Drop box controversy in Pennsylvania expands into lawsuit and court case
A controversy on who has authority over drop boxes, used for mail-in and absentee balloting, is unfolding in northeastern Pennsylvania. It pits the Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo versus the county Board of Elections and Registration, as well as a group of citizens.
Crocamo has announced she will prevent all four of the county’s drop boxes from being deployed and used in the November election. Three residents of the county have now filed a lawsuit against her, claiming that the county manager does not have the authority to do that.
The plaintiffs say the Luzerne County Board of Elections and Registration had planned to use four drop boxes to accept ballots. The suit claims the same board, earlier this year, voted against a plan to eliminate drop boxes.
The lawsuit accuses Crocamo of violating state election law and says it will harm voting rights. The citizens are urging a county judge to stop her. Crocamo told The Associated Press that she is not making any public comments about the litigation.
The ACLU of Pennsylvania said she has no authority to pull what it calls “an end run around the Board of Elections.” The ACLU calls drop boxes a safe and easy option to vote by mail. It wants the four boxes to be restored and available in Luzerne County.
In addition, a nonprofit voting rights group in northeastern Pennsylvania, says there have been no substantiated cases of fraud involving drop boxes in the county.
Pennsylvania is a key battleground state in the presidential election. It also has an important U.S. Senate race.
New details in special counsel’s 2020 election case against Trump
We’re getting our most in-depth look so far at Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into former President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election. And there’s new skin in the game in the battle over who actually caught Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024.
New details in special counsel’s 2020 election case against Trump
The new filing, revealed Wednesday, Oct. 2, also claims Trump was “fundamentally” acting as a private candidate and not the President of the United States when he sought to overturn his loss.
The latest court filing comes in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling this past summer that said Trump had immunity for official actions taken while still in office. The filing also alleges the former president knew his claims about the 2020 election being stolen were lies, but he spread them anyways as a ploy to stay in power.
It also includes evidence of Trump’s phone usage during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021 — when, it claims, the former president was scrolling Twitter. The filing also claims Trump pressured then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject Electoral College votes.
“This was a weaponization of government and that’s why it was released 30 days before the election,” he said. “And it’s nothing new in there, by the way, nothing new. They rigged the election. I didn’t rig the election. They rigged the election.”
The new filing was unsealed just 33 days before the election coming up on Nov. 5.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to four criminal charges, accusing him of a conspiracy to obstruct the congressional certification of the election, attempting to defraud the U.S. out of accurate results and interfering with Americans’ voting rights.
At least 6 killed in Israeli strike on central Beirut
It comes after Israeli forces suffered their deadliest day on the Lebanese front since clashes with the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah started almost a year ago. At least seven Israeli soldiers died in Israel’s recent offensive.
Lebanese health officials say in addition to those killed, at least seven more people were wounded in what Israel says was a precise strike on Lebanon’s capitol, which happened not far from the Lebanese prime minister’s office.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army says it downed at least two drones and more than two dozen rockets fired from Lebanon Thursday.
FEMA warns of funding shortages for Hurricane Helene relief efforts
The death toll from Hurricane Helene has risen to at least 191 across six states, making it the second-deadliest U.S. Hurricane in the past 50 years, behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The storm hit Florida last week before sweeping through the southeast, causing widespread flooding and devastation, especially in North Carolina, where at least 95 people have died.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing critical supplies like meals, water, and generators, but Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has warned FEMA lacks sufficient funding to sustain relief efforts throughout the entire hurricane season. He stressed the need for additional funding, noting FEMA is meeting immediate needs but might not have the resources to continue if another storm hits.
Hurricane season runs from June through November, with most storms occurring in September and October.
Congress recently replenished $20 billion for FEMA’s disaster relief fund, but lawmakers may need to reconvene before the election to approve more money if necessary.
Since Helene hit, more than 150,000 households have registered for FEMA assistance and that number is expected to grow as damage assessments continue.
Prosecutors ask for indefinite delay in would-be Trump assassin’s trial
Federal prosecutors have asked for an indefinite delay in scheduling the trial for the man charged in an apparent assassination attempt on former President Trump. They say they’ve collected a “massive” amount of evidence since the Secret Service, with the help of local police in Florida, arrested Ryan Routh last month after authorities say an agent spotted him with a gun outside the Mar-a-Lago golf course where the former president was playing.
Prosecutors have asked the judge in the case to officially designate the case as “complex,” saying they’ve interviewed hundreds of witnesses across various states and have thousands of videos to review from electronic devices they’ve seized. They also say more than 100 outstanding subpoena returns are still pending.
According to the filing, Routh’s defense attorneys did not oppose the prosecutors’ request to delay the trial date. Routh’s lawyers have entered a not guilty plea on his behalf, on the attempted assassination charges.
ATF says broken power line caused deadly Maui wildfire
We now know what caused the massive and deadly wildfire in Maui, Hawaii that claimed 102 lives and caused more than $5 billion in damage. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives has classified the fire as accidental, saying it started when a re-energized broken power line sparked, igniting the fire in an unmaintained vegetation area.
ATF also ruled out the possibility there had been two separate fires saying definitively, “This, in fact, was one fire.”
More than 100 people died and flames destroyed much of the historic city of Lahaina. The fire also sparked other investigations centered on police response and the response from state and Maui county agencies.
Second fan files lawsuit over Ohtani’s historic home run ball
The battle over Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball has intensified. A second fan filed a lawsuit claiming ownership of the valuable souvenir.
The ball, hit during Ohtani’s historic Sept. 19 game for the L.A. Dodgers against the Miami Marlins, has reached about $1.5 million in auction bids.
Joseph Davidov, who filed the latest lawsuit in Florida, claims he had possession of the ball before another fan jumped on him, causing it to roll into the hands of Chris Belanski, who later auctioned it. Davidov is seeking more than $50,000 in damages.
This follows 18-year-old Max Matus’ earlier lawsuit, alleging Belanski forcibly took the ball from him during a scramble in the stands. Both fans are pursuing rightful ownership of the ball, which celebrates Ohtani’s achievement as the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season.
The ongoing legal disputes have delayed the auction, with a court hearing scheduled for Oct. 10. The ball’s rising value has garnered widespread attention, rivaling the $1.5 million sale of Aaron Judge’s American League record-breaking 62nd home run ball in 2022.
Appeals court rules betting on US elections can resume
A federal appeals court cleared the way on Wednesday, Oct. 2, for Americans to bet on the 2024 congressional elections. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) asked the appeals court to block the prediction exchange platform Kalshi from offering congressional control contracts.
The contracts allow buyers to bet on which political party will control the House and Senate after the November election. Kalshi sued the CFTC last year after the agency denied its application to list the contracts.
The CFTC claimed betting would negatively impact election integrity.
The court sided with Kalshi, ruling the CFTC had overstepped its authority.
Circuit Judge Patricia Millett said the concerns were “understandable”, but the ultimately the CFTC failed to prove that it or the public would be damaged by the betting.
The founder of Kalshi, Tarek Mansour posted the court’s decision on X and said “Kalshi prevails.”
The CFTC did not comment on the ruling.
Michigan voter denied ballot in 2022 settles lawsuit for $20,000
A western Michigan community has agreed to pay $20,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a woman who was denied a ballot in the 2022 midterm election despite being registered to vote. Ashleigh Smith of Muskegon County was repeatedly turned away from her polling place after officials failed to find her name in the voter database.
Smith visited her polling location multiple times on Nov. 8, 2022, but was told her address didn’t appear in the electronic voter roster.
Holton Township Clerk Jill Colwell-Coburn later apologized but said there was nothing more she could do.
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Smith, who had a voter registration receipt and a sticker on her driver’s license confirming her new address, could have been given a provisional ballot under Michigan law. Local officials also had the option to re-register her on-site, but neither solution was offered.
Smith’s attorney, Mark Brewer, said the case highlights the importance of ensuring voters are not turned away, especially when the issue could be quickly resolved.
“No voter should ever have to leave a polling place without voting,” Brewer said. He emphasized that changes in Michigan’s election laws provide safeguards for situations like Smith’s.
The township settled the case quickly, acknowledging that its actions were unjustifiable. However, in a March court filing, an attorney for the township and clerk argued that the officials acted in good faith and believed they were following the law.
Ballot drop box controversy in Wisconsin takes new turn as box returns
The controversy surrounding an absentee ballot drop box in Wausau, Wisconsin, took a new turn about a month before Election Day. The box is back and moored to the ground to comply with guidance from the Wisconsin Elections Commission and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
In September, Wausau Mayor Doug Diny removed the ballot drop box without consulting the city clerk, who has the authority to decide whether to have a ballot drop box available to citizens.
In the summer, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that drop boxes are legal, but the court left it up to local communities to decide whether to use them.
More than 60 towns, villages and cities in Wisconsin opted to use the absentee ballot boxes in the upcoming presidential election. The boxes are supported in heavily Democratic big cities such as Milwaukee and Madison.
Former President Donald Trump is slated to campaign in Wisconsin on Tuesday, Oct. 1. He has events scheduled at a manufacturing facility near Madison and a museum in Milwaukee.
DOJ sues Alabama over effort to remove 3,000 names from voter rolls
The Justice Department is suing the state of Alabama and Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, R, over voter rolls. The DOJ argues Alabama’s effort to remove more than 3,000 names from voter rolls violates federal law because it’s occurring within 90 days of the Nov. 5 general election.
Allen announced on Aug. 13 that the state would purge noncitizens from voter rolls. That announcement was made 84 days before Election Day, falling short of the 90-day threshold mandated by federal law.
The lawsuit alleges that Alabama’s program targets individuals previously issued noncitizen identification numbers by the Department of Homeland Security.
Some citizens, both natural-born and naturalized, reportedly received notifications indicating their status had been changed to inactive, raising questions about the accuracy of the state’s voter registration system.
The Justice Department contends that Allen’s actions violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which prohibits systematic voter roll changes within 90 days of a federal election, known as the “quiet period.”
The quiet period provision is designed to prevent errors and ensure eligible voters are not wrongfully removed from registration lists in the critical lead-up to an election.
Allen issued a statement the night of Friday, Sept. 27, saying, “I was elected Secretary of State by the people of Alabama, and it is my constitutional duty to ensure that only American citizens vote in our elections.”
The lawsuit seeks an injunction to reinstate the voting rights of eligible voters affected by the situation, allowing them to cast their ballots on Nov. 5.
RNC asks ‘pizzagate’ conspiracy theorist to train poll watchers
The Republican National Committee invited the far-right political activist known for helping spread the “pizzagate” conspiracy to an event on Sept. 4. He was asked to speak to GOP volunteers about how to monitor elections in Michigan.
During the 2016 presidential election, Jack Posobiec helped spread the false claim of a child trafficking ring involving prominent politicians being run out of a Washington, D.C., pizzeria.
According to the the New York Times, Posobiec criticized elections in the Democratic hub of Philadelphia at the RNC event.
He joked that officials in Venezuela learned how to conduct their elections, which are known for being corrupt, by visiting Philadelphia. The key to elections, he said, is that “it doesn’t matter who votes. It matters who counts the votes.”
He also said, “You need to think of yourself as the ground forces, as the army that’s going to be out there, the eyes and ears of the Trump campaign, of the Republican Party, that are there on the front line to say, ‘We are going to catch you and when we catch you, we’re going make a stink about it.’”
Posobiec stood by his comments in a statement that read, “I am proud to volunteer my time appearing at a poll watcher training for hard-working Americans who want to ensure the integrity of this election and that our election officials are held accountable to enforce the very laws that, when followed, inspire greater trust in our democratic institutions.”
A spokesman for Posobiec added that he has since called pizzagate a hoax. He also said that he generally seeks to express political humor and satire.
The RNC has not commented on what Posobiec said at the September event.
Smartmatic-Newsmax reach last-minute settlement in defamation suit
With jury selection underway on Thursday, Sept. 26, in voting machine company Smartmatic’s case against Newsmax over false claims of election fraud, the two parties announced that a settlement had been reached. However, the details of the settlement were kept private.
Newsmax released a statement saying that it’s “pleased to announce it has resolved the litigation,” while Smartmatic announced in a statement, “Lying to the American people has consequences. Smartmatic will not stop until the perpetrators are held accountable.”
The last-minute agreement avoids a trial destined to become a public spectacle. The voting tech company said that Newsmax knowingly aired false news of Smartmatic allegedly trying to swing the 2020 presidential election in President Joe Biden’s favor and spread lies about the company’s role in the election.
The Smartmatic-Newsmax case is one of multiple legal challenges stemming from conspiracy theories involving the 2020 presidential election.
Smartmatic provided voting services to just one California county in that election. However, the company got lumped in with Dominion Voting Systems in a series of false claims of voter fraud promoted by former President Donald Trump.
Newsmax argues that it was just covering allegations made by Trump and his allies, which cast doubt on the election results. The outlet said that the suit “threatens freedom of speech and freedom of the press.”
Smartmatic settled a similar defamation suit in April with One America News Network, which involved an undisclosed amount of money.
Meanwhile, a Smartmatic’s defamation case trial against Fox News and its parent company is set to get underway in New York in 2025.
A similar case brought against Fox News last year by Dominion Voting Systems resulted in the network agreeing to pay the tech company nearly $790 million in a lawsuit settlement. The deal was struck just minutes before opening statements were set to be made in the trial.
Absentee voting begins in Michigan, Trump prepares for rally in key state
Starting Thursday, Sept. 26, voters in Michigan are beginning to receive and cast their ballots in this year’s presidential election. The state’s 40-day absentee voting period is underway.
Back in 2018, voters statewide approved a measure to expand absentee voting to every registered voter. No specified reason had to be given as to why a voter could not make it to the polls on Election Day. The state has already sent out ballots to military members and others overseas.
Michigan is a key battleground state in this year’s presidential election with 15 electoral votes at stake. Voters are also weighing in on an important U.S. Senate race.
Two recent polls show Vice President Kamala Harris leading former President Donald Trump in Michigan by a slim two to three percentage points. Joe Biden won the state in 2020. Democrats consider it a critical part of their election plan, often referred to as the “Blue Wall” in the Midwest.
Trump is hoping to flip the state. He has a rally scheduled for Friday, Sept. 27, in Walker, Michigan and a town hall in Warren.
7 in 10 voters worried about violence post-election: Poll
A new poll revealed a significant number of voters are worried about violence following the 2024 presidential election. The survey, conducted by Quinnipiac University, found that 73% of likely voters expressed concern about politically motivated violence after election results are announced. In the same poll, 27% expressed little to no concern.
Democrats are most worried, with 90% responding “Yes.” Of Republicans, 59% said they are concerned.
On Jan. 6, 2021, rioters stormed the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., after former President Donald Trump lost the presidency in the 2020 election.
In August, President Joe Biden talked about whether he thinks there would be a peaceful transfer of power in January 2025.
“If Trump loses I’m not confident at all,” he said. “He means what he says. We don’t take him seriously. He means it. All the stuff about if we lose there’ll be a bloodbath.”
The Quinnipiac poll also found Trump had 48% backing from likely voters. Vice President Kamala Harris received 47%.
The survey included 1,728 people. Its margin of sampling error is +/- 2.4 percentage points.
