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Move to revamp elections in Orange County faces GOP resistance

Supervisors in California's Orange County are set to reconsider a proposed sweeping overhaul of election procedures, including the elimination of precinct polling places in favor of voting centers.

Proponents say the switch, which could be implemented in time for the 2020 primaries, would save $29 million annually while making it more convenient to cast ballots in the third biggest (and most politically competitive) county in the most populous state. They also say it would speed the tabulation of results, which were delayed for so long last fall that the outcome of several close congressional races hung in the balance for more than a week.


But some Republicans have opposed the idea, already in place in Sacramento and four other California counties, saying the altered system could confuse voters and encourage voter fraud. So, when the GOP majority on the Board of Supervisors meets Tuesday it may reject the plan for the second time in three years.

The Orange County Register describes the proposed new system this way: "The county would replace its 1,200 precincts polls with 188 vote centers. It would open the facilities 10 days prior to elections to give locals more time to vote in person. All of the county's 1.6 million registered voters automatically would receive mail ballots. And the county would install nearly 100 military-grade secure drop boxes where people could deposit their ballots at any time up through Election Day."

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Dozens of Questions: How Are Trump’s Auto Parts Tariffs Affecting the Broader Economy?

Photo of a car being assembled by robotic arms

Lenny Kuhne via Unsplash

Dozens of Questions: How Are Trump’s Auto Parts Tariffs Affecting the Broader Economy?

President Donald Trump made economic waves earlier this year when he announced a 25% tariff on imported automobiles and parts with the stated goal of revitalizing U.S. auto manufacturing. Yet as of summer 2025, the majority (92%) of Mexican-made auto parts continue to enter the United States tariff-free.

That’s because of a March 2025 revision that exempts cars and parts manufactured in compliance with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) from tariffs.

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LGBTQ Refugees Came to America To Escape Discrimination. Now, They Live in Fear in the U.S.
blue and yellow abstract painting
Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

LGBTQ Refugees Came to America To Escape Discrimination. Now, They Live in Fear in the U.S.

Salvadoran refugee Alberto, who is using a pseudonym out of safety concerns, did not feel secure in his own home. Being a gay man in a country known for state-sponsored violence and community rejection meant Alberto lived his life on high alert.

His family did not accept him. He says one family member physically attacked him because of his identity. He says he has been followed, harassed, and assaulted by police, accused of crimes he didn’t commit when he was studying to become a social worker. His effort to escape the rejection in his community left him, at one point, homeless and lost in a new city.

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