State News

There is a new warning about texts to voters in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Elections Commission said some voters are getting texts telling them that their voter registration or voter information is wrong.

Before a ban on gender reassignment procedures on minors, Ohio was ranked among the top states in the nation for total procedures as well as the number of procedures performed per residents, according to newly released data from a nonprofit. Earlier this year, the Ohio legislature enacted House Bill 68, which banned the prescription of hormone blockers and hormone replacement therapy, along with gender reassignment surgeries on youth such as mastectomies. The law was first vetoed by Gov. Mike DeWine – which was overridden – and then later upheld in court following a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Governor Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares on Friday vowed to appeal after a federal judge ordered Virginia to restore about 1,500 noncitizens to the commonwealth's voter rolls. U.S. District Judge Patricia Trolliver Giles, an appointee of President Joe Biden, announced her decision after the Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) sued to force Virginia to restore the noncitizen voters, alleging the commonwealth violated the National Voter Registration Act by removing them so close to an election.

Public officials in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania on Friday announced the discovery of a batch containing approximately 2,500 voter registration applications that includes as many as 1,500 forms submitted with false information or without the consent of the applicant. Ray D'Agostino, the Vice-Chairman of the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners and Chairman of Lancaster County Board of Elections, said election workers discovered discrepancies including identical handwriting, signatures that do not match those on file with the county, duplicate registrations, false addresses, or fake driver's license and social security numbers.

As Republicans warn of long lines on Election Day in Maricopa County, Ariz., local election officials also expect election results to be delayed. Republicans in both Arizona and on the national level are claiming that Maricopa County has not sufficiently prepared for Election Day, which may result in long lines and persuading eligible voters to avoid voting.  The possible Election Day issues are in addition to the announcement by Maricopa County election officials that it will take 10-13 days to completely tabulate all ballots, meaning that some races may not be called on election night.

Michigan voters would need to provide extensive documentation when showing up to the polls in order for their vote to be immediately counted if a newly introduced state senate bill becomes law. Senate Bill 1034, sponsored by state Sen. Jonathan Lindsey, R-Allen, would require Michiganders to present both proof of identity and proof of residency when signing an affidavit to receive a ballot at polling locations.

A county judge in Ohio ruled Thursday that the state’s six-week abortion ban is unconstitutional, permanently blocking the law from taking effect. Judge Christian Jenkins blocked Ohio’s “Heartbeat Act,” signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in 2019, arguing last year’s abortion ballot initiative that amended the state constitution should be able to take full effect.

Gov. Ron DeSantis cautioned Florida voters against passage of Amendment 3 that would make recreational marijuana legal in the Sunshine State. DeSantis made his remarks at a news conference in Fort Myers on Thursday as he continues a campaign against two well-funded ballot initiatives.

Senator JD Vance (R-OH) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are working to reach Catholic voters in Pennsylvania during the final days prior to Election Day, with Kennedy starring in a new advertisement released by a Catholic political action committee and Vance offering an opinion column detailing the complicated history between Vice President Kamala Harris and Catholics. In the ad released Thursday by CatholicVote, a nonprofit political advocacy group, Kennedy said former President Donald Trump represents an opportunity to address the country's shortcoming "through unified action," which he said represents Catholic thought.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that voters may cast provisional ballots after their mail ballots are rejected for failing to follow procedural directions. The commonwealth's Supreme Court made the decision on Wednesday, which will likely affect thousands out of the millions of mail ballots cast, The New York Times reported.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost says Boeing has safety issues costing Ohioans. Yost sued the aerospace giant on behalf of two Ohio pension funds, claiming a pattern of safety and compliance failures have hurt the companies and its investors.

Early voting in Wisconsin has been delayed due to label printing problems, causing voters to wait hours in line to vote in some cases. The state began early voting on Tuesday, with voters waiting up to three hours to cast ballots in West Bend, a city 40 miles northwest of Milwaukee with a population of about 32,000, The Washington Post reported. After state election officials said late Tuesday that the computer issues causing the label printing problems were resolved, they acknowledged on Wednesday that they had occurred again. Voters waited about 90 minutes to vote on Wednesday.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued his 41st executive order Thursday establishing a statewide gang and community violence prevention partnership and enforcement strategy to confront gang violence. In addition to combating gang violence, the order will target drug and human trafficking and violence committed with firearms. The action also aims to provide support to communities and victims.

Attorney General Kris Mayes joined 24 other attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in support of legalizing "emergency abortion care" for Idahoans in the case U.S. v. Idaho. This brief is the most recent event in the two-year long litigation process. The initial lawsuit stems from the reversal of Roe v. Wade resulting in a near-total abortion ban in Idaho allowing exceptions only for rape and incest, accompanied by a signed report, or the immediate death of the mother. The key difference between Idaho's ban on abortion and federal statute occurs when a woman is facing a serious threat to her health but not an immediate risk of losing her life.

Vice President Kamala Harris's administration rewrote Title IX so that men can compete in women's sports and invade private spaces meant for women. Here in Pennsylvania, the illegal Title IX rewrite is in effect. In fact, University of Pennsylvania has been ground zero in this fight. This prestigious ivy league school infamously allowed a former male swimmer, Will Thomas, to join the women's swim team as Lia. UPenn's women's swim team, including sexual assault survivor Paula Scanlan, were told not to complain about having to share changing space with the 6 foot 2 inch male, and not to complain that this male would be taking a women's slot to swim in just about all their competitions. The women were silenced and marginalized, while Thomas's "bravery" was applauded in the media, and UPenn leaders patted themselves on the back for being so progressive and inclusive.