skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

GOP Request for Poll-Watcher Change Rejected

play audio
Play

Friday, November 4, 2016   

PHILADELPHIA – A federal judge has denied the GOP's challenge to Pennsylvania's poll-watching law. Republicans filed their lawsuit just two weeks ago, claiming a provision of the state law controlling the placement and activities of poll watchers is unconstitutional. The ruling said the request was not timely, not in the public interest and failed to meet the standard for last-minute action by the court.

Adam Gitlin, counsel with the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, calls the ruling "decisive."

"Unless there is some emergency appeal that the GOP is successful with, the restriction that said poll watchers have to be from their home county will stand on election day," he said.

The Republicans claim that additional poll watchers are needed to prevent voter fraud but have not produced evidence that voter fraud actually is a problem.

Gitlin said laws in place to protect the integrity of the voting process are up to the task, as shown by the recent arrest of a woman in Iowa who attempted to vote twice, for Donald Trump.

"These processes work, and therefore it's no surprise that there really is very little evidence of successful voter fraud," he added. "You're more likely to be struck by lightning than commit voter impersonation."

Federal courts repeatedly have found that actual voter fraud is extremely rare.

Meanwhile, Democrats in Pennsylvania and other states have filed federal lawsuits seeking to prevent voter intimidation by Republicans. Gitlin notes that comments in social media and other venues have raised concerns that private individuals or poll watchers challenging voters at the polls may go beyond what is allowed by law.

"That doesn't mean we know they're going to do it but there's more indication than there has been in previous elections that potentially intimidating behavior is going to happen," he explained.

Gitlin emphasizes that claims of a "rigged" election or suggestions of voter intimidation should not deter people from exercising their right to vote.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021