September 28, 2020

Voters struggling with witness rules in early voting

RALEIGH, N.C. — As the pandemic prompts a surge in voting by mail, voters in a handful of states, including the presidential battlegrounds of North Carolina and Wisconsin, are facing a requirement that already is tripping up thousands — the need to have a witness sign their ballot envelope.

A lack of a witness signature or other witness information has emerged as the leading cause of ballots being set aside before being counted in North Carolina, with problems disproportionately affecting Black voters in the state, according to an Associated Press analysis of state election data.

While there is a process for fixing the omissions, voting rights advocates say the numbers are an early warning sign that the extra step is becoming a barrier that could disenfranchise voters — and a potential source of legal battles in a tight race.

“People are confused by this whole witness requirement,” said Barbara Beckert, an advocate for Disability Rights Wisconsin, which was part of a lawsuit that unsuccessfully challenged the witness mandate. “Voting absentee is complicated. To get it right, you have to follow a lot of very specific rules.”



https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/voters-struggling-witness-rules-early-voting-n1241117

September 28, 2020

Northern Virginia voters pack recently opened early voting sites

Virginia voters have been packing polling sites since early voting began on Sept. 18.

“It’s much higher than we have seen in past years,” said Gary Scott, Fairfax County’s director of elections.

Socially distanced lines have stretched far into the Fairfax County Government Center’s courtyard as already-decided voters show up in droves.

As of Friday, Fairfax County has seen close to 16,000 people show up to cast a ballot or send one in, accounting for just under 3% of those registered to vote in the county.

“We didn’t expect a very heavy turnout for in-person early voting, and we’re adjusting to it,” Scott said.



https://wtop.com/virginia/2020/09/northern-virginia-voters-pack-recently-opened-early-voting-sites/

September 28, 2020

My Donation List For October

PRESIDENT:
You know. -

SENATE:
Barb Bollier
Steve Bullock
Theresa Greenfield


STATE LEVEL:
Arizona Legislative Democrats
Iowa House Democrats
Kansas House Democrats
Michigan House Democrats
Minnesota Senate Democrats
North Carolina House Democrats
North Caroline Senate Democrats
Texas House Democrats
Pennsylvania House Democrats
Pennsylvania Senate Democrats

September 28, 2020

Biden campaign releases new ad on Trump taxes

https://twitter.com/grace_panetta/status/1310405504196321285?s=21

September 28, 2020

Hillary warned us.

https://twitter.com/mayaharris_/status/1310370983514124288?s=21

September 28, 2020

AOC: I paid thousands of dollars a year in taxes *as a bartender.*

https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1310384989524185093?s=20

September 28, 2020

The Biden campaign already has stickers pivoting off the Times story on President Trump's tax return

https://twitter.com/DanielStrauss4/status/1310375706300477440?s=20

September 28, 2020

Former Trump campaign manager, Brad Parscale, armed, barricades self in Fort Lauderdale home, police

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Former campaign manager for Donald Trump, Brad Parscale, who was replaced by the President less than four month until November’s vote was reportedly armed with a gun and threatening to harm himself at his Fort Lauderdale home on Sunday afternoon.

Police have not confirmed that Parscale worked for Trump, but records confirm that the property in Fort Lauderdale is owned by Parscale and Local 10 has spoken to neighbors who also said it was the former advisor to the President.

Fort Lauderdale Police responded to a home in reference to an armed male attempting suicide Sunday afternoon. When officers arrived on the scene, they made contact with the wife of the man who told them her husband was armed, had access to multiple firearms inside the house and was threatening to harm himself. She had placed the 911 call.

Fort Lauderdale Police said that the armed subject was transported to Broward Health Medical Center where he was placed under a Baker Act.




https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/09/28/former-trump-campaign-manager-brad-pascale-armed-barricades-self-in-fl-home-police-called/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=snd&utm_content=wplg10

September 28, 2020

CO-SEN: Ethics group calls for transparency from Gardner over wife's oil and gas clients

A Democratic-aligned ethics watchdog group is raising questions about whether Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner has personally profited from oil and gas companies whose interests he has advanced in Congress.

A report, planned for release Friday, by the Congressional Integrity Project takes aim at High Plains Communications LLC, the small consulting firm owned by Gardner’s wife, Jaime, a former staffer for the U.S. Department of the Interior. Through the firm, Jaime Gardner has represented multiple clients with ties to the oil and gas industry, including the Consumer Energy Alliance, an “energy education” nonprofit funded by fossil-fuel companies.

“Given Cory Gardner’s previous position on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and his current position on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Coloradans deserve to know how his family finances are intertwined with his public policy positions,” the report says. “Instead, the Gardners are concealing information about their potential conflicts.”

Representatives for Gardner’s campaign, his Senate office and the Colorado Republican Party did not return requests for comment.

Cory Gardner has consistently reported income from High Plains Communications on his Senate financial disclosures, indicating that the Gardners received at least $1,000 in income from the firm in each of the last six years. Congressional ethics rules, however, do not require senators to disclose the exact amount of income their spouses received.



https://coloradonewsline.com/2020/09/25/democratic-aligned-ethics-group-calls-for-transparency-from-gardner-over-wifes-oil-and-gas-clients/

September 28, 2020

IA-SEN: Vulnerable GOP Sen. Joni Ernst Fails to Rationalize her Supreme Court Flip-Flop

Just two years ago, Joni Ernst was one of the rising stars of the Republican party and sure to be a fixture for years to come. Fast forward to 2020 and Ernst is now an extremely vulnerable incumbent. The majority of polls in her homestate of Iowa show her losing to Democrat Theresa Greenfield.

And Ernst didn’t do herself any favors over the weekend when she changed her tune on seating a Supreme Court Justice in an election year. When asked for the reason why, Ernst basically told reporters it was because Democrats were being unfair.

When Merrick Garland was nominated by Barack Obama in 2016, Ernst said, “In the midst of a critical election, the American people deserve to have a say in this important decision that will impact the course of our country for years to come. This is not about any particular nominee; rather this is about giving the American people a voice.”

The Iowa senator, however, said she has no problem voting on whatever candidate Trump puts forward. She explained, “What I’m hearing from Iowans is just that they’ve heard that (Senate Minority Leader) Chuck Schumer has made some pretty big threats months ago, even before any of this came up. And so they see this as a way to push back against the radicalization of our Supreme Court.”



https://hillreporter.com/vulnerable-gop-sen-joni-ernst-fails-to-rationalize-her-supreme-court-flip-flop-80078