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Nearly three-quarters of South Carolina election officials have quit

Building with "Early Voting Here" sign

A polling station in Bamberg,, S.C., home of Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley.

Luzia Geier/picture alliance via Getty Images

Norman is a graduate student at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Here in South Carolina, the spread of distrust in the integrity of voting has caused election administrators to quit at high rates.

According to Issac Cramer, executive director of the Charleston County Board of Elections, 70 percent of top election officials across the state have left their jobs because of threats to their safety and constant pressure from voters.


Even though there is no evidence of significant voter fraud or election rigging, former President Donlald Trump and many of his allies continue to insist that the 2020 election was stolen. His base would like to see enactment ofmore stringent voting laws to resolve what experts, and the courts, say is a nonexistent problem.

Election officials and volunteers insist that they do everything they can to ensure a fair election process. However, those reassurances have not eased the minds of Trump voters and groups like South Carolina Safe Elections. As politicians continue to push the narrative that elections are unsafe, it is hard to see an end to this problem.

Listen to the on-the-ground report for more details.

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Stolen Land, Stolen Votes: Native Americans Defending the VRA Protects Us All – and We Should Support Them

Wilson Deschine sits at the "be my voice" voter registration stand at the Navajo Nation annual rodeo, in Window Rock.

Getty Images, David Howells

Stolen Land, Stolen Votes: Native Americans Defending the VRA Protects Us All – and We Should Support Them

On July 24, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked a Circuit Court order in a far-reaching case that could affect the voting rights of all Americans. Native American tribes and individuals filed the case as part of their centuries-old fight for rights in their own land.

The underlying subject of the case confronts racial gerrymandering against America’s first inhabitants, where North Dakota’s 2021 redistricting reduced Native Americans’ chances of electing up to three state representatives to just one. The specific issue that the Supreme Court may consider, if it accepts hearing the case, is whether individuals and associations can seek justice under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). That is because the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, contradicting other courts, said that individuals do not have standing to bring Section 2 cases.

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New York City’s election has gotten a lot of attention over the last few weeks, and ranked choice voting is a big part of the reason why.

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New York City’s election has gotten a lot of attention over the last few weeks, and ranked choice voting is a big part of the reason why.

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In Part One, Pat Merloe explored the impact of the political environment, the need for constitutional defense against power-grabbing, and the malign effects of proof of citizenship on voting.

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Defend Democracy Against Bombardments on the Elections Front –A Three-Part Series
Voted printed papers on white surface

Defend Democracy Against Bombardments on the Elections Front –A Three-Part Series

In Part 1, Pat Merloe examines the impact of the political environment, the necessity of constitutional defense against power-grabbing, and the detrimental effects of proof of citizenship on voting.

Part One: Bellicose Environment, Constitutional Infringements, and Disenfranchisement by Proof of Citizenship

The intense MAGA barrage against genuine elections, leading up to 2024’s voting, paused briefly after Election Day - not because there was diminished MAGA hostility towards typically trustworthy processes and results, but mainly because Donald Trump won. Much valuable work took place to protect last year’s polls, and much more will be needed as we head toward 2026, 2028, and beyond.

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