Texas: Gillespie County election costs balloon after switch to hand count | Natalia Contreras/The Texas Trinue

The hand count of thousands of Republican primary election ballots in Gillespie County is on track to cost taxpayers more than double the wage costs of the 2020 Republican primary, according to records obtained by Votebeat. Public records show Republicans employed 350 people to hand count, who collectively reported working more than 2,300 hours the day of the election at a rate of $12 per hour. That means more than $27,000 in wages. Those numbers aren’t final, and they’re likely to grow. The tally does not include hourly wages for election clerks who worked at each of the county’s 13 precincts on election day checking in voters and performing duties other than counting. In addition, Gillespie Republicans will also hand-count ballots in a runoff election at the end of the month, which will add to the costs. Read Article

Wisconsin town under federal review after eliminating voting machines | Molly Beck/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The decision by a small board in the Town of Thornapple, Wisconsin, to eliminate electronic voting machines has drawn scrutiny from federal investigators, prompting questions about accessibility for voters with disabilities. The move to rely solely on hand-counted paper ballots, made in June 2023, has raised concerns about potential violations of federal laws mandating accessible voting options. The decision, which has roots in former President Donald Trump’s false claims about the 2020 presidential election, has led to a federal investigation and legal challenges. Despite assertions from town officials that assistance is available for voters with disabilities, advocacy groups argue that the removal of electronic machines restricts the ability of some voters to cast their ballots independently and privately. Read Article

Wisconsin Supreme Court to revisit ruling that banned most ballot drop boxes | Adam Edelman/NBC

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments Monday in a pivotal case that will determine the future of absentee ballot drop boxes in the battleground state’s elections. The case will give the court’s liberal majority the opportunity to reverse a ruling the court made less than two years ago — when conservatives held the majority — that significantly reduced the number of absentee ballot drop boxes in the state. If the court’s current 4-3 liberal majority overturns that ruling, it could result in a return of the widespread use of absentee ballot drop boxes for the upcoming presidential election. Read Article

National: Homeland Security ramping up ‘with intensity’ to respond to election threats | Josh Meyer/USA Today

The Department of Homeland Security is preparing for a potentially unprecedented array of election threats, including meddling by foreign governments, bomb threats, intimidation at the polls and the intentional spreading of disinformation to confuse voters. “We are dealing with it with intensity,” Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said. “The right to vote and the integrity of the right to vote − and therefore of the election itself − is a fundamental element of our democracy. “This is a nonpartisan effort,” he stressed. “And, in fact, all our efforts across this department are nonpartisan.” Read Article

Former township clerk and lawyer in Michigan face charges over voter data breach | Megan Lebowitz and Gary Grumbach/NBC

A former township clerk and her attorney will face charges in Michigan over allegations of a voter data breach related to the 2020 election, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Wednesday. Former Adams Township Clerk Stephanie Scott and her private attorney, Stefanie Lambert, allowed “an unauthorized computer examiner access to voter data, including non-public voter information, concerning the 2020 General Election,” Nessel’s office alleged in a news release. Scott faces six charges — five felonies and a misdemeanor — including concealing or withholding a voting machine and using a computer to commit a crime. Lambert faces three felony charges, including using a computer to commit a crime. It is unclear how they pleaded. Read Article

National: A group of Republicans has united to defend the legitimacy of US elections and those who run them | Christina A. Cassidy/Associated Press

It was Election Day last November, and one of Georgia’s top election officials saw that reports of a voting machine problem in an eastern Pennsylvania county were gaining traction online. So Gabriel Sterling, a Republican who had defended the 2020 election in Georgia amid an onslaught of threats, posted a message to his nearly 71,000 followers on the social platform X explaining what had happened and saying that all votes would be counted correctly. He faced immediate criticism from one commenter about why he was weighing in on another state’s election while other responses reiterated false claims about widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Read Article

National: ‘Terrifying’: Democrats say they have plans to keep electors safe from political violence | Phillip M. Bailey and Erin Mansfield USA Today

During the 2020 electoral process, Democratic elector Khary Penebaker faced daunting security measures as he cast his ceremonial vote for Joe Biden in Wisconsin. Amid heightened concerns of political violence and intimidation, Penebaker, along with other electors, was compelled to assemble at an undisclosed location, escorted by law enforcement through tunnels to access a closed-off room in the statehouse. The experience left Penebaker, a Black Democrat who ran for Congress in 2016, deeply unsettled, evoking comparisons to the courage of civil rights activists. The safety of electors like Penebaker has become a focal point for Democrats, scholars, and election watchdogs, particularly following instances of violence during the electoral process, such as the events of January 6, 2021. As concerns persist about the security of electors, state Democratic officials have initiated discussions and plans to safeguard their safety in anticipation of the 2024 election. Read Article

National: CISA, FBI resuming talks with social media firms over disinformation removal, Senate Intel chair says | David DiMolfetta/Nextgov/FCW

Federal agencies have resumed discussions with social media companies regarding the removal of disinformation on their platforms ahead of the November presidential election, marking a significant shift after months of halted communications due to a pending First Amendment case in the Supreme Court. Senator Mark Warner revealed that talks resumed amidst the Supreme Court hearing arguments in Murthy v. Missouri, a case prompted by allegations of federal agencies pressuring platforms to remove content related to vaccine safety and the 2020 presidential election. The Supreme Court is anticipated to rule on whether agencies can engage with social media firms regarding potential disinformation. Warner highlighted concerns about election interference and emphasized the need for the Biden administration to take a stronger stance against nation-state entities attempting to meddle in the U.S. election process. Read Article

National: FBI warns that foreign adversaries could use AI to spread disinformation about US elections | Eric Tucker/Associated Press

The FBI is concerned that foreign adversaries could deploy artificial intelligence as a means to interfere in American elections and spread disinformation, a senior official said Thursday, describing the technology as an area “that’s probably going to see growth over the coming years.” The threat is more than theoretical given the prevalence of AI deepfakes and robocalls and the way such technology has already surfaced in politics. The official noted an episode in Slovakia early this year in which audio clips resembling the voice of the liberal party chief — purportedly capturing him talking about hiking beer prices and rigging the vote — were shared widely on social media just days before parliamentary elections. The clips were deepfakes. Read Article

In Arizona, election workers trained with deepfakes to prepare for 2024 | Sarah Ellison and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez/The Washington Post

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes organized a groundbreaking training session for election workers, where they grappled with AI-generated scenarios designed to mimic potential threats during the upcoming election cycle. Participants from around the state faced challenges ranging from law enforcement operations to attempts to infiltrate technology systems. The exercise aimed to prepare election officials for the unprecedented threat of AI-generated deepfakes, which could undermine the integrity of elections. Following the event, a training document titled “How Election Officials Can Identify, Prepare for, and Respond to AI Threats” was created for distribution nationwide. Despite the daunting task of combating AI threats, practical suggestions emerged from the training, emphasizing the reinforcement of basic online security measures and the importance of verifying information before taking action. Read Article

California: District 16 recount reveals that one county was plagued with thumb flubs and other voting errors | Grace Hase and Harriet Blair Rowan/The Mercury News

In the end, it came down to 19 ballots in Santa Clara County that ultimately made the difference in the hotly contested Congressional District 16 race — ballots that were never counted the first time around due to simple human error. While a change equal to just a fraction of a percent of votes is unlikely to shift the entire results of most elections, a once-in-a-generation perfect tie in this case exposed the gaffes and fumbles by one county in the tabulation process. What followed the March primary was two months of counting and recounting more than 182,000 votes in the race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo — a stunning saga that finally came to a close on Wednesday afternoon. Read Article

Colorado Lawmakers Pass First-in-Nation Mandate for Voting Centers in Jails | Alex Burness/Bolts

Scott Deno, overseeing Colorado’s largest jail in Colorado Springs, emphasizes facilitating voting for incarcerated individuals, yet a recent admission reveals zero votes cast in the last election among the jail’s population. This issue extends statewide, with only 231 jail votes in Colorado during the 2022 general election, despite a daily jail population of 6,000, disproportionately Black and Latinx. The passage of Senate Bill 72, awaiting Governor Jared Polis’s signature, aims to rectify this, mandating polling stations in local jails during general elections and establishing ballot drop-off locations, making Colorado the first state with such a requirement. Read Article

Georgia oversight panel ruminates on 2020 election hiccups as 2024 showdowns loom | Stanley Dunlap/Georgia Recorder

The Georgia Election Board voted Tuesday to reprimand Fulton County and appoint an independent monitor for the 2024 election for violating state law while conducting a recount of the 2020 presidential election. In a 2-1 vote on the panel that oversees how counties conduct elections, members agreed to admonish Fulton County and order a monitor for this year’s campaigns. That allows the county to avoid paying a fine or having the attorney general investigate the double-counting of 3,075 ballots and other allegations of irregularities during the 2020 presidential recount. Georgia election officials determined mistakes in 2020 by county election workers would not have changed the outcome. Read Article

Michigan: Democrats contend GOP is using  lawsuits to sow election doubts | Craig Mauger The Detroit News

The Democratic National Committee submitted briefs Monday against two election lawsuits brought by Republicans in Michigan courts, arguing the GOP was attempting to “undermine faith in our electoral system.” The filings spotlighted Michigan as a crucial battleground state, six months before the November election, and also highlighted the significant role judges will likely play this year, amid a heightened focus on the policies and personnel guiding voting across the nation. Read Article

Nevada: GOP sues state over late mail-in ballots | Hillel Aron/Courthouse News Service

The Republican Party, along with Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, filed a lawsuit against Nevada and its two largest counties over their policy of accepting mail-in ballots arriving up to four days after Election Day.  Nevada’s Secretary of State defended the state’s election practices, emphasizing their transparency and accessibility, while the Republicans expressed concerns about the disproportionate impact on Republican candidates and voters. Read Article

New Mexico Secretary of State raises awareness of deepfakes, misinformation | News | Cathy Cook/The Albuquerque Journal

As New Mexico gears up for the primary elections in June, Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver is raising awareness about the potential risks of deepfakes and artificial intelligence in manipulating election information. Deepfakes, digitally altered photos, videos, or audio recordings created using generative AI, can convincingly imitate individuals’ likeness or voices, leading to concerns about spreading misinformation and discrediting individuals or institutions. While New Mexico has not yet experienced deepfake-related election misinformation, Toulouse Oliver emphasizes the importance of increasing awareness and enforcing disclosure requirements, as mandated by a recent law, to deter such activities. Read Article

Ohio bill on voting law changes would require security reviews, allow hand-counting of ballots | Karen Kasler/Statehouse News Bureau

A group of conservative Republicans in the Ohio House is pushing for a bill, HB 472, aiming to overhaul state election laws to enhance security, including measures like requiring voter ID, changing early voting procedures, and permitting hand-counting of ballots. Critics argue that the bill’s measures, such as requiring voter ID and restricting early voting procedures, are thinly veiled attempts at voter suppression. They contend that the bill’s provisions, including limiting options for voter identification and delaying ballot scanning, could disenfranchise voters and undermine the democratic process. Additionally, concerns have been raised about the bill’s potential to exacerbate disparities in access to voting, particularly among marginalized communities. Read Article

Pennsylvania sees fewer mail ballots rejected for technicalities, a priority for election officials | Marc Levy/Associated Press

Pennsylvania election officials said Wednesday that the rate of mail-in ballots rejected for technicalities, like a missing date, saw a significant drop in last month’s primary election after state officials tried anew to help voters avoid mistakes that might get their ballots thrown out. Secretary of State Al Schmidt, said counties reported a 13.5% decrease in mail-in ballots that were rejected for reasons the state had tried to address with a redesigned ballot envelope and instructions for voting by mail. That drop was calculated in comparison to the 2023 primary election. Read Articles

Texas: Surprise bill, uncertain future prompts Smith County to switch voter registration system vendors | Blake Holland/KLTV

Smith County is facing uncertainty regarding its voter registration system after their current vendor, VOTEC, unexpectedly requested additional funds to stay afloat, prompting concerns about the integrity of the upcoming elections. Elections Administrator Michelle Allcon emphasized the importance of not jeopardizing election integrity and questioned the transparency of VOTEC’s actions. Despite the risks associated with transferring data to a new vendor, Smith County commissioners voted to contract with VR Systems, initiating the process of migrating voter registration data to the new system to ensure its accuracy and completeness before the November election. Read Article

Wisconsin: What we know about Milwaukee’s election plans after Claire Woodall | Alison Dirr and Mary Spicuzza/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Following Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s announcement that Election Commission Executive Director Claire Woodall would not be reappointed, little information has surfaced regarding plans to ensure a smooth presidential election in November. Johnson intends to nominate Election Commission Deputy Director Paulina Gutiérrez to lead the commission, providing assurances of staff, equipment funding, and city government support for polling locations and absentee ballot counting. Despite concerns about the transition, Johnson expresses confidence in Gutiérrez’s capabilities, amid intense scrutiny on Milwaukee’s election administration, particularly given former President Trump’s claims of “illegal votes” in 2020 and expected challenges in the upcoming election rematch. Read Article

Election officials beef up security as new survey shows nearly 4 in 10 grapple with threats and harassment | Fredreka Schouten/CNN

When officials in Durham, North Carolina, open their new $24 million elections operations center later this year, it will include a feature not in the original plan: a separate mail-room exhaust system to guard against dangerous particles spreading through the building. The design change came after a spate of suspicious letters – some laced with fentanyl – landed at election offices around the country last year, said Derek Bowens, who has served as Durham County’s elections director since 2017. The letters, which were sent to election offices from Georgia to Washington state, set off fresh security concerns for a workforce battered by unprecedented threats and harassment. Durham didn’t receive any of those letters, but “we were terrified” that the county – a Democratic bastion in a swing state – would be targeted, Bowens said. “There was mass concern.” Read Article

Georgia: Cyberattack hits Coffee County at center of voting software breach | Derek B. Johnson and AJ Vicens/CyberScoop

Earlier this month, Coffee County in Georgia experienced a cyberattack on its computer infrastructure, leading state officials to cut off the county’s access to statewide election systems as a precautionary measure. While Coffee County’s IT infrastructure showed no evidence of data exfiltration, it did indicate cyber activity by an unknown malicious actor, prompting the county to declare a cyber incident and secure its systems. State election officials barred Coffee County from accessing various state systems, including the statewide voter registration system and election management suite, until the security threat is resolved. This incident follows a similar breach in Fulton County earlier this year, raising concerns about the integrity of election systems in counties linked to legal battles over the 2020 election results. Read Article

Pennsylvania state House advances bill to give counties more time to count mail ballots | Carter Walker/Spotlight PA

Pennsylvania House Democrats are again pushing to allow counties time to process mail ballots before the day of the election. But the effort appears doomed because of the Senate GOP majority’s insistence on pairing the measure with an expanded voter ID law. A House bill passed Wednesday in a party line vote would allow counties up to seven days before election day to open ballot envelopes and run ballots through scanning machines, though results would still be tabulated on the day of the election. Currently, counties cannot begin processing mail ballots until the morning of the election, which means counties with large numbers of mail ballots may need additional days to finish counting and report complete results. Read Article

National: As Trump airs his election doubts, many supporters say they won’t accept a Biden win in 2024 | Alex Tabet, Jillian Frankel, Emma Barnett, Nnamdi Egwuonwu and Jake Traylor/NBC

More than six months out from the presidential election, many Republican voters harbor deep doubts not only about whether President Joe Biden is fit for a second term — but also about whether he can even win re-election fair and square. “I think that the powers that be on the Democratic side have figured out a way to circumvent democracy,” said Darlene Anastas, 69, of Middleborough, Massachusetts. Poll after poll has found that a large proportion of the Republican electorate believes the only reasons Joe Biden is president are voter fraud and Democratic dirty tricks, buying into former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims about the 2020 election. Trump continues to stoke those fires on the campaign trail. Read Article

National: RNC targets absentee ballots, voter rolls in 2024 to ‘protect’ vote | Erin Mansfield/USA Today

The Republican National Committee and its lawyers are going state to state seeking to influence what laws and procedures will govern the November election. The RNC, which has been overhauled with loyalists to former President Donald Trump, is reviving failed legal arguments from 2020 as it seeks to get involved in dozens of state and federal lawsuits. The cases are in all the major battleground states for 2024, but also in deep-red and deep-blue states. Some of the biggest ongoing cases target how absentee ballots are processed and who should be removed from voter rolls. If the cases are successful, fewer people will be allowed to vote in November, and fewer absentee ballots will be counted. Read Article

National: Inside the far-right plan to use civil rights law to disrupt the 2024 election | Sarah D. Wire and Mackenzie Mays/Los Angeles Times

A group called United Sovereign Americans is touring the U.S., spreading misinformation about election procedures and recruiting activists to challenge election results through lawsuits alleging civil rights violations. Led by Marly Hornik, the group aims to scrutinize voter rolls for errors and file lawsuits in multiple states, with the goal of preventing certification of election results unless substantial changes are made to election processes. Despite legal experts dismissing their arguments and concerns about the integrity of the electoral process, the group’s strategy could potentially sow doubts about the 2024 presidential election’s integrity if even one sympathetic judge rules in their favor. Read Article

National: A post falsely suggesting migrants illegally registered to vote spread to millions in four weeks | Nicole Acevedo/NBC

The rumor started as a post on X. The post published in early April misrepresented federal data from the Social Security Administration to falsely suggest that hundreds of thousands of migrants may have registered to vote in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Texas. One hour later, the tweet got the rocket fuel it needed to take off: X owner Elon Musk reposted it with the comment, “extremely concerning.”  In less than four days, the false narrative was widely shared on X, Facebook and Instagram. Donald Trump and Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene soon joined in, respectively proclaiming, “What is going on???” and “Are migrants registering to vote using SSN?” By the end of the month, the original tweet and Musk’s had generated more than 125 million views. Read Article

National: Will hackers, trolls and AI deepfakes upset the 2024 election? | Jeffrey Fleishman/Los Angeles Times

In the analog days of the 1970s, long before hackers, trolls and edgelords, an audiocassette company came up with an advertising slogan that posed a trick question: “Is it live or is it Memorex?” The message toyed with reality, suggesting there was no difference in sound quality between a live performance and music recorded on tape. Fast forward to our age of metaverse lies and deceptions, and one might ask similar questions about what’s real and what’s not: Is President Biden on a robocall telling Democrats to not vote? Is Donald Trump chumming it up with Black men on a porch? Is the U.S. going to war with Russia? Fact and fiction appear interchangeable in an election year when AI-generated content is targeting voters in ways that were once unimaginable. Read Article

Arizona may fund tool to allow candidates to verify election results, ballot by ballot | Jen Fifield/Votebeat

Arizona legislators are considering a proposal that would allocate $2 million from the state budget to develop a tool allowing election candidates to verify individual ballots in their races, aiming to increase transparency and address concerns about election integrity. Led by State Sen. Ken Bennett, Republicans endorse the initiative, which bypasses the traditional legislative process, prompting debate over privacy and potential misuse of election data. While supporters argue the tool would combat false claims of election fraud and bolster voter trust, critics, including Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, raise concerns about voter privacy and the potential for misuse of data before results are certified. Read Article

California: Two months to count election ballots? State’s long tallies turn election day into weeks, months | Micharl R. Blood/Associated Press

Nearly two months after the election, a recount settled the outcome in a Northern California U.S. House primary contest, breaking a mathematically improbable tie for second place but also spotlighting the lengthy stretch it took count the votes. Most California residents vote by mail, and in the pursuit of accuracy, thoroughness and counting every vote, the nation’s most populous state has gained a reputation for tallies that can drag on for weeks — and sometimes longer. Voting in the state’s primary election concluded on March 5. At time when many Americans have doubts about election integrity, a two-month stretch to tally votes in one House race “absolutely is a problem from an optics point of view,” said Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, which seeks to improve the voting process. Read Article