the Court does not adopt a standard. He also argued that allowing federal courts this jurisdiction is not disrespect to state courts but a protection for state legislatures. 
Justice Clarence Thomas dissented, arguing that the Court should not have even heard the case and that granting federal judges authority over controversies of state election law would “swell federal court dockets.” 
More consequentially, he noted that “politically charged controversies” will arise “haphazardly” before federal courts, with the winners of federal elections possibly being decided by a quick judgment of a federal court. 
Lead petitioner and Speaker of the North Carolina House Tim Moore <a href="https://twitter.com/TimBoyumTV/status/1673737273932693504">released</a> a statement regarding the decision:
&#8220;Ultimately, the question of the role of state courts in congressional redistricting needed to be settled and this decision has done just that. I am proud of the work we did to pursue this case to the nation&#8217;s highest court,&#8221; Moore said. &#8220;Fortunately the current Supreme Court of North Carolina has rectified bad precedent from the previous majority, reaffirming the state constitutional authority of the NC General Assembly. We will continue to move forward with the redistricting process later this year.&#8221;
Rick Pildes, a law professor at New York University, <a href="https://twitter.com/RickPildes/status/1673698906318725121">said</a> that “while the Court provided some clarity about the independent state legislature issue,” it left a “vague standard” for federal courts to apply when determining whether they should review state legislatures’ maps legality under state law. Pildes states that we don’t know when a court goes “too far” and that it will likely be litigated amid the 2024 elections.
Zach Jewell and Nathan Gay contributed to this report.

A Fair Maps Rally was held in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, March 26, 2019 in Washington, DC. The rally coincides with the U.S. Supreme Court hearings in landmark redistricting cases out of North Carolina and Maryland. The activists sent the

Menu