It’s unclear what the DOJ’s next move is, but local clerks are gearing up for what comes next.

The city added five ballots rejected under a clerk’s unusually strict standard, but says it’s still weighing whether to follow the standard in future elections.

Dane County will appeal an order to remove 23 late-arriving Madison absentee ballots, asking courts whether votes delayed by clerk error should be counted.

The Voting Rights Act helped Latino and Black voters gain representation in city and school boards across the state, but now that could change.

Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act has for decades empowered voters and candidates of color in Texas.

Jocelyn Benson is developing a plan to avoid conflicts of interest in the administration of the 2026 election.

Michigan stripped Stephanie Scott of her election powers and charged her with felonies, but a judge has ruled she did nothing wrong.

Florida is the eighth state to draw a new congressional map for the 2026 election, a modern record. More will probably follow.

Pennsylvania auditor general says Motor Voter system works, but improvements needed

The court’s decision means voters who show up at the wrong polling place in Pinal County may be out of luck.

The state says Victoria Bishop could face criminal charges if she doesn’t stop trying to deregister voters.

Madison counted 23 late ballots, while Mequon rejected five valid ones, prompting state officials to order changes.

Today the U.S. Supreme Court changed how race can be considered in political maps. It's probably going to change how we make our maps from the federal level to the local — but we have to see how soon it'll do that. New over on @votebeat.org: www.votebeat.org/michigan/202...

Since at least 2024, the Mequon city clerk has applied an unusually strict standard to determine the validity of a witness address on an absentee ballot certificate, rejecting the ballots that she finds provide insufficient information. bit.ly/3RcSyER

The Supreme Court’s recent decision to weaken the landmark law, which aimed to limit racial discrimination in voting, is likely to ripple into the next redistricting cycle in the battleground state.

Mequon’s clerk rejected ballots from places like Fox Point — even though those municipalities are uniquely named and should have met her own standard.

The state’s geography and politics limit the usefulness of trying to draw racially gerrymandered districts

The decision could prompt challenges to school district and Milwaukee city council boundaries

The ruling struck down Louisiana’s congressional map, but with primaries looming, most states don’t have time to redraw maps before the 2026 elections. bit.ly/4uoDK4F

One independent redistricting commissioner told Votebeat she wouldn’t be surprised if the commission was called back soon.

The decision makes it harder to challenge political maps for being racially discriminatory. Here’s what it means for the 2026 elections.

Louisiana's gonna have to redraw its congressional map (tricky because the primary is in 2.5 weeks!). But no other state's map is illegal under this decision. Other states may WANT to redraw now, but it's so late in the year—it's gonna be very hard for most of them.

The decision does not throw out the Voting Rights Act entirely, but it appears to raise the bar for enforcing it. You now need to prove that the map *intentionally* prevents minorities from electing their preferred candidates.

The Supreme Court has ruled in Callais v. Louisiana. It's a 6-3 ruling along ideological lines that throws out Louisiana's congressional map as a racial gerrymander.

NEW: U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich has dismissed a DOJ lawsuit over Arizona’s voter rolls. Her ruling deals another blow to the Trump administration’s nationwide efforts to compel states to turn over full, unredacted lists of registered voters. Read: www.votebeat.org/arizona/2026...

Even after this year’s chaos, lawmakers are unlikely to curb parties’ sway over primary elections.

The order dealt another blow to the Department of Justice’s nationwide efforts to compel states to turn over unredacted lists of registered voters.

If you did miss it, it's probably because you're not signed up for Votebeat's free weekly newsletter! You can fix that here: www.votebeat.org/subscribe/

The Mequon fight centers on who can reject ballots — and who gets the final say.

See the demonstration for yourself right here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_WW...

ICYMI, I took an early look at this fall's races for the top election official in each state (usually—but not always!—the secretary of state): www.votebeat.org/national/202...

The state has already spent $1.4 million to upgrade the 20-year-old system, which is reportedly prone to crashing.

The suspicious applications were discovered just before the 2024 election and fueled accusations of voter fraud.

Democratic-controlled Navajo County needed a new recorder. They picked a Republican legislator who might not even be eligible for the job.

After the legislature failed to approve a new voting system, Georgia counties need emergency intervention to keep running elections.

Pennsylvania auditor general says Motor Voter system works, but improvements needed

As Wisconsin wrestles with unprecedented clerk turnover, the county is taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to keep new clerks in the field.

Voters? Confused. Local clerks? Irritated? But Antrim County Clerk Victoria Bishop says she has a "decisive directive." Here's what we at @votebeat.org know a week after breaking the story that the MI Bureau of Elections is asking Bishop to explain her actions: www.votebeat.org/michigan/202...

Should counties outright reject voter applications with mismatched data? A lawsuit before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court says yes.

Voters don’t know why they’re on the receiving end of Victoria Bishop’s quest to cancel their registrations.

The decision came at the end of a long, tense meeting. About 20 people spoke on the item, split on whether the board should or shouldn’t pursue an appeal. Heap attended and spoke, saying: “It’s time for us to put aside our past disagreements,” and focus on the 2026 election.

LAST CHANCE! Join us today to learn about the enduring consequences of the 2000 election and how it relates to the 2026 midterms. RSVP for free here: www.eventbrite.com/e/how-the-20...

Some Dallas Republicans want a court to force the elections department to set aside an agreement to use countywide voting sites on May 26. More from @nataliaecm.bsky.social here: bit.ly/4tozPEx

A former party chair agreed to use countywide voting for the runoff after a switch to precincts confused voters in the primary, but some Dallas Republicans want a court to intervene.

The Department of Justice has already gotten voter data from 12 states. A new lawsuit would force them to delete it.

In three days, join us to learn about how the 2000 election reshaped how America runs elections. You'll hear from election law scholar Rick Hasen and long-time Florida election administrator Paul Lux. Save your spot for free here: www.eventbrite.com/e/how-the-20...

I investigated the concerns raised by officials. I found: 🗳️ The criticisms appeared false or lacked context. ❓ They raise questions about how effectively officials will be able to administer 2026 elections. 😨 They could exacerbate voters’ fears of election malfeasance. Read ⬇️

New over on @votebeat.org: The DOJ wants Wayne County to turn over all its 2024 ballots. But Wayne County doesn't have any of them. In Michigan, counties don't run elections like in other states. It's the local clerks that store the ballots. www.votebeat.org/michigan/202...

BREAKING: Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney has ruled on the nearly yearlong legal battle between the Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap and the Board of Supervisors. Heap largely won out. Blaney ordered the board to return IT staff to his office. The ruling: www.documentcloud.org/documents/28...

This is the latest push by the Trump administration to assert federal oversight over how elections are administered in a critical swing state. It’s also the first known instance of the Justice Department demanding ballots and other materials from the 2024 election, which President Donald Trump won.