Arkansas: Searcy County approves resolution to switch to paper ballots for elections | Neal Earley/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

The Searcy County Quorum Court in Arkansas has approved a resolution in a 6-2 vote to move from using electronic voting machines to paper ballots. This decision, which comes amidst concerns about the security of voting machines, was made following a bipartisan committee’s recommendation. The shift to paper ballots is expected to be finalized through an ordinance at the next Quorum Court meeting in September. The decision aligns with a new state law, Act 350, where counties opting for paper ballots will be responsible for their costs. A nonprofit, the Arkansas Voter Integrity Initiative, advocated for this change. However, Senator Kim Hammer criticized the move, highlighting the financial implications for the county. Read Article

Colorado counties awarded nearly $1M to boost election security | Hannah Metzger/Colorado Politics

The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office has awarded more than $945,000 in grants to 56 counties in the state to enhance the physical security of their election offices. The grants were established in response to alleged election security breaches in Mesa and Elbert counties. These grants, ranging from $2,669 to $36,500, were used to fulfill new security requirements, such as implementing key card access systems and 24/7 video surveillance for rooms housing election equipment. The grants were created through the Colorado Election Security Act, which aims to safeguard the state’s election systems from insider threats and unauthorized access to voting equipment. Read Article

Florida voters have to sign up again if they want to vote by mail in next election | Steve Lemongello/Orlando Sentinel

Florida’s new law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis has wiped out nearly 3 million Floridians’ mail-in ballot requests made in 2022, requiring them to request mail-in ballots again for the next election, which has left county elections offices facing challenges in informing residents about this requirement. The opposition to mail-in voting in Florida has grown due to former President Donald Trump’s false claims of voter fraud, leading to concerns among Democrats and election experts about potential further restrictions on mail-in voting in the state. Read Article

Georgia prosecutors have messages showing Trump’s team is behind voting system breach | Zachary Cohen and Sara Murray/CNN

Atlanta-area prosecutors investigating attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia have obtained text messages and emails connecting members of Donald Trump’s legal team to a voting system breach in Coffee County in early January 2021. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is expected to seek charges against more than a dozen individuals, including those involved in the voting systems breach in Coffee County, as part of a larger criminal probe. The breach is believed to have been a top-down push by Trump’s team to access sensitive voting software, and the evidence gathered suggests a concerted effort by Trump allies to find evidence supporting baseless claims of widespread fraud. Read Article

Michigan voting machines exchanged at mall, ‘manipulated’ in hotels | Jonathan Oosting/Bridge Michigan

Pro-Trump attorneys and a Michigan lawmaker are alleged to have enlisted a private investigator to collect 2020 voting machines that were later “manipulated” during testing in Oakland County hotels, according to newly disclosed allegations by a special prosecutor. The group, including attorneys Matthew DePerno and Stefanie Lambert (Junttila) and then-state Rep. Daire Rendon, allegedly illegally obtained the election equipment and kept some of it for months. They reportedly worked with private investigator Michael Lynch, who hosted the group and filmed testing on the machines to attempt to prove they had been rigged against former President Donald Trump. The allegations include unauthorized collection of voting equipment from various counties, manipulating the equipment’s computer system, and extended possession of the equipment. Charges have been filed against DePerno, Lambert, and Rendon. Read Article

Missouri: Conspiracy theorists gather at summit to discuss rigged voting machines, 2020 election | Kelly Dereuck/Springfield News-Leader

The Election Crime Bureau Summit, organized by My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, has kicked off with the goal of safeguarding future elections in the United States. Lindell and speakers at the summit, which features topics focusing on alleged corrupt voting machines, have proposed a shift back to paper ballots hand counted in front of the public to ensure election security. Despite facing challenges and legal charges, Lindell insists that the election loss in 2020 was part of a divine plan, with current losses and challenges being a part of God’s plan to save the country through their actions, as he emphasizes the importance of his election plan prior to the 2024 elections. Read Article

North Carolina Republicans’ bill limits mail voting, bans private election funding | Mariana Alfaro/The Washington Post

Republicans in North Carolina have passed legislation that tightens election administration by curbing absentee voting, enabling partisan poll watchers, and restricting private funding for elections, leading to concerns from voting rights advocates and Democrats that the law restricts access to the ballot. The law ends a three-day grace period for mailed absentee ballots, requires individuals participating in same-day registration to vote on a “retrievable” ballot, prohibits private funding for elections, and allows for more opportunities for individuals to challenge voter registrations. Governor Roy Cooper is expected to veto the legislation, but Republicans hold veto-proof majorities in both legislative chambers. Read Article

Texas judge blocks state-mandated changes to Harris County elections | Natalia Contreras/The Texas Tribune

The Texas attorney general’s office has appealed a judge’s decision to temporarily block a new law passed by Republicans that aimed to abolish the elections chief position in Harris County, Texas. A Travis County district judge ruled that the law is unconstitutional and would disrupt the fall’s elections. The law would have required the county to eliminate the elections administrator position and transfer election duties to the county clerk and the tax assessor-collector. The appeal was filed in the Texas Supreme Court, keeping the judge’s order from taking effect. The decision is part of a larger debate about state authority over elections in Texas. Read Article

Wisconsin elections chief Meagan Wolfe calls her position ‘untenable’ in commission’s dispute with senators | Molly Beck/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The reappointment of Meagan Wolfe, the administrator of Wisconsin’s elections agency, has become contentious as Republican lawmakers who control the state Senate indicated they are moving forward with her reappointment, potentially resulting in the removal of a key election official ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Wolfe has faced criticism from portions of the Republican base since 2020, and the commission remains split on how to respond to Senate Republicans’ efforts to force Wolfe to undergo nomination proceedings despite a lack of nomination from commissioners. This disagreement has led to uncertainty about her future in the role, with a hearing scheduled and debates about her appearance before the Senate committee. Read Article

National: Congress Has Little Time to Help Election Workers Before 2024 | Eric Cortellessa/Time

As Congress returns from its August recess, the upcoming budget negotiations have taken on heightened importance, with Democrats pushing to include funding for state and local election workers’ protection. This push comes as former President Donald Trump faces multiple criminal indictments and runs to reclaim the White House, raising concerns about election integrity. The two main objectives are to increase funding for election offices and pass an election security bill that strengthens penalties for harassing or intimidating election administrators. These efforts are driven by the surge in death threats, online intimidation, and abuse faced by election officials. While surveys show bipartisan public support for funding state and local elections, navigating the deeply divided Congress poses a challenge for passing such legislation. Read Article

Hacked UK voter data could be used to target disinformation, warn experts | Dan Milmo/The Guardian

The recent cyber attack on the UK Electoral Commission, which accessed names and addresses of voters registered between 2014 and 2022, has raised concerns that state-backed actors could use this data alongside artificial intelligence (AI) tools to target voters with AI-generated disinformation. Experts warn that the use of generative AI, which can produce convincing text and images, could enable more convincing and personalized disinformation campaigns. While some experts believe that large-scale attacks using AI are not yet likely, the potential for more sophisticated and targeted voter manipulation is a significant concern. Russia has been mentioned as a potential suspect in the cyber attack, given its history of electoral cyber espionage. Read Article

National: ‘Fake’ elector plot raised concerns over legal peril, indictment shows | Amy Gardner, Patrick Marley, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Josh Dawsey/The Washington Post

A federal indictment filed against Donald Trump accuses him of trying to overturn the 2020 election by involving a group of loyal Pennsylvania Republicans to cast state electoral votes for him even after Joe Biden had been declared the certified winner in Pennsylvania. The indictment alleges that the campaign officials, led by Rudy Giuliani, told the electors they were meeting on a contingency basis only, but campaign officials circulated language to add to the Pennsylvania elector certificates to be submitted to Washington asserting that the votes were intended to count only if Trump prevailed in litigation in the state. The indictment also reveals the extent of discomfort and doubt among some of the Pennsylvania electors about the scheme’s legitimacy. Read Article

National: Previously Secret Memo Laid Out Strategy for Trump to Overturn Biden’s Win | Maggie Haberman, Charlie Savage and Luke Broadwater/The New York Times

A newly revealed internal campaign memo has shed light on a plot by a lawyer allied with former President Donald Trump to use false electors to subvert the 2020 election. The memo, authored by Kenneth Chesebro, outlines a strategy involving fraudulent electors that aimed to draw attention to voter fraud claims and buy the Trump campaign more time through legal battles. While the plan was not ultimately executed, the memo provided details about how the strategy originated and was discussed behind the scenes. The document reveals a calculated effort to create confusion and derail the proper certification of Joe Biden’s victory. Read Article

National: Giuliani claims ‘dog ate my homework’ in Smartmatic case, lawyers say | Martin Pengelly/The Guardian

The voting machine company Smartmatic, which is involved in a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit, has accused Rudy Giuliani, the former personal attorney to Donald Trump, of using excuses to avoid the discovery process in the case. Giuliani, along with Fox News, is named in the lawsuit. Smartmatic’s lawyers likened Giuliani’s excuses to those of “the dog ate my homework” and claimed that he has not produced any non-public documents responsive to their discovery requests made 14 months ago. Giuliani is facing legal jeopardy due to his involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, and he is also being sued for defamation by other parties. Read Article

National: Federal Election Commission moves toward potentially regulating AI deepfakes in campaign ads | Ali Swenson/Associated Press

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has taken a unanimous procedural vote to consider regulating AI-generated deepfakes in political ads ahead of the 2024 US presidential election, in response to a petition asking the FEC to regulate ads that use artificial intelligence to misrepresent political opponents. Experts believe that AI-powered generative tools are making it easier to create fake images, videos, and audio clips that manipulate public perception, and several 2024 presidential campaigns have already used them. The FEC’s vote advances the consideration of the issue, and a 60-day public comment period is expected to follow before a decision on developing rules is made. Read Article

Arizona: Secure ballots or boondoggle? Cochise county tailors project to politically connected firm | Jen Fifield/Votebeat Arizona

An Arizona county’s plan to spend up to $1 million in state funds to test anti-counterfeit features on ballots has raised suspicions that the project was designed to benefit a specific company, Texas-based Authentix, which has been promoting its products with the help of political allies in the state. The project involves adding unique features like watermarks to ballots to protect against fraudulent ballots and improve voter confidence. However, election technology experts argue that the project is tailored for Authentix’s products and could limit competition while testing unnecessary and expensive features. Critics view the venture as unnecessary and designed to solve a problem that doesn’t exist, particularly since courts have found no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Arizona’s elections. Cochise County supervisors are set to vote on the contract with Authentix, despite concerns about the project’s specificity and potential lack of competitiveness. Read Article

Arizona: Mohave County rejects proposal to hand-count ballots in 2024 elections | Josh Kelety/Associated Press

The Mohave County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 against adopting a proposal to hand-count ballots in the 2024 election cycle. The local elections director warned that implementing a hand count would cost over $1.1 million and require hiring hundreds of new workers. The board chair cited the county’s projected budget deficit as the reason for rejecting the proposal. Mohave County is among several U.S. counties that have explored tabulating ballots by hand, but experts warn that hand counts are less reliable and more time-consuming than machine tabulation. Despite the lack of evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, the prospect of hand counting ballots remains popular among some elected officials, activists, and voters who distrust U.S. elections and spread conspiracies about election equipment. Read Article

Georgia Grand Jury Likely to Hear Trump Case Next Week | Danny Hakim and Richard Fausset/The New York Times

The district attorney in Atlanta is expected to take the findings from her two-and-a-half-year-long election interference investigation involving Donald J. Trump to a grand jury next week. This Georgia investigation is one of the most expansive legal challenges to the efforts made by Trump and his advisers to contest the 2020 election results. Nearly 20 people are known to have been warned about potential charges as a result of this investigation, which examines Trump’s actions and those of his aides and advisers in relation to his loss in the 2020 election. The investigation is expected to result in indictments from a grand jury in early August. Read Article

Michigan pro-Trump lawyer’s texts shed light on voting machine probe | Clara Hendrickson/Detroit Free Press

Stefanie Lambert Junttila, a Michigan lawyer aligned with former President Donald Trump, is facing criminal charges for allegedly plotting to seize voting machines after the 2020 election. Text messages obtained through a public records lawsuit show that she communicated with Doug Logan, former CEO of cybersecurity firm Cyber Ninjas, about gaining access to new voting machines in Michigan. She specifically requested Logan to keep this information secret. The investigation suggests that Lambert and other Trump allies tampered with the tabulators. Lambert is among several individuals charged in this matter, but Logan will not face criminal charges, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office. Read Article

Michigan trio indicted in voting machine breaches. Clerks and experts say it’s a warning for others. | Oralandar Brand-Williams/Votebeat Michigan

Three Michigan allies of former President Donald Trump were indicted and arraigned for their alleged involvement in an illegal plot to gain possession of voting machines used in the 2020 election and examine them in a failed attempt to prove election fraud. The indictment demonstrates that the rules and laws governing the security of Michigan’s election systems worked, according to experts and local clerks. The indictments may serve as a deterrent to others considering attempts to gain unauthorized access to voting machines. The suspects face felony charges related to possession of voting equipment, conspiracy, willful damage to voting machines, and unauthorized access to a computer system. Read Article

Nevada: Audit confirms legitimacy of Clark County’s mail ballot processes | Casey Harrison/Las Vegas Sun

An audit of the Clark County Election Department’s handling of mail ballots during the 2022 general election concluded that election officials followed state law when processing ballots. The report made suggestions to enhance the process in future elections, including better verbalizing the process in which mail ballots are counted and additional voter education initiatives about when to send a ballot and how to properly mark it. The audit showed that 4,903 mail ballots were rejected for not meeting legal requirements, highlighting the need for continued educational and outreach efforts to increase voter awareness around submission deadlines. The audit found that overall, the Election Department processes mail ballots accurately and in accordance with Nevada law. Read Article

New York group discourages counties from buying touch screen voting machine ExpressVote XL | Luke Parsnow/Spectrum News

Common Cause NY, a good-government group, is discouraging New York counties from adopting the newly certified ExpressVote XL touch screen voting machine, which enables electronic ballot marking instead of traditional paper ballots. Several county elections commissioners, including those from New York City, Ulster, Onondaga, and Chautauqua, have expressed disinterest in purchasing these machines. The group emphasizes the security of paper ballots marked by voters, considering touch-screen technology less secure and highlighting that some states that had adopted touch-screen systems have reverted to paper ballots. The group also raises concerns about the use of Windows 10 in the ExpressVote XL, as Microsoft plans to end software updates for this operating system in two years. Read Article

Texas judge says no quick ruling expected over GOP efforts to toss 2022 election losses near Houston | Associated Press

A Texas judge overseeing Republicans’ challenges to losses in the 2022 elections in Houston has indicated that a quick ruling shouldn’t be expected after a trial where no GOP voters testified that they were unable to vote due to ballot shortages or delayed poll openings. The disputed races are all in Harris County, controlled by Democrats, and the trial was marked by a lack of testimonies from voters, with Republican lawyers relying on party-generated theories. The judge expects to issue a ruling in the coming weeks. Harris County’s elections have been under scrutiny due to various issues in recent elections, and similar court challenges have emerged around the country following baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election. Read Article

Wisconsin elections officials approve redesign of absentee ballot envelopes | Tyler Katzenberger/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Wisconsin Elections Commission has unanimously approved a new design for absentee ballot envelopes, aimed at making it easier for voters to read and complete the envelopes in future elections. The updated design introduces colors to the envelope scheme, moves the clerk’s initial field to the top, and introduces a numbered three-step process for voters to follow. Envelopes come in different colors based on their purpose, making it clearer for both voters and officials. The design was based on feedback from voters and local election officials, and the change is expected to reduce errors and increase the security of the voting process. The new envelopes will be used from the February 2024 spring primary onwards. Read Article

Trump trial: Jan. 6 charges will be the most important case in U.S. history / Richard L. Hasen/Slate

Forget hush money payments to porn stars hidden as business expenses. Forget showing off classified documents about Iran attack plans to visitors, and then ordering the pool guy to erase the security tapes revealing that he was still holding onto documents that he had promised to return. Forget even corrupt attempts to interfere with election results in Georgia in 2020. The federal indictment just handed down by special counsel Jack Smith is not only the most important indictment by far of former President Donald Trump. It is perhaps the most important indictment ever handed down to safeguard American democracy and the rule of law in any U.S. court against anyone. Read Article

What 2020 Did — And Didn’t — Change About How Americans Vote | Kaleigh Rogers/FiveThirtyEight

The 2020 election brought about significant changes to the American voting system, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and former President Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election. One of the most notable changes was the surge in mail-in voting, which had been steadily increasing since 1996 but intensified during the 2020 cycle. While the pandemic accelerated some trends, Mark Lindemann of Verified Voting notes that the larger trend was already moving away from paperless systems, with more and more jurisdictions adopting paper ballots marked by voters. However, Lindemann acknowledges that the push for hand-counting ballots, driven by distrust in machines, has emerged, but it remains in the minority. Overall, the 2020 election had a profound impact on voting methods and election infrastructure, setting the stage for a transformed landscape for future elections, with some aspects reflecting natural evolution while others were influenced by extraordinary circumstances. Read Article

New York State Board of Elections votes to certify controversial touch-screen voting machines | Karen DeWitt/WXXI

The New York State Board of Elections has certified the ExpressVote XL for use in future elections. The decision was met with opposition from government reform groups who raised concerns about the machine’s lack of a verified paper trail and potential vulnerability to cyberattacks. The machine prints a ballot on thermal paper, which the voter can view but not handle, and converts it into a barcode for recording the results. Currently, all voting machines in New York use paper ballots filled out by hand and fed into tallying machines. The certification has sparked debate and criticism from some commissioners and reform groups who argue that the existing hand-marked paper ballots are more secure and reliable. Read Article

National: Trump indicted over efforts to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss | Eric Tucker and Michael Kunzelman/Associated Press

Donald Trump was indicted on felony charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the subsequent Capitol riot. The four-count indictment accuses Trump of conspiring to defraud the U.S. government, obstructing an official proceeding, and violating a civil rights statute by attempting to violate the right to vote. The charges provide further insight into his campaign of lies about the election results and how he sought to exploit the Capitol violence to delay the certification of Joe Biden’s victory. This marks the third criminal case against Trump and is the first time a defeated president is facing legal consequences for attempting to cling to power. Read Article

National: New guidelines mean the next voting machines should be more secure. No need to panic about the current ones. | Jessica Huseman/Votebeat

At a recent National Association of State Election Directors conference in South Carolina, the update to the Voluntary Voting Systems Guidelines (VVSG 2.0) was discussed. The guidelines, originally adopted in 2005 and mildly updated in 2015, have undergone a full update in late 2021 to accommodate better technology and set standards for disabled voters’ interactions with voting machines. Despite the importance of these updates, there has been misinformation circulating on social media platforms and far-right blogs, claiming that all current voting machines will be compromised and decertified due to the new standard. This is false. The VVSG is a system of voluntary guidelines, and while new machines will be certified to the higher standard, existing machines will remain functional and reliable. The update is long overdue and welcomed by election administrators, as the current standards are outdated. The comparison to cars with updated safety features showcases that older machines will still be operational, just not certified to the latest standard. Read Article

National: Election disinformation campaigns targeted voters of color in 2020. Experts expect 2024 to be worse | Christine Fernando/Associated Press

Community organizations are bracing for an increase in disinformation campaigns targeting communities of color and immigrant communities as the 2024 election approaches. During the 2020 election, false claims, often tailored to specific communities, spread on social media, impacting the perceptions and trust in the voting process among people of color. Tailored disinformation targeted topics of importance to each community, exploiting their fears and past experiences in their home countries. Language barriers and reliance on translated content for voting information also contributed to the spread of misinformation. Advocates are urging social media companies to invest in content moderation and fact-checking in languages other than English, while government and election officials should make voting information more accessible to non-English speakers and organize media literacy trainings in community spaces to combat disinformation. Read Article