Western states to vote on more election reforms
Georgia finds tiny number of noncitizens on voter rolls
Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for October 24, 2024:
Harris and Dems call Trump a ‘fascist.’
Millions have already voted with over two weeks left.
Trying to read the tea leaves from Nebraska.
VOTING CHANGES. If you look at a map of the states voting on election reforms in November, something jumps out at you right away. It's all happening out West. Voters in a series of western states will decide whether to get rid of partisan primary elections for Congress - with some states also voting on the use of ranked-choice voting (RCV) to determine a final winner.
ALASKA. "Ranked choice voting is gaining popularity because it’s giving people a better voice in their democracy," said Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK), who was elected with that system in Alaska. (Maine is the only other state which uses ranked-choice for the U.S. House and Senate.)
REPEAL. But after approving that change back in 2020, voters in Alaska are now being asked to repeal their 'Top Four' non-partisan primary system, which uses ranked-choice voting in the general election - and go back to a regular partisan primary system.
TOP TWO. Two states already use a 'Top Two' system, where all candidates are lumped into one nonpartisan primary, and the top two finishers - regardless of party - move on to the general election. That's how the system works in both California and Washington State, with no need for a ranked-choice option.
BALLOT QUESTIONS. Other states are looking to follow the example of Alaska, California, and Washington State. Here is a list of voting changes which will be on the ballot in other states this November:
ARIZONA. Prop 140 would implement a California 'Top Two' system, where all candidates for a certain office run in a nonpartisan ‘jungle’ primary, and the top two finishers then move on to the general election.
ALSO. Meanwhile, Prop 133 in Arizona would block open primaries and the possibility of ranked-choice voting. If both ballot questions are approved in November, the one which gets the most votes will be the winner.
COLORADO. Proposition 131 creates a system like the one used in Alaska. The 'Top Four' finishers in a nonpartisan primary would move onto the general election, where ranked-choice voting would be used for the U.S. House and Senate, if no candidate gets a majority.
MONTANA. Ballot question CL-126 would also implement an Alaska 'Top Four' system. A second ballot question (CL-127) would require a candidate to get 50 percent to win, laying the groundwork for ranked-choice voting.
NEVADA. For a second straight election, voters in Nevada are being asked to establish a 'Top Five' nonpartisan primary system with ranked choice voting for the general election - if no candidate gets over 50 percent. The issue won in 2022, and will go into effect if it wins again in 2024.
OREGON. Ballot Measure 117 would implement ranked-choice voting for primaries and general elections, to guarantee that the winner always has more than 50 percent of the vote.
BAYOU STATE. Someone will probably write in to say, 'What about Louisiana?' The Bayou State has a jungle primary on Election Day, with candidates of all stripes in the same race. If no one gets over 50 percent, then the top two finishers move on to a December runoff.
NONCITIZENS. Republicans in Congress have made a big deal out of the possibility that illegal immigrants are swamping the voter rolls. While it is certain that some foreign nationals are wrongly registered to vote in the U.S., there is no evidence that it is a large number - and that was demonstrated on Wednesday by the state of Georgia.
TWENTY. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced at a news conference that an audit of Georgia voter rolls had found 20 noncitizens, out of 8.2 million people. That is 0.00024% of registered voters. "Georgia is a model when it comes to preventing noncitizen voting," Raffensperger said.
NUMBERS. Out of those 20 noncitizens, nine voted before stricter ID checks were put in place in Georgia. The other 11 registered but never tried to actually cast a ballot. Millions of illegals aren't voting in the United States. There is no evidence to support those kind of charges from the GOP.
DISCOVERY. How did Georgia elections officials figure out that these people were not U.S. citizens? When they were called for jury duty - they got out of it by using the excuse that they weren't citizens. "Georgia has the cleanest voter lists in America," proclaimed Raffensperger aide Gabriel Sterling.
EARLY VOTE. The votes are coming in fast and furious across the country, and Election Day is still over two weeks away. Georgia has already hit 30 percent turnout with 2.15 million votes cast - most of those have come from early in-person voting (which is my favorite kind of vote).
KEYSTONE. Why do I say that I like early in-person voting? Because there are too many ways that voters can screw up a mail-in ballot in key swing states. For example, over 1,200 mail-in ballots have already been rejected in Philadelphia. Why? Because they weren't signed properly, weren't dated, and more.
COURT. On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that if your mail ballot is rejected, that voter will be allowed to cast a provisional ballot. Basically, voters will get a second chance (some counties in the Keystone State did not allow for a voter to 'cure' their ballot).
TURNOUT. Just one more thought about early voting. Close to 30 million votes are already in. I’ve seen reports of long lines in states where we already know who is going to win. So - who does high turnout help? Trump? Harris? Sound off.
UNSTABLE. Vice President Kamala Harris joined with Congressional Democrats on Wednesday to attack Donald Trump over his record as President, pointing to the words of former military leaders and White House aides to Trump. "This is a window into who Donald Trump really is from the people who know him best," Harris said in Washington, D.C.
AIDES. Last night on CNN, Harris continued her attacks. "Do you think that Donald Trump is a fascist?" Harris was asked. "Yes, I do," she replied. "His former chief of staff said he wanted generals like Hitler’s," Harris added. "Trump wants unchecked power."
CONGRESS. Democrats on Capitol Hill echoed the claims made by retired Gen. John Kelly, who served as Trump's Chief of Staff. "(Kelly) says Trump praises Hitler," said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA). "We should listen to his warning."
GOP. Republicans denounced the Harris attacks. "The most desperate and divisive closing argument in history," said Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-IN). "This kind of deranged, unhinged rhetoric is what led to two assassination attempts on Donald Trump’s life."
TOWN HALL. In her CNN town hall last night, Harris also went after Trump on a series of domestic issues. She criticized his call for dramatic tariff increases, calling it a 'sales tax' on American consumers. "Donald Trump should be here tonight to talk with you and answer your questions," Harris said. "He's not. He refused to come."
ELLIPSE. Next Tuesday - with one week to go before Election Day - Vice President Harris will give a speech on the Ellipse, starting her campaign's closing argument to voters. The location harkens back to Trump's Jan. 6 'Stop the Steal' rally on the Ellipse, after which his supporters marched to the Capitol and laid siege to the building - all in a bid to keep Trump in power, even though he lost the 2020 election.
TEXAS. Normally, the Lone Star State would not see any campaign stops this close to Election Day in the race for President. But this year is different. Kamala Harris will make a rare foray into Texas on Friday for a rally in Houston focused on abortion rights. Now, Donald Trump is planning a news conference after an appearance in Austin on the same day.
LONE STAR. Don’t get me wrong - this is not an indicator that Texas is in play in November in the race for President. More than anything, this is an effort by Harris to make some noise against the reelection of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).
SENATE. Democratic Senators were also trying to do their part, as Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) went online Wednesday to try to drum up donations for the Senate campaign of Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX).
OUTLOOK. While I still think Cruz is the favorite, this Texas Senate seat is literally the only Senate race where Democrats have a legitimate chance to flip a GOP seat. I guess you could include Florida and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) - but that’s a real longshot. Republicans remain the favorite to take over the Senate.
CORNHUSKER. Speaking of the Senate, I've written several times about the middling reelection bid of Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) in Nebraska. She's running against an independent candidate who has been drawing crowds and interest. Fischer meanwhile is just sort of plodding along, and even trailing in some polls.
SLF. National Republicans yesterday added in another $3 million in ad money on behalf of Fischer, demonstrating that there is some GOP concern about her bid for a third term.
CROWD. Fischer posted this photo after an event this week in a rural area about 150 miles west of Omaha. "Incredible turnout in Howard County this evening!" Fischer tweeted. I’ll let you decide whether this is a good crowd or not.
HOUSE. While Republicans are the strong favorite to take charge of the Senate, the battle for the House is not so clear. Democrats are probably a slight favorite, but it won't take much of a hiccup in November for Republicans to emerge with a narrow majority.
CA-45. If you're looking for seats that might flip to the Democrats, the seat of Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) is one to watch. Democrats are spending another $1.2 million on ads there - which evidently makes this seat the first to see over $20 million in outside expenditures.
LATE MONEY. Other seats getting extra attention from Democrats include two in Iowa (IA-1 and IA-3), two more in California (CA-13 and CA-22), Arizona (AZ-1), New York (NY-4 and NY-18), Alaska, and Nebraska (NE-2).
MIC CHECK. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, who once served in Congress and was California's Attorney General, suddenly tweeted this week on his campaign account - for the first time since April of 2021. "Two weeks until Election Day. Do you have a plan to vote?" Becerra wrote. There has been talk that Becerra might run for Governor in 2026.
UKRAINE. The Biden Administration and allies in the G7 have come up with a unique way to finance military aid to Ukraine - without western governments coming up with the money. The plan announced Wednesday will give Ukraine $20 billion in aid which will be paid for with interest earned on frozen Russian assets in western banks.
BIDEN. "This is another reminder to Vladimir Putin that the world has rallied behind Ukraine — and the United States and our G7 partners will continue to stand with them every step of the way," President Biden said. "The people of Ukraine will prevail."
ZELENSKYY. From Kyiv, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the U.S. and other G7 nations for their support. And he also sent a message with the shirt that he was wearing - riffing on Donald Trump's signature campaign message.
RAP SHEET. A Texas husband and wife who were convicted of assaulting police on Jan. 6 will spend time in prison for their crimes. Mark Middleton was sentenced to 30 months, while his wife Jalise drew a 20 month sentence. Video shows the pair grappling with and striking a police officer repeatedly. The husband also hit one officer in the head with a flagpole.
MUSE OF HISTORY. October 24, 1791. The Second Congress convened on this date in Philadelphia, "In the sixteenth year of the independence of said states," the House Journal says. The House and Senate swore in new members and agreed to appoint a pair of chaplains - 'of different denominations' - who would switch off each week between the two chambers. President Washington said he would address lawmakers the next day.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House next has votes on November 12.
The Senate comes back for votes on November 12.
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I live in a rural Georgia county. My neighbor is a poll worker and said lots of voters are telling her they haven't voted in years. I keep wondering what this means for Georgia. One lady specifically said it was her first election since Dukakis ran (1988)!
For this election, I think high turnout benefits Democrats because people are fed up with the drama.