Free and fair elections are a powerful tool of democracy, even in a backsliding democracy… just ask Viktor Orbán. That’s why there’s growing concern across the political spectrum about protecting the integrity of this fall’s midterm elections in the United States. The issue has been politicized, with Democrats and Republicans seeing different electoral threats. The current impasse in Congress over the SAVE America Actand President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting mail-in voting are only the latest signs that politicians aren’t on the same page. So POLITICO Magazine reached out to non-partisan voting experts with a simple but urgent question: What is one concrete, realistic step that should be taken now to protect the midterm elections? Our experts proposed a mix of technical fixes, policy changes and public communication strategies, and most of them don’t need help from Congress or the president — they are things that state and local officials can be doing right now to ensure that November’s voting is seen as legitimate by all parties. Some of them might surprise you. Here are their suggestions. Who: State election officials and legislators How: Review and reinstate deadlines immediately BY EDWARD B. FOLEY Edward B. Foley is a professor of law at the Ohio State University. Timing is everything for this year’s midterms. Congress will convene on January 3 to swear in the election’s winners. If states haven’t wrapped up all their procedures for certifying the winners by that date, it could enable either of the political parties to unfairly keep control of the House of Representatives by refusing to seat members whose states don’t certify their victories until after that date. To avoid this, it is essential that states do whatever it takes to complete all of their necessary procedures for certifying the results of their House elections — including any recounts and litigation — before January 3. The details of these procedures differ from state to state, but some general points apply. First, the chief elections officer in each state should conduct a review of their state’s laws and deadlines, as well as past disputed elections, to assess the vulnerability of an election remaining uncertified on January 3. Where those vulnerabilities exist, the state legislature should tighten the timetable, and if new legislation is not possible, then election administrators should determine what they can do to shorten the schedule. Many states give more time than is necessary… [TheTopNews] Read More.
2 weeks ago
