DENVER -- A majority of voters across party lines say they want the option to mail in their ballots during the pandemic, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos polL, and many states are giving Colorado's all-mail ballot voting model a harder look.
Since 2014, all registered voters in Colorado have received ballots by mail.
Amanda Gonzalez, executive director of Colorado Common Cause, says the state's system shows that when voters can mail in ballots, cast ballots at any center in their county and drop ballots off before or after work, people want to vote.
"When they have several weeks of early voting available, it's not just one day," she points out. "They participate in our system. And when they turn in their ballots, we get better policies, we get more accountable politicians, and that's good for all of us."
Last week President Donald Trump received a fact-check notice for a tweet he sent out warning of widespread fraud if states roll out vote-by-mail options before the November election. Others have called for witnesses and notaries for mail-in ballots.
According to a Denver Post report, a tiny fraction of 1% of all votes cast in 2018 in Colorado were flagged by election officials to be investigated for fraud.
Gonzalez says voter participation increased by almost 10% after the state switched to an all-mail system, while other states saw declines. She notes increased voter turnout has not favored one political party over another.
But Gonzalez agrees that it's important to have security features in place, such as matching signatures on ballots with handwriting samples.
"But a signature verification and an attestation does really well in Colorado," she notes. "I think that when you talk about needing a notary or a witness, you're creating barriers to voting that really disenfranchise whole communities."
After the Wisconsin Supreme Court blocked an effort to enable remote voting in the state's April primary, it's estimated that 67 voters and workers were infected by COVID-19.
While delivery options and restrictions vary, voters in all 50 states currently have the right to request a ballot by mail.
Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
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This coming Saturday, North Dakotans will get a chance to see how election workers go to great lengths to ensure a safe and secure voting process. Those hosting a film screening say the timing is crucial given the current political environment.
The League of Women Voters is offering a free viewing of the documentary "No Time to Fail" in Bismarck - and virtually, too.
The film provides a behind-the-scenes look at election staff in Rhode Island, at the height of the pandemic during the 2020 vote.
Kathy Tweeten is president of the League's Bismarck-Mandan chapter. She said she thinks the project dispels misinformation still being floated out there, such as electronic machines compromising elections.
"It's a paper ballot that's put in the machine," said Tweeten, "which counts the votes, and it's still available for auditing after Election Day and all the ballots have been cast."
There's an effort to get a ballot question before North Dakota voters, asking to overhaul election policies, such as banning the machines.
And the League recently took legal action to block a lawsuit seeking to limit the counting of mail-in ballots. Those behind such efforts often cite the need to bolster election integrity.
Meanwhile, the screening begins at 1 p.m. in the North Dakota Heritage Center. It also will be shown online at that time.
Nationwide, analysts say the fallout from the 2020 election has fueled more hateful rhetoric toward election workers, making recruitment harder. Tweeten said she hopes the film inspires more people to take on these roles.
"It's not an easy job but it's a very rewarding one," said Tweeten. "And I hope more people will take the opportunity to work at the polls or at least become an observer, so you know what's going on."
She reinforced what other election experts have noted: These workers are part of the communities they serve, and they receive training before helping out at a polling site.
After Saturday's film screening, there will be a panel discussion including election staff and the McKenzie County Auditor.
Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
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It's Hispanic Heritage Month, and one Nevada organization wants Latinos to realize the power they can have when they are more politically engaged. The U.S. Census Bureau says Hispanics and Latinos make up over 30% of the state's population.
With the group Battle Born Progress, Latino Anti-Disinformation Manager Maite Guerra said politicians are already campaigning around this fact for the next elections.
Guerra added that the Nevada Hispanic population is hungry for reputable information and resources, especially in their native Spanish. So, Battle Born Progress is now working on an information hub for Spanish speakers across the Silver State.
"While it's not up yet, it is something we are planning to do," said Guerra. "Something else that we are doing is fact checking a lot of right-wing politicians - so, just making sure that what is being said in the political sphere is accurate, and not targeting our community."
Guerra said having accurate, accessible information is critical.
The Latino research organization Equis released a report exploring 2022 voting trends and how those portend for 2024.
It found Latino voters who see the economy as their top issue voted overwhelmingly Republican, but at lower than expected rates.
Those who prioritize abortion access were a smaller group and voted Democrat - but at higher than predicted rates.
Guerra said one of her organization's partners, Make the Road Nevada, will hold an immigrant career summit this month to help empower the Latino community.
Topics will include everything from how to get a business license to becoming familiar with the citizenship solicitation process.
"I think a lot of people maybe don't know how to take that step on how to become a citizen," said Guerra. "Being able to provide those resources is really important, and I think overall builds engagement towards our community, because I think it shows that we care."
Guerra encouraged Nevadans to enjoy the Hispanic Heritage Month events happening around the state - but to also not forget that learning more about their local issues and politics will be helpful year-round.
Disclosure: Battle Born Progress - Institute for a Progressive Nevada contributes to our fund for reporting on Civic Engagement, Environment, Gun Violence Prevention, Health Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
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Across Utah, 10 cities will be using ranked choice voting in the general election in November.
In 2018, Utah passed a bill to establish a pilot program in which cities could use ranked choice voting.
Kelleen Potter, executive director of Utah Ranked Choice Voting, said the voting method "allows voters to express their will more fully." She pointed out ranked choice voting also encourages civility, especially among candidates who can work to appeal to more voters when they're looking to secure second- and third-choice support.
"So instead of this 'all or nothing' -- 'they're my friend, they're my enemy' -- you start looking at it differently, as a candidate and as a voter, where we're trying to come to a consensus and solve the problems we have in our jurisdictions, in our cities," Potter outlined.
Potter is convinced ranked choice voting is positive for democracy. In order for any candidate to be elected, they must receive 50% of the votes, unlike the current voting system. Potter added no voting method is perfect and said they are trying to educate Utahns and elections officials, some of whom have argued it is too confusing.
So far, they have found younger voters seem to be embracing the idea of ranked choice voting. Potter, who has run for public office herself, said the method is gaining popularity, but is taking longer in more conservative states. However, according to FairVote.org, Utah has the most cities of any state to be using ranked choice voting.
"We saw that in every city, over 50% of the voters liked it, and that ranged up to the 80s and 90s in some cities," Potter reported. "We find that voters, after they've used it, and it doesn't seem so scary, and they go, 'Oh yeah, this makes sense to me.' They tend to really like it."
Potter contended ranked choice voting also saves cities money by only needing to hold one general election in November, rather than an August primary followed by another election in November.
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