Voter

• State election officials are mailing 88-page voter information guides this week to prepare citizens for nine upcoming ballot questions. • The Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled Tuesday that an Augusta District Court wrongly terminated a mother's parental rights because she lacked affordable housing. • These rulings and guides directly impact the legal rights of parents in Maine and the voting decisions of the state's electorate.

• A new Fox News survey reveals Donald Trump's job approval has fallen to 39% ahead of the House election. • Democrats now lead Republicans by 15 points regarding which party voters trust more to handle the economy. • This shift in economic trust and a 26-point endorsement gap may create challenges for GOP candidates seeking office.

• The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an attempt by the Trump administration to limit mail voting through new Postal Service regulations for the midterm elections. • The blocked plan would have allowed the Postal Service to refuse delivery of ballots to states that failed to use a uniform envelope style or submit voter lists to a new online portal. • This decision prevents the potential disenfranchisement of millions of voters in an election that will determine which party controls Congress.

• The State Election Commission released data on Saturday showing voter turnout rose to 73.5% across 309 urban local body elections. • This represents a 1.72 percentage-point increase over the 71.8% polling recorded during the previous election cycle. • The Jaipur Municipal Corporation saw its specific turnout rise to 63.5% from 58% in the 2020 elections held during the pandemic.

Prosecutors say James Brass orchestrated scheme to pay people on LA’s Skid Row to duplicate registered voters’ signaturesA California ballot petition worker has been arrested and charged with identity fraud for allegedly paying people on Los Angeles’ Skid Row to forge the signatures of registered voters.Prosecutors say James Brass, 47, orchestrated the scheme with the help of two signature collectors, 49-year-old Courtney Price and 33-year-old Jateisha Herron. Continue reading...

• The Trump administration directed officials in more than two dozen states to preserve all records from the 2024 election. • This order is part of a broader campaign to force states to turn over detailed voter records despite the administration facing repeated court losses. • State officials must now maintain these documents to ensure data is available if the Justice Department successfully overcomes legal hurdles to obtain the information.

• The U.S. Department of Justice sent letters to election officials in 30 states demanding they retain and hand over sensitive voter data. • These letters cite the enforcement of election rules under the Civil Rights Act, despite previous court rulings denying the federal government permission to collect this state data. • Election officials from both Republican and Democratic parties described the DOJ's communications as threatening.

• Voters in Germany have expressed significant dissatisfaction with the current political landscape, particularly with regard to the country's stance on Europe. • The rise of the right-wing ultra-nationalist AfD party has sent a ripple of unease through German society, evoking memories of the country's past experiences with extremist ideologies. • This shift in voter sentiment could have significant implications for the future of European integration and cooperation, potentially influencing the balance of power within the EU.

Centrist Chris Pappas faces progressive primary challenger Karishma Manzur while Republicans eye chance to flip seatNew Hampshire voters head to the polls Tuesday for primaries that will set up a closely watched Senate contest – a vulnerable open seat Democrats must defend if they are to have any shot at reclaiming the upper chamber.The race opened when Jeanne Shaheen, 79, the state’s three‑term incumbent Democratic senator, announced her retirement. Congressman Chris Pappas, who represents New Hampshire’s first district, is seeking the nomination and enters the final stretch with a clear financial edge: more than $4m cash on hand, according to his latest filings. But his main challenger, Dr Karishma Manzur – a scientist and progressive activist with no experience holding public office – has gained ground. Continue reading...

Nearly half of respondents say spending on personal independence payments should be increasedThere is little appetite for cuts to disability benefits even among Conservative and Reform voters, and proposals to reduce spending could prove politically risky, according to an authoritative national survey.The British Social Attitudes (BSA) report found that while support for welfare spending as a whole had dipped sharply in recent years, just 7% of respondents backed cuts to disability benefits – and 49% said they should be increased. Continue reading...

Latest data from Gallup, showing 49% leaning Democrat and 39% Republican, marks sharp reversal from 2024More voters are identifying as Democrats and shying away from calling themselves Republican, according to the latest quarterly data published by Gallup.Some 49%of voters surveyed leaned Democrat, including independent voters asked to pick one party or the other. Only 39% of respondents leaned Republican. Continue reading...

Changes include fewer seats in parliament and new rules on presidential candidates ahead of December electionsGuinea-Bissau voters have approved a new constitution significantly expanding presidential powers ahead of elections due in December.According to provisional results, 70% of voters approved sweeping changes in the tiny west African state’s first constitutional amendment since revisions that ended the one-party socialist state more than three decades ago. Continue reading...

Even after a week in which Pauline Hanson and One Nation candidates tripped over themselves trying to explain key policies, voters still backed the partyThe One Nation hype machine went into overdrive after Saturday’s Secret Harbour byelection but one thing is clear from the thumping victory.Despite the party’s sustained surge in public support, Labor and the Coalition still don’t have any idea how to calm an angry electorate and dint support for Pauline Hanson and her insurgent movement. Continue reading...

Exclusive: internal correspondence reveals USCIS anti-fraud officers shifted on to two ‘high-priority’ initiativesAll US immigration officers working for a key anti-fraud unit have been reassigned by Donald Trump’s administration to focus on screening South African refugees and alleged “unlawful” voters.Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS) immigration officers have been shifted full-time on to two “high-priority” initiatives, according to internal correspondence seen by the Guardian, leaving US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) unable to provide officers to train asylum officers in “the near future”. Continue reading...

Michigan Senate nominee and others have re-energized one-time Democratic voters who abandoned the party under BidenTwo years ago, Zainab Bibi Ahmed thought she had turned her back on the Democrats for good. Now, she is volunteering for the party’s US Senate nominee in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed.Ahmed was one of 100,000 people to vote uncommitted in the February 2024 Democratic Michigan primary, in a bid to send a message to then US president Joe Biden about his support for Israel, as people watched what Amnesty International later called a “live-streamed genocide” in Gaza on their screens. Continue reading...

The department told Nevada officials that the 15,903 figure registered was ‘preliminary’ and more than 14,000 names still needed reviewAbout a month after alleging Nevada had as many as 16,000 non-citizens on its voter rolls, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials admitted they had confirmed that only 185 were actually non-citizens, according to records obtained by the Guardian.In a primetime TV address on 16 July, Donald Trump claimed that a DHS review had found about 278,000 non-citizens registered to vote in four states. Continue reading...

• The Michigan senate race has become a toss-up as Democratic candidate El-Sayed faces declining support among Black voters. • While Donald Trump's approval ratings are dropping among Hispanic and young voters—potentially benefiting Democrats—the erosion of the Black vote remains a critical challenge. • These shifting demographics are reshaping the electoral landscape in key battleground states, specifically affecting senate races in Michigan and Texas.

• Voters in Alaska, Florida, Wyoming, and California’s 14th District are heading to the polls for various election contests. • In Florida, voters are determining which candidates will appear on the November ballot to succeed Governor Ron DeSantis. • In Texas, Democratic candidate James Talarico has hired Jacob Smith, a former deputy legislative director for Senator John Cornyn, to aid his tight race against Attorney General Ken Paxton.

• Voters in Alaska, Florida, Wyoming, and California’s 14th District are heading to the polls for various election contests. • In Florida, voters are determining which candidates will appear on the November ballot to succeed Governor Ron DeSantis. • In a separate development, Democratic candidate James Talarico hired Jacob Smith, a former deputy legislative director for Republican Senator Cornyn, to aid his campaign against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

• Attorney General Todd Blanche stated in a Sunday interview that he may escalate the Trump administration's lawsuits to the Supreme Court to obtain voter rolls from several states. • This move is part of a broader strategy by the second Trump administration to challenge existing voting rights and seek federalized control over election processes. • The legal battle matters as it represents a significant shift in the balance of power between state and federal authorities regarding voter data and election administration.

• Poland's Agriculture Minister Stefan Krajewski announced that the country will maintain its ban on Ukrainian grain imports to protect local farmers. • This move reflects a broader trend where voters feel mainstream European politicians have failed to address critical daily struggles. • The shift highlights a growing disillusionment with the political center, fueling the rise of right-wing parties like Meloni's in Italy, Le Pen's in France, and the AfD in Germany.

With questions over Farage’s finances and a new face in No 10, could Barnsley council be a bellwether for changing Labour fortunes?Labour marked its worst performance in more than 50 years when voters went to the polls in Barnsley in May, but 100 days on from those seismic local elections, the political landscape has shifted drastically.Could the South Yorkshire town, where Reform UK reaped the benefits of dissatisfaction with Labour, prove to be a test case for whether the governing party has turned the tide? Continue reading...

• A new study reveals that a record number of Americans are identifying as political independents due to growing frustration with their own party's candidates and platforms. • Analyzing data from 2016 through 2022, researchers found that in-party dissatisfaction is the primary driver for shedding party labels, rather than a fear of social judgment. • The findings indicate that voters are moving away from their parties because they view them more negatively, while positive feelings toward opposing parties play only a minimal role.

• A new poll indicates that U.S. voters are increasingly dissatisfied with the current two-party system and are open to significant electoral reforms. • Many respondents support transitioning to proportional representation, a system where multiple representatives are elected per district based on a party's total vote share. • This shift is seen as a way to reduce the fear among sitting members of Congress that they will lose their seats during elections.

• A new poll backed by election reformers reveals that a majority of Americans are frustrated with the current two-party system and are open to significant structural changes. • Voters expressed support for transitioning to proportional representation, a system where multiple representatives are elected per district based on a party's overall share of the vote. • This shift matters as it could break the existing political duopoly and allow smaller parties to gain a foothold in the U.S. government.

• President Trump and his top aides remain bullish on the expansion of data centers despite growing national blowback and voter anxiety regarding the facilities. • In a shift from a previously hands-off approach, the White House recently prepared a plan to monitor specific AI models to prevent the creation of security vulnerabilities. • The new monitoring framework was developed in coordination with major industry leaders, including Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI.

• Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and his Democratic colleagues successfully blocked the advancement of the SAVE Act in the U.S. Senate. • The legislation, supported by Donald Trump and Senate Republicans, is characterized by Democrats as a voter suppression effort. • This move marks another defeat for the bill, which Republicans prioritize while Democrats argue the focus should remain on addressing skyrocketing costs for American families.

• Tennessee voters are casting ballots in midterm primary elections to select candidates for governor and various congressional seats. • Simultaneously, GOP senators are voting on whether to hold former health official Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. • Legal experts, including Guttentag, are criticizing efforts to deny citizenship to those entitled under the 14th Amendment, labeling such moves as "political stunts."