Election Updates for the Week of September 6, 2021
With Labor Day weekend, comes the final stretch of the 2021 elections and puts the country closer to the 2022 midterm elections. Below are the latest updates on election issues throughout the US.
States
In Wyoming, numerous Trump activists and some politicians are pushing for an audit of the 2020 vote. This push is different from many of the calls for audits throughout the nation because in most of the other states, Trump lost the vote, but in Wyoming, Trump won it in a landslide.
In North Carolina, the State Supreme Court heard a case raised by the NAACP that argued two voting initiatives, one on voter ID and one on tax caps, should be overturned because a gerrymandered state legislature passed those laws, so the ballot initiatives did not pass the first clearing for ballot initiatives through legitimate means to go before voters.
In Wisconsin, Senator Ron Johnson made news for mixed comments, where he blamed former President Donald Trump for losing Wisconsin, but said that he supports an audit of WI, and that he has spoken with controversial figures such as Sidney Powell. The current audit underway is spending $325,000 on data analysis, which has attracted criticism.
In Arizona, the State Attorney General said that the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors violated the law by failing to respond to subpoena requests related to the state audit. A Republican, who served as State Election Director, is arguing no one should trust the audit due to the controversy around it.
In Tennessee, a city alderwoman is suing TN for the right to list herself as a Republican on the ballot.
In Missouri, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft is arguing for greater election changes, including requiring voters to show a state issued ID to vote, as opposed to other allowed forms of ID.
In Virginia, the state GOP is suing to keep former Governor and Democrat gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe off the ballot because McAuliffe failed to sign a mandatory document for filing his candidacy.
In Colorado, Secretary of State Jena Griswold is continuing to pursue action related to the scandal in Mesa County by suing to prevent the Mesa County Clerk from supervising elections in the county.
In California, Secretary of State Shirley Weber is navigating how to encourage participation in the upcoming gubernatorial recall and to answer concerns about the election, without appearing too partisan.
In Georgia, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has filed a FOIA request to see what communications the Department of Justice has had with left-wing groups in relation to the DOJ’s lawsuit over GA’s voting laws.
In Michigan, Republicans are looking to put their proposed voting changes on the ballot after Governor Gretchen Whitmer vetoed an elections bill that Republicans passed.
In Texas, the State General Assembly passed an election security bill, after many delay tactics from Democrats.
Culture
Civil Rights organizations held rallies in several major cities to support federal legislation that grants further voting rights. In DC, many LGBTQ activists participated to push for greater rights as well, such as DC Statehood.
US Congressman Madison Cawthorn made controversial statements that some see as sympathizing with violent activists on January 6 and as calling for future violence over elections. Meanwhile former US House Speaker Paul Ryan dismissed any notion that the 2020 election “rigged” or “stolen.”
A local politician in Michigan was arrested at a Trump rally for failing to have a permit to sell Trump related merchandise.
US Senator Bernie Sanders is speaking in swing states to try to convince voters, who are moderate or even Conservative, to see the benefit of the proposed $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill.
The DOJ released a guidance for how states could pass redistricting maps that adhere to the Voting Rights Act.
As the recall approaches in CA, many have looked at who is actually going to vote. Talk Show Host and Gubernatorial Candidate Larry Elder’s voters are fans of his show, Trump supporters, Evangelicals and people who have recently become Conservative. Democrats are concerned about how Latino voting could impact the recall, in the sense that polls show Latinos are less supportive of Newsom than they have in the past, and that Latinos may not turn out at the rate that Democrats need them to. Some Conservatives are responding to the attacks on Elder by claiming that critics are subjecting Elder to a double standard due to his race.
The New York Times has an analysis that argues as the US Congress remains in gridlock, state legislatures are creating changes on a range of different policies.
Corporate
Facebook is reportedly considering whether to form an “Election Commission” to govern election issues on the platform.
US House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy threatened to punish corporations if they hand over phone records of congressional members to the January 6 commission.
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler is warning that Democrats who support the filibuster could be primaried.
Activists and politicians in Maine are looking to create a ballot initiative that would ban corporations with foreign ties from spending in state referendums.
In the final stretch of the California gubernatorial recall, unions and silicon valley corporations are spending money to support Governor Gavin Newsom.
Conservatives are using investment funds to retaliate against corporations that push liberal agendas.
Some are arguing that MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s seminars on how election technology works is making it easier for people to hack elections.
Todd Carney is a writer based in Washington, DC. The views in this piece are his alone and do not reflect the views of his employer.
