Election Updates for October 18, 2021
With just a few weeks to go until the 2021 elections, more news is breaking on the 2022 midterm elections. Below are the latest updates.
State
In Wisconsin, the State GOP continues to face skepticism over its audit of the 2020 election.
In Georgia, a judge dismissed a lawsuit that claimed voter fraud. Two election officials were fired over destroying ballots.
In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott is moving to the right due to having to face primary challenges in the 2022 primary.
In Virginia, a three-judge panel has been appointed to decide whether there needs to be an extra house of delegates election due to changes in the census. Also, the last day of registering to vote for the upcoming state elections has passed. For the gubernatorial election, the early voting numbers are indicating that Democrats could underperform.
In Iowa, Republicans won a state house race that has historically been held by Democrats.
In New Jersey, many voters are making use of the ballot drop-boxes ahead of the upcoming gubernatorial election. Former President Barack Obama and current First Lady Jill Biden are campaigning for incumbent Governor Phil Murphy.
In Florida, a judge has allowed for a challenge to a new election law to proceed. Also in Florida, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has pushed back on an audit of the 2020 election.
In North Carolina, Durham County officials are pushing back on Republicans’ attempt to investigate the county on election issues.
In Pennsylvania, Democrat Attorney General Josh Shapiro is running for Governor and is making voting rights a focal point of his campaign.
In New York, an advocacy group has launched an effort to support changes on redistricting and voting.
In Utah, the state legislature is considering letting cities try out ranked-choice voting.
In Arizona, there is concern that the current voting laws make it harder for Navajo voters to participate in elections. Also in Arizona, Republican Gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake is making headway for the GOP nomination. Lake recently received Trump’s endorsement.
In Michigan, Democrats are claiming that the proposed voting maps for state redistricting will make it more difficult for Black legislators to get elected. Meanwhile, Conservative organizations are collecting signatures to be able to put new election security measures up for a referendum vote.
Culture
Former President Donald Trump is calling on Republicans to sit out elections until voting is fixed in America. Meanwhile, Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin is figuring out how to balance Trump’s claims to excite the base while not turning off swing voters.
Democrats are continuing to look for a way to pass voting rights reform. New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner has a unique reason to oppose the Democrats’ Freedom to Vote Act: Gardner claims it could threaten the status of New Hampshire primary elections.
Some see the New Jersey gubernatorial election as a referendum on Covid-19 mandates. Meanwhile, it seems former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is seeking to build support for a 2024 bid by supporting Republican midterm candidates.
Rachel Maddow claims that Republicans are seeking to put Trump enthusiasts on various election boards.
Democrats are hoping that they can energize enough young voters to make Texas a Democrat state. Similarly, Republicans believe that they can switch enough Hispanic voters to make inroads in Democrat bastions.
National Democrats want to get involved in a Republican lawsuit that is seeking to strike down mail-in voting in Pennsylvania.
Actress Kathy Griffin is attacking Actor Matthew McConaughey because McConaughey suggested voter fraud might be occurring. Musical artist Megan Thee Stallion gave the finger to Texas’s controversial abortion law.
Corporate
A new report indicates that Mark Zuckerberg contributed $419 million to “nonprofits” that helped Democrats, ahead of the 2020 election. Also, Snapchat is promoting an initiative to get more young women to run for office.
Former Senator Jeff Flake is giving his unused election money to an Arizona nonprofit that does election work.
Left-wing economist Paul Krugman has a piece looking at how Republicans are at odds with corporate America. In related news, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is spending money to attack House Democrats over the proposed $3.5 trillion spending bill.
AT&T continues to face scrutiny over its involvement in controversial right wing news channel, One American News.
Opponents of Texas’s controversial abortion law are going after corporations that donated to lawmakers who supported the law.
Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. House both posted strong fundraising numbers for this past quarter.
The conservative news site Daily Wire has launched a new publishing group geared towards conservatives.
Prosecutors are claiming that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s associate Lev Parnas organized ways for foreign money to be spent in US elections.
The Trump campaign and other defendants are seeking to have the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit dismissed.
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.
