Latest news with #electionsecurity
New York Times
02-06-2025
- General
- New York Times
Bulletproof Vests and Glass: South Korean Candidate Tightens Security
In a country that mostly outlaws guns, the front-runner for president has been campaigning for Tuesday's vote clad in a bulletproof vest and giving speeches behind bulletproof glass. Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the South Korean Democratic Party, has openly stepped up security to levels rarely seen in a South Korean election. Early in the campaign season last month, Mr. Lee took off his suit to unveil a white bulletproof vest before slipping on his party's blue jacket in front of his supporters. During one speech, he was yelled at by supporters imploring him to stay behind protective glass after he briefly stepped outside of its cover. His team has restricted access for journalists and has only allowed a select few to tag along as he toured the nation. Mr. Lee has reason to be concerned: He survived an attempted assassination last January when a man stabbed him in the neck after approaching him to ask for his autograph, in a worrying sign of how politically polarized the country had become. Last week, the National Police Agency said it had received nearly a dozen reports of online threats to kill Mr. Lee. One has been forwarded to prosecutors, an agency spokesman said. 'Threat levels for this election have been higher than those in the past,' said Professor Yoon Taeyoung, who specializes in terrorism, crisis management and national intelligence at Kyungnam University. Political violence is rare in South Korea, but there have been high-profile episodes of it. In 2006, former president Park Geun-hye —- who was then a lawmaker — suffered a four-inch cut to her face after a man attacked her with a knife. Her father, the strongman Park Chung-hee, was fatally shot by the chief of the Korea Central Intelligence Agency at a dinner in 1979. Most recently, Song Young-gil, the chief of the Democratic Party at the time, survived an attack to the head with a hammer in 2022. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark enters NM secretary of state race
May 30—SANTA FE — The open race to pick New Mexico's next top elections official will feature a Democratic primary showdown involving at least two county clerks. Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark recently announced her campaign for secretary of state, ending weeks of speculation. She joins Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda López Askin, who became the first candidate in the race when she announced her candidacy last month. In announcing her campaign, Clark cited her trip to Washington, D.C., earlier this year to advocate for the restoration of election security programs as part of the National Association of Counties Board of Directors. She said in a Friday interview she would push to expand voter education programs in high schools if successful in next year's election cycle, while also vowing to continue the work of outgoing Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver. "We want to make sure elections are protected," Clark told the Journal. Clark was first elected as Santa Fe County clerk in November 2020, and then won reelection to a second four-year term in 2024. Before that, she worked on political campaigns, including as a campaign manager, an experience she said gave her unique perspective about how elections are run. "The election administration should never be the reason a candidate wins or loses," Clark said. "Voters should decide whether a candidate wins or loses." She recently launched a TV ad campaign — in her role as county clerk — touting the ease of "pajama voting" for New Mexicans who request permanent absentee voter status. But she said the TV ads were launched before she announced her campaign, and not intended as a way to boost her political profile. Clark also said she believes she's the "best candidate" in the race, citing Santa Fe County's high voter turnout rate in recent election cycles, including a turnout of 75.1% of registered voters in last year's general election. Next year's secretary of state race will not feature an incumbent, as Toulouse Oliver is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term in office. Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, has served as secretary of state for eight-plus years. She was first elected to the office in 2016, following former Secretary of State Dianna Duran's resignation after being charged with using campaign funds to fuel a gambling habit. All New Mexico statewide offices will be on the ballot next year, including governor, attorney general and secretary of state. A Democrat has held the Secretary of State's Office for all but a few years in modern New Mexico history. When she won election in 2016, Duran became the first Republican elected to the office since 1929. After she resigned, fellow Republican Brad Winter served as secretary of state for one year after being appointed to the post by then-Gov. Susana Martinez.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark enters NM secretary of state race
May 30—SANTA FE — The open race to pick New Mexico's next top elections official will feature a Democratic primary showdown involving at least two county clerks. Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark recently announced her campaign for secretary of state, ending weeks of speculation. She joins Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda López Askin, who became the first candidate in the race when she announced her candidacy last month. In announcing her campaign, Clark cited her trip to Washington, D.C., earlier this year to advocate for the restoration of election security programs as part of the National Association of Counties Board of Directors. She said in a Friday interview she would push to expand voter education programs in high schools if successful in next year's election cycle, while also vowing to continue the work of outgoing Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver. "We want to make sure elections are protected," Clark told the Journal. Clark was first elected as Santa Fe County clerk in November 2020, and then won reelection to a second four-year term in 2024. Before that, she worked on political campaigns, including as a campaign manager, an experience she said gave her unique perspective about how elections are run. "The election administration should never be the reason a candidate wins or loses," Clark said. "Voters should decide whether a candidate wins or loses." She recently launched a TV ad campaign — in her role as county clerk — touting the ease of "pajama voting" for New Mexicans who request permanent absentee voter status. But she said the TV ads were launched before she announced her campaign, and not intended as a way to boost her political profile. Clark also said she believes she's the "best candidate" in the race, citing Santa Fe County's high voter turnout rate in recent election cycles, including a turnout of 75.1% of registered voters in last year's general election. Next year's secretary of state race will not feature an incumbent, as Toulouse Oliver is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term in office. Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, has served as secretary of state for eight-plus years. She was first elected to the office in 2016, following former Secretary of State Dianna Duran's resignation after being charged with using campaign funds to fuel a gambling habit. All New Mexico statewide offices will be on the ballot next year, including governor, attorney general and secretary of state. A Democrat has held the Secretary of State's Office for all but a few years in modern New Mexico history. When she won election in 2016, Duran became the first Republican elected to the office since 1929. After she resigned, fellow Republican Brad Winter served as secretary of state for one year after being appointed to the post by then-Gov. Susana Martinez.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nevada governor vetoes bill to expand mail drop boxes before Election Day
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed a proposal Thursday aimed at expanding ballot dropboxes. The proposal, Assembly Bill 306, would have required Clark County to establish 10 drop boxes be available between the end of early voting and the day before Election Day. The bill included smaller numbers for other counties. The proposal passed the Nevada Senate along party lines and in the Nevada Assembly with one Republican joining Democrats. 'Nevada is already among the easiest states in the nation to cast a vote,' Lombardo wrote in his veto message Thursday. 'AB 306 appears to be well-intentioned but falls short of its stated goals while failing to guarantee appropriate oversight of the proposed ballot boxes or the ballots cast. I believe additional election reforms should be considered as part of a larger effort to improve election security, integrity and allow Nevada to declare winners more quickly.' 'I am disappointed that Governor Lombardo vetoed AB306,' Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement. 'AB306 was a bipartisan measure aimed at ensuring that voters, especially working families, seniors, and those with disabilities, have secure and accessible ways to return their mail ballots between the end of early voting and election day, allowing election workers to count votes quicker. However, I remain committed to protecting Nevadans' right to vote in a safe and secure manner and I look forward to working with Governor Lombardo over the waning days of session to find a mutually acceptable compromise.' Speaking with the 8 News Now Investigators after the 2024 general election, Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, a Democrat, said Clark County's tabulation infrastructure and the rush of ballots received on Election Day were to blame for delays. Nevada state law requires all mail-in ballots to be mailed and postmarked by Election Day. There is then a four-day period after Election Day when county clerks can accept the postmarked ballots and process them. If the ballot does not have a postmark, county clerks can process ballots up to three days after Election Day. Measures the Nevada Legislature put in place in 2021, alongside the mail-in voting law, scrubbed voter rolls of non-eligible and deceased voters. Just over half of Nevada's ballots cast in the 2022 general election were mail ballots, according to a thorough study released by the federal government. The state and counties routinely clear their rolls of inactive voters. In recent sessions, Republicans and Lombardo have pushed for election-related changes without success in the Democratic-controlled Legislature. Close margins often decide Nevada elections: In 2022, Nevada Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo won by about 15,000 votes; Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto won by about 8,000 votes. In 2020, former President Joe Biden won by about 33,000 votes. Nevada voters can opt in or out of receiving a mail-in ballot at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark announces bid for secretary of state
Fresh off winning a second term in an uncontested race, Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark is setting her sights on a more high-profile post: New Mexico secretary of state. Clark declared her candidacy this week, making her the second Democrat to announce plans to run for a post that is second in the line of succession to the governor, after the lieutenant governor. Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda López Askin announced her candidacy last month. Like López Askin, Clark said she plans to stay on as county clerk as she campaigns to be New Mexico's top election officer. They are vying to succeed Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who is in her second and final term. So far, no Republicans have publicly announced they are entering the race. Clark, who said she is motived to run for the office to help protect voting rights in the face of election security funding cuts and other nthreats from the Trump administration, called herself the best candidate for the job and touted her accomplishments in the Santa Fe County Clerk's Office, national awards and "robust policy background." "I have completely overhauled this office, modernized it and won national recognition for all of my innovation," Clark, 43, said in a telephone interview Thursday, adding she has "loved being an election official at the county level." "But given the fact that there are voting rights being rolled back all over the country," she said, "I want to make sure that the strongest, most qualified candidate is holding this position." Clark, who holds dual bachelor's degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, in cognitive neuroscience and moral psychology, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of New Mexico, said she has had "several cycles of fairly flawless elections." "We have proven a very pro-voter attitude, which is we have a lot of innovations we would like to take statewide," she said. "We have the highest turnout of large counties in the state, which means that that's a very essential metric for how well you are building trust and interest in your electorate." Clark said the County Clerk's Office has won several national awards during her tenure. "I believe that I am the person because I have national connections, as well as a very robust policy background, that can do the best job of protecting the vote and making sure that everyone in New Mexico knows that their vote will count, and they can trust their elections," she said. While Clark submitted candidate committee registration paperwork to the Secretary of State's Office earlier this month and granted at least one news media interview about her intention run to become New Mexico's top election official, she made it Facebook official Wednesday. The news was shared later that evening at a Drag Bingo fundraiser for the Santa Fe Human Rights Alliance, where Clark is a member of the board. "If she is elected, and she will be, she will be the first [out] queer person in a major position in New Mexico government," Kevin Bowen, the organization's executive director, said to loud cheers and applause. Clark, who identifies as being "bisexual, pansexual," said being queer isn't necessarily a major part of her platform. "It's just who I am ... just like being a millennial," she said. Clark asked people in the crowd how many are registered to vote. "At this time, we have an administration in Washington that is trying to erase us," she said, referring to the administration of President Donald Trump — whose push to purge diversity, equity and inclusion content includes Department of Defense references to the Enola Gay aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Japan during World War II, and other files, simply because they contained the word "gay." Clark also pointed to a sweeping executive from Trump that would, among other provisions, require would-be voters to show a passport or similar document proving citizenship when registering to vote. "This is an administration that is determined to make sure that your voice cannot be heard," she said. "Can I get a commitment from all of you that you're going to make sure that you vote in every election?" In an interview, Clark said she serves on the executive committee of the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which provides strategic guidance to support the cybersecurity needs of election offices throughout the nation. "Our funding was cut [entirely] on Valentine's Day, and so what we're seeing is that elections are in danger under this administration," she said. "That was highly motivating to run for office to ensure that we're protecting the voters here in New Mexico."
