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from: CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY and ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE, Associated Press
Posted: 11/02/2021 12:25 AM CDT
Updated: 11/02/2021 / 1:12 AM CDT
Early ballot papers waiting to be processed by electoral judges in Jefferson County, Colorado, Election Department, Tuesday, October 26, 2021, in Golden, Colorado. Officials highlighted the steps that have been taken to ensure the election runs seamlessly. (AP photo / David Zalubowski)
ATLANTA (AP) – The US elections on Tuesday will be the first to test new election restrictions in some Republican-controlled states and give election officials a chance to counter a year’s misinformation about election security.
Officials said the demonstration of safer, more consistent and fair practices could help reassure those who still have doubts about last year’s presidential election as they begin preparing for next year’s midterm elections.
“It’s a great dress rehearsal for 2022,” said Minnesota’s Secretary of State Steve Simon.
Much of the focus will be on Virginia and New Jersey, where voters cast their votes for gubernatorial and other statewide races. For the rest of the country, voters made a choice in a variety of local races ranging from mayors and city councilors to school boards and loyalty programs. Voters in Maine, New York, Texas, and a few other states considered voting on a variety of issues.
For some, the voting experience will be different than last year, when officials made pandemic-related changes to make it easier for voters to avoid overcrowded polling stations. Some states made these changes permanent while others rolled back some of them.
In Virginia, lawmakers last year permanently expanded postal voting by no longer requiring an apology. But a witness signature on postal ballot papers waived last year is back, and officials have been working to contact voters who cast ballot papers without them. These voters have until Friday to resolve the issue or their ballots will not be counted.
In some states, voters were faced with stricter electoral rules due to laws passed in politically Republican-controlled states. These include Florida and Georgia, where voters are faced with new ID requirements for using postal ballot papers.
Republicans have said their changes are needed to improve security and public confidence after the 2020 presidential election. They acted as former President Donald Trump continued his false claims that the election was stolen despite no evidence of widespread fraud.
These claims were denied by judges and electoral officials from both parties, who upheld the results, and by Trump’s own attorney general, who said federal law enforcement agencies had not seen any fraud to the extent that the election might have been different.
Suffrage groups said there are several hotlines available to help voters who have questions or problems with elections or their postal votes. Damon Hewitt, whose group leads the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said Tuesday presented an important test.
“It’s a test for voters to run the gauntlet to find out about these new rules and restrictions,” Hewitt said. “And to be honest, it is also a test for our democracy: how strong can it be, and are we prepared to tolerate these efforts to make it difficult for people to vote.”
Tuesday will also be an opportunity for election officials to educate voters on how the system works and counter the misinformation that is still happening around the 2020 presidential election. False claims have resulted in harassment and even death threats against state and local election officials.
“We need to do more to fight it, move forward and educate the public openly about the electoral process,” said Amber McReynolds, former Denver poll worker and CEO of the National Vote at Home Institute. “Because one of the reasons there is disinformation and it has flowed like this is that the vast majority of Americans don’t understand how the electoral process works.”
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Izaguirre reported from Tallahassee, Florida.
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https://www.kxan.com/news/political-news/elections-across-us-showcase-security-steps-new-voting-laws/
