Latest news with #mailinballot
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal appeals court sides with Texas on ID requirements for voting by mail
A federal appeals court has upheld Texas' requirement that potential voters must list their identification information in their application for a mail-in ballot. In Texas, voting by mail is only available for certain groups of people, including elderly voters and people with disabilities. Under Senate Bill 1 passed in 2021, voters must also include an ID number — such as a driver's license number — on both the vote-by-mail applications and the mail-in ballots and both numbers need to match. Opponents of the law said this provision discriminated against voters with disabilities and that it would not meaningfully cut down on voter fraud. In a Monday ruling, a panel from the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the updated requirement does not violate federal law. It also reversed a lower court's decision. 'We have no difficulty concluding that this ID number requirement fully complies with a provision of federal law known by the parties as the materiality provision of the 1964 Civil Rights Act,' wrote Judge James Ho, a Trump appointee. Judge Patrick Higginbotham and Judge Don Willett, who were appointed under the Reagan and Trump administrations, respectively, joined Ho's ruling. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton lauded the ruling Tuesday. 'Voter ID is one of the most crucial tools in the battle against election fraud, and I'm pleased to see the court affirm our fundamental right to defend the integrity of our democratic process,' he said in a news release. Prior to this decision, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas had ruled in 2023 that the requirements infringed on the Civil Rights Act. Though later that year, Paxton's office was able to stop that decision from going into effect. These voter ID requirements were also the target of legal challenges from several civil rights groups, along with other provisions of SB 1. Groups that were part of this case — including the League of Women Voters of Texas, OCA-Greater Houston and Rev Up Texas — didn't immediately respond to comment requests from The Texas Tribune Tuesday. A recent study from the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School found that the state's requirements pushed many voters whose mail ballots or vote-by-mail applications were rejected during the 2022 primary to change their method — or not vote at all. Disclosure: League of Women Voters of Texas has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. The lineup for The Texas Tribune Festival continues to grow! Be there when all-star leaders, innovators and newsmakers take the stage in downtown Austin, Nov. 13–15. The newest additions include comedian, actor and writer John Mulaney; Dallas mayor Eric Johnson; U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota; New York Media Editor-at-Large Kara Swisher; and U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso. Get your tickets today! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase. Solve the daily Crossword
CTV News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Bloc member who lost by 1 vote considers ‘all options' after report of ballot problem
A Terrebonne woman's mail-in ballot was rejected due to an error by Elections Canada, leading the Liberal Party of Canada to win the riding by a single vote. The Bloc Québécois candidate for the Montreal-area riding of Terrebonne says she's considering her options after a judicial recount that saw her lose by a single vote. 'Following a judicial recount that caused a vote reversal as spectacular as unexpected, I owe it to myself to evaluate all the options before us,' Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné wrote on Facebook on Monday, adding, 'I'll keep you updated on the next steps.' Sinclair-Desgagné's statement comes as Elections Canada investigates a possible error involving an uncounted mail-in ballot from a Bloc voter in the riding. Voter Emmanuelle Bossé told Noovo Info that she mailed in her ballot in early April using an addressed envelope provided by Elections Canada, but it was returned to her as undeliverable. She told the outlets that she was voting for the Bloc Québécois. Elections Canada confirmed in an email that an error had occurred, adding that it was 'still working to gather the facts' about what happened. 'We can confirm that there appears to be an error with the return address printed on this elector's return envelope,' the agency wrote late Monday. 'Specifically, part of the postal code was wrong.' Liberal Tatiana Auguste was declared the winner over Sinclair-Desgagné by a one-vote margin after a judicial recount, in an election that returned the Liberals to power with a minority government on April 28. Both parties declined to comment, and Sinclair-Desgagné's statement did not specifically mention the uncounted ballot. Auguste was initially projected to win the riding by 35 votes after the election, but Sinclair-Desgagné, who was first elected in 2021, moved ahead by 44 votes following the required postelection validation process. The win was returned to Auguste on Saturday following the judicial recount, with Auguste receiving 23,352 votes and Sinclair-Desgagné receiving 23,351. The final result brought the Liberals to 170 seats in the House of Commons, two shy of the 172 needed for a majority government. The Bloc seat count fell to 22. Other judicial recounts are ongoing. READ MORE: Recount sees Liberals take Quebec riding of Terrebonne by single vote Julie Simmons, an associate professor of political science at the University of Guelph, described the one-vote margin as 'exceptionally unusual.' While the judicial recount represents the official final vote tally, she said there is still a process by which candidates or voters can apply to contest the election in court. During a contested election proceeding, a judge can rule on the eligibility of candidates 'or whether there were any other irregularities, fraud, or corrupt or illegal practices that affected the result of the election,' according to Elections Canada's website. While she's not a legal expert, Simmons said there could be a 'compelling' argument to be made for a contestation in this case because the vote was so close. A successful challenge would result in a byelection, she said. Heidi Tworek, the director of the centre for the study of democratic institutions at the University of British Columbia, said the 'twists and turns' in Terrebonne show there are processes in place to ensure the vote result is as accurate and transparent as possible. 'I think the key is A, this is extremely uncommon, and B, despite it being extremely uncommon there are lots of mechanisms to ensure the vote is free and fair,' she said. While 'all systems and all people' can occasionally make mistakes, 'the question is whether those are admitted, rectified, and you have processes in place to try and prevent them as much as you possibly can, and try to learn from them so the next time you prevent any of those kind of mistakes form happening,' she said. Richard Lacas, a resident of Terrebonne who voted in the election, said a byelection should be held to clarify the vote results. 'I think all of us in the riding will be left with a doubt if ever it isn't redone,' he said. 'We will have a doubt on whether there were others (whose votes weren't counted).' READ MORE: Double digit gains in Quebec help Liberals win minority government at expense of the Bloc Lacas, a staunch sovereigntist, voted Liberal for the first time in April because he believed the party was best-placed to stand up to the United States during the ongoing trade war. If a byelection were held, he said he'd go back to voting Bloc Québécois, as he has in previous elections, because a Liberal victory wouldn't be enough to secure a majority. 'I wanted the Liberal party to get in, and it's what happened, so after that I'd come back to my old love and return to the Bloc,' he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2025.
CBC
13-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
1 vote flipped Quebec's Terrebonne riding Liberal. But the story may not be over yet
A Terrebonne, Que., resident says her mail-in ballot could've made the difference, but it didn't count because it was returned to the sender. There was an error in the label with the address that Elections Canada provided. Elections Canada says it's investigating and acknowledges that the postal code printed on the envelope was wrong.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
This Week in Pennsylvania: Al Schmidt talks upcoming primary election
(WHTM) – On This Week in Pennsylvania, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt is reminding voters of important deadlines before the May 20 primary election. Last day to request a mail-in or absentee ballot in Pennsylvania is May 13, 2025. Because Pennsylvania has closed primaries, registered Republicans will receive a ballot with only Republican candidates, and registered Democrats will only be able to vote for Democrats. Polls are open on Election Day from 7 A.M. – 8 P.M. This year's primary features several mayoral races, including in Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Pittsburgh, where the primary will likely decide the general election winner. Every week, This Week in Pennsylvania gives a comprehensive look at the week's biggest news events in Pennsylvania, provided by the abc27 News team, along with the latest updates on local stories. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Check your local listings for weekly air times. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
