Texas: Harris County Commissioners Court to hold public discussion on elections office transition ahead of November | Jen Rice/Houston Chronicle

Harris County Commissioners Court is preparing for a public discussion about a significant reorganization of elections administration duties ahead of the November election. The reorganization follows the implementation of a new state law that abolishes the Elections Administrator’s office and transfers the responsibility of running elections and voter registration to the Harris County Clerk and Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector. Commissioners Court is also expected to vote on the distribution of elections office staff positions, with 131 positions going to the county clerk’s office and 39 positions to the tax assessor-collector’s office. This transition has been criticized for its lack of transparency, and it comes after a series of challenges and changes in election leadership within Harris County. Read Article

Wisconsin’s nonpartisan elections director has bipartisan support. She may be driven out anyway. | Zach Montellaro/Politico

Wisconsin Republicans are seeking to remove the state’s nonpartisan elections director, Meagan Wolfe, ahead of the upcoming presidential primary, raising concerns about election integrity. The state Senate is holding a hearing to remove Wolfe, with Democrats alleging that Republicans are retaliating against her for decisions made by the Wisconsin Elections Commission in 2020. This highlights the ongoing impact of election misinformation in Wisconsin, a key swing state, even years after former President Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election in 2020. Read Article

Wisconsin: Election conspiracists testify at disputed confirmation hearing for Elections Commission administrator | Henry Redman/Wisconsin Examiner

A Wisconsin Senate elections committee hearing on the disputed confirmation of the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) Administrator Meagan Wolfe turned into a platform for election conspiracy theories and attacks against Wolfe. Wolfe’s four-year term expired at the end of June, but the three Democratic appointees on the WEC abstained from voting on her renomination, preventing the vote from receiving the four votes traditionally required for a motion to pass the body. While the dispute is likely to be decided in court, the hearing brought prominent election deniers and conspiracy theorists to testify against Wolfe’s reappointment, with little pushback from the committee chair, Sen. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown). Read Article

National: Violent threats, racist messages: Bipartisan officials call the aftermath of the 2020 election ‘terrifying’ | Sudiksha Kochi/USA Today

Officials from various states have reported receiving threats and facing intimidation from supporters of former President Donald Trump after the 2020 election. For instance, Philadelphia City Commissioner Omar Sabir faced threats and had to change his daily routines due to concerns for his safety. Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers received threats after refusing to reject the 2020 election results, and Republican Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his family received threats as well. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel also expressed concerns about threats and a plot to overturn the results of the election in her state. These incidents shed light on the consequences of the false claims of election fraud and the pressure campaign that followed the 2020 election. Read Article

Pennsylvania will track voting machine malfunctions under new settlement with election security groups | Carter Walker/Votebeat Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s Department of State has settled a lawsuit with election security groups that will require counties to publicly report voting machine malfunctions, potentially becoming the first such initiative in the U.S. This measure is seen as a way to enhance transparency, improve efficiency, and counter election misinformation. The settlement follows a lawsuit by election groups against the state, claiming that some counties adopted flawed voting machines. The settlement agreement also requires better public access to voting equipment examination processes and mandates that three counties using the voting machine in question upgrade to its latest software. The new reporting requirement is set to begin with this November’s municipal election. Read Article

National: Federal judge rejects bids to halt Georgia prosecution of Trump aides over 2020 election | Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein/Politico

A federal judge rejected the emergency filings made by former Trump administration officials Mark Meadows and Jeffrey Clark, ensuring that they will face arrest this week. Meadows and Clark, who are charged with former President Donald Trump in a racketeering conspiracy to undermine the results of the 2020 election, had requested the court to prohibit the arrest by a Friday deadline, arguing that their cases should be handled and dismissed by federal courts due to their work for the Trump administration. The judge ruled that state proceedings can continue while the federal court considers whether to shift the case to the federal system. This is part of a broader case by District Attorney Fani Willis to prosecute the 2020 election subversion conspiracy. Read Article

National: In Trump cases, experts say defendant’s rhetoric will be hard to police | Devlin Barrett, Spencer S. Hsu, Isaac Arnsdorf/The Washington Post

The challenge of keeping politics out of a criminal prosecution becomes particularly difficult when politicians are both the alleged perpetrators and the candidates for higher office. In the case of the 2020 election obstruction charges against former President Donald Trump, U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan’s efforts to prevent political influences from affecting the case are met with significant complexities. Trump’s political activity and rhetoric during his candidacy could potentially hinder the fair progression of legal proceedings. Balancing the protection of the judicial process with First Amendment rights and potential voter influence proves to be a challenging endeavor for the judge. Read Article

National: This issue could knock Trump off ballots nationwide. Get ready for it to dominate primary season | David Lauter/Los Angeles Times

Efforts are underway to use Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to bar Donald Trump from running for office, citing his conduct during the Capitol attack. Section 3 disqualifies individuals from office if they’ve engaged in “insurrection.” This provision has been receiving renewed attention as conservative legal scholars argue that Trump’s behavior aligns with its meaning. Liberal legal groups have started researching state laws and working with voters to challenge Trump’s access to the ballot. The challenges are likely to come towards the end of this year and early next year, possibly leading to a Supreme Court showdown, which could significantly disrupt the primary season. Read Article

National: Republicans want the next GOP president to curb election security agency that angered Trump | Laura Gersony/ABC

In preparation for a potential Republican victory in the next U.S. presidential election, an influential group of Republicans, under the initiative called Project 2025 led by the Heritage Foundation think tank, is proposing to scale back the federal government’s oversight of online misinformation. The proposal specifically targets the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a part of the Department of Homeland Security focused on guarding critical infrastructure, including election systems. Project 2025 recommends ending CISA’s efforts to counter misinformation and disinformation, arguing that the federal government shouldn’t be the “arbiter of truth.” Critics, including some democracy experts, are concerned that such a move could hamper efforts to address false information online and its potential impacts on democracy. Read Article

National: To Protect Elections, Protect Researchers | Center for Democracy and Technology

The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) underscores the crucial role that independent election integrity researchers play in identifying and mitigating threats to free and fair elections, including foreign influence operations, domestic disinformation, and cyberattacks on election infrastructure. However, these researchers are facing unprecedented obstacles and attacks, including lawsuits, hostile political actors, limited access to platform data, and platforms’ reduced commitment to online trust and safety. The CDT emphasizes that election integrity researchers are essential for evidence-based policymaking and complement the research conducted by platforms themselves. With the upcoming convergence of major elections globally, the spread of generative AI, and increasing political attacks on researchers’ work, the CDT calls for support and empowerment of these researchers, suggesting actions by funders, governments, and platforms to ensure their ability to combat election disinformation and safeguard democracy. Read Article

Arizona: Cochise County votes no on extending controversial ballot paper security pilot | Jen Fifield/Votebeat Arizona

Cochise County in Arizona has voted against extending a $1 million state grant that would have allowed them to work with Authentix, a company partnered with former state Rep. Mark Finchem, to test security features on ballots, including watermarks and special ink. The decision means that County Recorder David Stevens will only be able to use supplies he had already ordered from another company, Runbeck Election Services, for the pilot testing. Authentix has been linked to Stevens through personal connections, and some residents expressed concerns about the contract, believing it to be unnecessary and potentially tied to political favoritism. This decision follows controversies around the county’s election processes, including disputes over hand-counting ballots and claims of fraud. Read Article

Arizona Supreme Court rules against attorney seeking to void 2022 election | Howard Fischer/Arizona Capitol Times

The Arizona Supreme Court has rejected an attempt to void the results of the entire 2022 election. A Scottsdale attorney, Ryan Heath, had asked the court to order Maricopa County to redo the process used to verify signatures on early ballot envelopes. However, the court ruled that only those involved in the original lawsuit have the legal right to appeal the trial court’s decision and that Heath’s legal relief sought, which is an order to redo the 2022 election or revisit the ballots, is only appropriate when there are no facts in dispute, which is not the case here. Read Article

Georgia Trump indictment invokes justice for election workers | Ella Lee and Rebecca Deitsch/The Hill

The indictment in Georgia covering former President Trump’s efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 election includes references to poll worker Ruby Freeman, who was accused by Trump and his attorney Rudy Giuliani of mishandling ballots and subsequently faced threats. The indictment highlights the harassment campaign against Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, and underscores the impact on individuals beyond just the voters in the state whose will Trump sought to deny. The indictment takes seriously the harassment of election workers and considers the human cost of Trump and his allies’ alleged actions, creating a racial component to the case due to the involvement of white, powerful men intimidating Black women. Read Article

Georgia: Spaulding County approves counting ballots by hand; change pushed by election skeptics | Mark Niesse/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Conservative election critics in Georgia are advocating for hand-counting ballots as a response to doubts about Dominion voting machines. The hand-counting movement recently gained approval in Spalding County, with local election boards voting to require manual tallies before results from computer-scanned ballots can be certified. However, election experts and officials point out that manual counts are often less accurate and more time-consuming than machine tabulations, and that election procedures should focus on building voter confidence rather than catering to partisan skepticism. The hand-counting initiative is driven by concerns about hacking, manipulation of computer-printed ballots, and programming errors. Read Article

Fury at Michigan officials charged in 2020 false electors scheme: ‘This isn’t who we are’ | Alice Herman/The Guardian

Sixteen Republicans in Michigan, including prominent local politicians, are facing anger, prosecution, and recall for their alleged involvement in signing a false electors certificate for Donald Trump during the 2020 presidential election. The charges, which Michigan’s attorney general announced, have triggered a push for elected officials involved to resign. The accused individuals face felony charges, and their constituents are demanding accountability. This situation highlights the legal and ethical challenges surrounding the actions of these officials, with residents and good government groups calling for consequences in light of their attempt to overturn the election results. Read Article

Michigan: Dispute over documents delays considerations to move election tabulators trial | Kyle Davidson/Michigan Advance

Attorneys Stefanie Lambert Junttila and Matt DePerno, along with former state representative Daire Rendon, are facing charges related to alleged tampering with voting tabulators following the 2020 presidential election. Lambert Junttila has requested to move the trial to Antrim County in Michigan, while Special Prosecutor DJ Hilson has argued that Oakland County Circuit Court is the proper venue due to the crimes being committed there. The judge will consider the request to move the trial in two weeks. The charges involve alleged attempts to access and tamper with voting tabulators in relation to the 2020 election. Read Article

North Carolina governor vetoes election bill, sparking override showdown with GOP supermajority | Hannah Schoenbaum/Associated Press

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has vetoed a Republican-backed elections bill that would eliminate a grace period for voting by mail and introduce new provisions for partisan poll observers. The bill, which the governor accused Republicans of using to undermine voting rights for young and nonwhite voters, would make voting harder for certain demographics, potentially impacting their ability to elect Republicans. The governor’s veto comes as both major parties gear up for competitive elections in North Carolina, which is anticipated to be a presidential battleground and home to a closely contested gubernatorial race. Read Article

Texas officials can’t toss mail ballots over ID mistakes, federal judge rules | Cayla Harris/San Antonio Express-News

A federal judge has ruled that a provision of Texas Senate Bill 1, which rejected nearly 40,000 absentee ballot submissions due to errors like mismatched numbers, violates the Civil Rights Act. The court found that these errors are not material in determining whether voters are qualified under Texas law to vote by mail. The decision is seen as a win for Texas voters, especially those who rely on mail-in ballots due to disabilities or age, and is aimed at ensuring that eligible voters’ ballots are not rejected based on minor errors or omissions. This ruling follows concerns about the impact of the law, especially on minority voters, who were 50% more likely to have their mail ballots rejected, according to a study. Read Article

Texas Supreme Court denies Harris County request to run November election and delay state law | Jen Rice/Houston Chronicle

The Texas Supreme Court has denied Harris County’s request for an emergency order that would have allowed the Harris County Elections Administrator’s Office to oversee the upcoming November election. This decision clears the way for Senate Bill 1750, a new state law abolishing the office, to go into effect on September 1. The county had sought an emergency order to delay the law’s implementation while the state’s appeal was pending. The Supreme Court’s decision means that Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth and the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Ann Harris Bennett will be responsible for overseeing the election, which is now just weeks away. Read Article

Wisconsin elections administrator won’t appear before Senate committee | Anya van Wagtendonk/Wisconsin Public Radio

Wisconsin’s top election official, Meagan Wolfe, will not appear before a Senate committee hearing about her future in the job following new guidance from the state Department of Justice. This comes amid an ongoing dispute between the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission and the GOP-led Legislature over Wolfe’s future. A hearing was scheduled to discuss Wolfe’s position, which if attended, could lead to official confirmation proceedings and a potential firing. However, Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul has stated that state law does not allow for such proceedings, allowing Wolfe to remain in her post indefinitely. The situation highlights the legal ambiguity around her tenure and its implications for upcoming elections. Read Article

Georgia election indictment highlights wider attempts to illegally access voting equipment | Christina A. Cassidy/Associated Press

Several individuals, including former President Donald Trump and his allies, have been charged with multiple counts related to a “conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.” The indictment includes charges related to the breach of election equipment in Coffee County, Georgia, where Trump allies attempted to access voting systems to prove their claims that the 2020 election had been rigged. The charges highlight that the efforts to overturn the election extended beyond state officials and lawmakers to local government and suggests a wider effort to undermine elections. The indictment argues that these breaches were part of a conspiracy by Trump and his associates to overturn the election results. The charges include conspiracy to commit election fraud, conspiracy to commit computer theft, and conspiracy to defraud the state. Read Article

National: How DEF CON’s election hackers are trying to protect themselves | John Sakellariadis/Politico

At the DEF CON hacker convention in Las Vegas, organizers of the event’s “Voting Village” hacking event took extensive security measures to protect the physical safety of security researchers who were attempting to hack into election equipment. Threats and harassment against researchers have increased due to disinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding election security, particularly after former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. This rise in disinformation-fueled threats is prompting election administrators, poll workers, and security researchers to take new precautions to ensure their physical safety while conducting their work. The measures included undercover security consultants, tighter monitoring of attendees, and briefings for volunteers on dealing with potential agitators. This reflects the growing need to address not only cybersecurity but also physical security in the realm of election protection. Read Article

National: Trump indictment underscores election security risk for 2024  | John Sakellariadis/Politico

The alleged theft of voting system software from an elections office in Coffee County, Georgia, which is central to the latest indictment of former President Donald Trump and his allies, underscores a growing security risk to future elections. Election security experts have cautioned that such software theft could provide a blueprint for malicious actors to identify vulnerabilities and develop malware to exploit them. The indictment officially links Trump allies to the theft of voting system software in Georgia and other states following the 2020 election, with the indictment alleging coordination between Trump’s lawyer, Sidney Powell, and local GOP officials. Dominion Voting Systems, whose software was stolen, has introduced a software upgrade to address identified bugs, but implementing these upgrades before the 2024 election is a challenge. Read Article

National: Rising political threats take US into uncharted territory as 2024 election looms | Nicholas Riccardi/Associated Press

The recent fatal shooting of a 74-year-old Utah man by FBI agents after he threatened to assassinate President Joe Biden is the latest instance highlighting the dangerous impact of violent rhetoric in the U.S. Just days before this incident, a Texas man was sentenced to prison for threatening to kill Arizona election workers, and a Michigan woman was charged for lying to buy guns for her son who threatened violence against Biden and the state’s governor. Threats against public officials have surged, with a doubling of threats against members of Congress and an explosion of threats against election workers, leading to concerns about the health of American democracy and the potential for political violence. Experts warn that such violent rhetoric can be a precursor to actual violence, with lone attackers being a significant concern. Read Article

National: How alleged computer crimes figure into latest indictment of Trump, allies | Tim Starks/The Washington Post

An indictment in Georgia has charged four individuals, including attorney Sidney Powell, with conspiracy to commit computer theft, computer trespass, and computer invasion of privacy, among other charges, related to their promotion of the disproven narrative that Donald Trump won the 2020 election. The indictment alleges that Powell hired a firm to perform computer forensic collections and analytics on Dominion Voting Systems equipment in Michigan and elsewhere, and a breach of election equipment in Coffee County occurred under this agreement. The indictment also mentions unindicted co-conspirators and includes charges against Rudy Giuliani for allegedly making false statements about election workers and USB ports. The indictment is part of a broader legal effort to hold individuals accountable for spreading false election claims and attempting to undermine the legitimacy of the election. Read Article

National: After Years of Spreading Lies, Election Deniers Face Consequences | Nick Corasaniti/The New York Times

The legal consequences are beginning to catch up with many of former President Donald Trump’s allies who were involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. In Michigan, three leading election deniers were charged with felonies for attempting to obtain and inspect election machines. Trump himself was indicted in a federal investigation related to his actions surrounding the 2020 election. Additionally, Trump and 18 others, including figures like Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and John Eastman, were charged with attempts to interfere with the outcome of the election in Georgia. These charges represent a growing legal effort to hold individuals accountable for spreading false claims and attempting to undermine the legitimacy of the election. Read Article

Abused and stalked, US election workers are bracing for 2024 | Madeline Halpert/BBC

As legal action ensues against former President Donald Trump and his allies over alleged plots to overturn election results in Georgia, poll workers are expressing enduring impacts from false claims of ballot fraud. Unsubstantiated claims of election fraud in 2020 led to stalking, intimidation, and death threats for hundreds of election workers across the United States. The allegations have ushered in an era of harassment for election workers, impacting both their lives and the broader electoral process. Despite legal actions, the divisive consequences of these claims are likely to persist during the 2024 general election and continue to affect political legitimacy. Read Article

Opinion: Donald Trump triggers the politics of emergency | Jason Willick/The Washington Post

The disqualification of a candidate from the 2024 presidential election based on the 14th Amendment’s Section 3, which disqualifies officials who engaged in insurrection, is becoming a point of debate and concern. While President Trump was acquitted in the Senate for “incitement of insurrection” following the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, a new paper by legal scholars argues that Trump’s disqualification is “automatic” and not dependent on congressional processes. This notion adds to a complex legal-constitutional conversation and raises questions about political legitimacy and emergency measures, should Trump’s candidacy continue to rise. Disqualification efforts, if pursued, could further polarize public opinion and lead to uncharted legal and political territories. Read Article

Arizona: Cut this, add that: Commenters on left, right criticize draft of 2024 state’s ‘election bible’ | Mary Jo Pitzl/Arizona Republic

Arizona’s draft Elections Procedures Manual, which outlines how to conduct an election, has attracted significant public input and scrutiny from voting rights groups, political parties, state lawmakers, and more. The manual, issued by Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, has generated controversy over various provisions, including the date when voters would be removed from county voting rosters, interpretation of voting laws, and voter registration procedures. Senate President Warren Petersen has threatened to sue if certain edits are not made to the manual. Public input is being considered as the manual undergoes revisions and must ultimately gain approval from the attorney general, governor, and secretary of state for use in upcoming elections. Read Article

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