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Georgia judge blocks ballot counting rule and says county officials must certify election results

ATLANTA — A judge has blocked a new rule that requires Georgia Election Day ballots to be counted by hand after the close of voting. The ruling came a day after the same judge ruled that county election officials must certify election results by the deadline set in law.

The State Election Board last month passed the rule requiring that three poll workers each count the paper ballots — not votes — by hand after the polls close.

The county election board in Cobb County, in Atlanta’s suburbs, had filed a lawsuit seeking to have a judge declare that rule and five others recently passed by the state board invalid, saying they exceed the state board’s authority, weren’t adopted in compliance with the law and are unreasonable.

In a ruling late Tuesday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney wrote, that the so-called hand count rule “is too much, too late” and blocked its enforcement while he considers the merits of the case.

McBurney on Monday had ruled in a separate case that “no election superintendent (or member of a board of elections and registration) may refuse to certify or abstain from certifying election results under any circumstance.” While they are entitled to inspect the conduct of an election and to review related documents, he wrote, “any delay in receiving such information is not a basis for refusing to certify the election results or abstaining from doing so.”

Georgia law says county election superintendents — generally multimember boards — “shall” certify election results by 5 p.m. on the Monday after an election, or the Tuesday if Monday is a holiday as it is this year.

The two rulings came as early in-person voting began Tuesday in Georgia.

They are victories for Democrats, liberal voting rights groups and some legal experts who have raised concerns that Donald Trump’s allies could refuse to certify the results if the former president loses to Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in next month’s presidential election. They have also argued that new rules enacted by the Trump-endorsed majority on the State Election Board could be used to stop or delay certification and to undermine public confidence in the results.

In blocking the hand count rule, McBurney noted that there are no guidelines or training tools for its implementation and that the secretary of state had said the rule was passed too late for his office to provide meaningful training or support. The judge also wrote that no allowances have been made in county election budgets to provide for additional personnel or expenses associated with the rule.

“The administrative chaos that will — not may — ensue is entirely inconsistent with the obligations of our boards of elections (and the SEB) to ensure that our elections are fair legal, and orderly,” he wrote.

The state board may be right that the rule is smart policy, McBurney wrote, but the timing of its passage makes implementing it now “quite wrong.” He invoked the memory of the riot at the U.S. Capitol by people seeking to stop the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential victory on Jan. 6, 2021, writing, “Anything that adds uncertainty and disorder to the electoral process disserves the public.”

During a hearing earlier Tuesday, Robert Thomas, a lawyer for the State Election Board, argued that the process isn’t complicated and that estimates show that it would take extra minutes, not hours, to complete. He also said memory cards from the scanners, which are used to tally the votes, could be sent to the tabulation center while the hand count is happening so reporting of results wouldn’t be delayed.

State and national Democratic groups that had joined the suit on the side of the Cobb election board, along with the Harris campaign, celebrated McBurney’s ruling in a joint statement: “From the beginning, this rule was an effort to delay election results to sow doubt in the outcome, and our democracy is stronger thanks to this decision to block it.”

The certification ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Julie Adams, a Republican member of the election board in Fulton County, which includes most of the city of Atlanta and is a Democratic stronghold. Adams sought a declaration that her duties as an election board member were discretionary and that she is entitled to “full access” to “election materials.”

Long an administrative task that attracted little attention, certification of election results has become politicized since Trump tried to overturn his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 general election. Republicans in several swing states, including Adams, refused to certify results earlier this year and some have sued to keep from being forced to sign off on election results.

Adams’ suit, backed by the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute, argued county election board members have the discretion to reject certification. In court earlier this month, her lawyers also argued county election officials could certify results without including certain ballots if they suspect problems.

Judge McBurney wrote that nothing in Georgia law gives county election officials the authority to determine that fraud has occurred or what should be done about it. Instead, he wrote, state law says a county election official’s “concerns about fraud or systemic error are to be noted and shared with the appropriate authorities but they are not a basis for a superintendent to decline to certify.”

The Democratic National Committee and Democratic Party of Georgia had joined the lawsuit as defendants with the support of Harris’ campaign. The campaign called the ruling a “major legal win.”

Adams said in a statement that McBurney’s ruling has made it clear that she and other county election officials “cannot be barred from access to elections in their counties.”

A flurry of election rules passed by the State Election Board since August has generated a crush of lawsuits. McBurney earlier this month heard a challenge to two rules having to do with certification brought by the state and national Democratic parties. Another Fulton County judge is set to hear arguments in two challenges to rules tomorrow — one brought by the Democratic groups and another filed by a group headed by a former Republican lawmaker. And separate challenges are also pending in at least two other counties.

 
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Voting rights groups seek investigation into Wisconsin text messages

madison, wisconsin — Voting rights advocates on Tuesday asked state and federal authorities to investigate anonymous text messages apparently targeting young Wisconsin voters, warning them not to vote in a state where they are ineligible.

Free Speech for People, on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, made the request to the U.S. Department of Justice as well as the Wisconsin Department of Justice. The letter says that “thousands of young voters across Wisconsin” received the text message last week, including staff members at the League of Women Voters and students at the University of Wisconsin.

The text in question cites Wisconsin state law prohibiting voting in more than one place and says that violating the law can result in fines of up to $10,000 and 3.5 years in prison.

“Don’t vote in a state where you’re not eligible,” the text said.

Wisconsin is known for having razor-thin presidential elections. Four of the last six were decided by less than a percentage point. President Joe Biden won in 2020 by less than 21,000 votes.

At least one person who received the text posted it on the social media platform X.

The League of Women Voters, in its request for investigation, said that without prompt action “the sender may continue its efforts to frighten eligible young voters into not voting.”

Students attending college in Wisconsin can register to vote either at their home address or their one at school.

“But now, many students and other young voters are fearful that they will face criminal prosecution if they register and exercise their right to vote — because of a malicious, inaccurate text sent by an anonymous party,” the letter said.

The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment.

Wisconsin Department of Justice spokesperson Gillian Drummond said the department takes allegations of potential violations of election law seriously. She said the agency was reviewing the information in the request for an investigation and would assess “what, if any, follow-up is appropriate based on the facts and the law.”

University of Wisconsin System spokesperson Mark Pitsch said in an email that system officials were unaware of any security breach that may have resulted in leaked student contact information. He added that nothing has been reported to system officials about the text, and there was no indication how many students may have received it.

Riley Vetterkind, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Elections Commission, said in an email to The Associated Press that the commission can’t determine whether the text message violates state law because the commission hasn’t received a formal complaint about it.

However, he called the message “concerning” and said it certainly could leave recipients feeling intimidated. He urged recipients to contact law enforcement directly if they are worried about the message.

“We understand that these third-party text messages can be very frustrating for voters,” Vetterkind said. “We recommend voters rely upon official sources of election information, such as from state or local election officials. Voters are free to ignore these text messages since they are not sent or associated with an official source.”

The text message was sent as thousands of voters in Wisconsin are casting absentee ballots. As of Monday, nearly 240,000 absentee ballots had already been returned statewide.

Starting October 22, voters can start casting absentee ballots in person.

Wisconsin is one of the “blue wall” states along with Michigan and Pennsylvania that is key to winning for either Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris or Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
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How Republican-leaning Nevada became a swing state

In the U.S., all eyes are on the seven so-called battleground states that are expected to determine the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. While some of them have shifted politically over the years, the Western swing state of Nevada does not lean strongly toward one major party or the other. VOA’s Dora Mekouar reports from Las Vegas. Camera: Miguel Amaya
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Microsoft: Cybercriminals increasingly help Russia, China, Iran target US, allies

WASHINGTON — Russia, China and Iran are increasingly relying on criminal networks to lead cyberespionage and hacking operations against adversaries such as the United States, according to a report on digital threats published Tuesday by Microsoft.

The growing collaboration between authoritarian governments and criminal hackers has alarmed national security officials and cybersecurity experts. They say it represents the increasingly blurred lines between actions directed by Beijing or the Kremlin aimed at undermining rivals and the illicit activities of groups typically more interested in financial gain.

In one example, Microsoft’s analysts found that a criminal hacking group with links to Iran infiltrated an Israeli dating site and then tried to sell or ransom the personal information it obtained. Microsoft concluded the hackers had two motives: to embarrass Israelis and make money.

In another, investigators identified a Russian criminal network that infiltrated more than 50 electronic devices used by the Ukrainian military in June, apparently seeking access and information that could aid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. There was no obvious financial motive for the group, aside from any payment they may have received from Russia.

Marriage of convenience

For nations such as Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, teaming up with cybercriminals offers a marriage of convenience with benefits for both sides. Governments can boost the volume and effectiveness of cyber activities without added cost. For the criminals, it offers new avenues for profit and the promise of government protection.

“We’re seeing in each of these countries this trend toward combining nation-state and cybercriminal activities,” said Tom Burt, Microsoft’s vice president of customer security and trust.

So far there is no evidence suggesting that Russia, China and Iran are sharing resources with each other or working with the same criminal networks, Burt said. But he said the growing use of private cyber “mercenaries” shows how far America’s adversaries will go to weaponize the internet.

Microsoft’s report analyzed cyber threats between July 2023 and June 2024, looking at how criminals and foreign nations use hacking, spear phishing, malware and other techniques to gain access and control over a target’s system. The company says its customers face more than 600 million such incidents every day.

Russia focused much of its cyber operations on Ukraine, trying to enter military and government systems and spreading disinformation designed to undermine support for the war among its allies.

Ukraine has responded with its own cyber efforts, including one last week that knocked some Russian state media outlets offline.

US elections targeted

Networks tied to Russia, China and Iran have also targeted American voters, using fake websites and social media accounts to spread false and misleading claims about the 2024 election. Analysts at Microsoft agree with the assessment of U.S. intelligence officials who say Russia is targeting the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, while Iran is working to oppose former President Donald Trump.

Iran has also hacked into Trump’s campaign and sought, unsuccessfully, to interest Democrats in the material. Federal officials have also accused Iran of covertly supporting American protests over the war in Gaza.

Russia and Iran will likely accelerate the pace of their cyber operations targeting the U.S. as election day approaches, Burt said.

China, meanwhile, has largely stayed out of the presidential race, focusing its disinformation on down-ballot races for Congress or state and local office. Microsoft found networks tied to Beijing also continue to target Taiwan and other countries in the region.

Denials from all parties

In response, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said allegations that China partners with cybercriminals are groundless and accused the U.S. of spreading its own “disinformation about the so-called Chinese hacking threats.”

In a statement, spokesperson Liu Pengyu said that “our position is consistent and clear. China firmly opposes and combats cyberattacks and cybertheft in all forms.”

Russia and Iran have also rejected accusations that they’re using cyber operations to target Americans. Messages left with representatives of those three nations and North Korea were not returned Monday.

Efforts to disrupt foreign disinformation and cyber capabilities have escalated along with the threat, but the anonymous, porous nature of the internet sometimes undercuts the effectiveness of the response.

Federal authorities recently announced plans to seize hundreds of website domains used by Russia to spread election disinformation and to support efforts to hack former U.S. military and intelligence figures. But investigators at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab found that sites seized by the government can easily and quickly be replaced.

Within one day of the Department of Justice seizing several domains in September, for example, researchers spotted 12 new websites created to take their place. One month later, they continue to operate.
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As US presidential vote looms, newsrooms focus on how to stay safe

Washington/New York — On a rainy day in September, a group of journalists gathered in a nondescript office building outside Washington. Some were seasoned reporters, others still students. But they were all there to learn how to stay safe while covering elections and unrest.

Organized by the International Women’s Media Foundation, or IWMF, the training session was part of a national campaign to teach journalists based in the United States how to stay safe on assignment, including while reporting on the presidential campaign.

Over the past year, the IWMF has trained more than 620 journalists across 13 states.

“This safety tour has really been illuminating. Unfortunately, what we are hearing is quite alarming, and it’s not just about election reporting,” IWMF executive director Elisa Lees Munoz told VOA. “What we’re understanding more and more is that literally every beat in America has become a polarizing beat, and therefore has become a dangerous beat.”

Three times as many journalists have been arrested in the U.S. this year compared to last year, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. More journalists have been assaulted too, according to the group’s data.

“We’re seeing journalists still struggling every day to uphold that basic right of freedom of the press,” Kirstin McCudden, the Tracker’s managing editor, told VOA at the group’s office in Brooklyn. “It’s a little alarming.”

Many of the incidents took place during pro-Palestine protests. In one case, three photojournalists were arrested in Chicago in August while covering a protest on the outskirts of the Democratic National Convention.

“Police departments feel that they have the power to violate the rights of journalists. Then what ends up happening is it turns into a snowball effect. More police agencies crack down even harder,” said Trevor Timm, executive director of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, which publishes the Tracker.

While press freedom is often a local issue, it also matters what presidential candidates are saying and how they treat the press, multiple analysts said.

The campaign of former President Donald Trump has been punctuated by the same kinds of attacks against the media that characterized his presidency, the analysts who spoke with VOA said.

Leading up to and during Trump’s presidency, Stephanie Sugars, a senior reporter at the Tracker, documented more than 2,000 anti-media posts by Trump on the social media platform X, then known as Twitter. The tenor of those posts evolved from targeting individual journalists to targeting specific news outlets to targeting the media industry writ large.

“A lot of that rhetoric is still in play and is part of his playbook,” Sugars said. She added that the Tracker would monitor anti-media posts from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris if those kinds of posts existed.

Sugars cautioned against solely blaming Trump for the increased hostility facing journalists in the U.S. But, she said, he hasn’t helped the situation either.

“If you sow distrust in these sorts of external sources and really encourage your followers, those who support you, to only believe what you specifically say, that’s a great way to maintain firm control over what the narrative is, what truth is understood to be, and that’s an incredible amount of power to have,” Sugars said.

McCudden agreed. “Rhetoric does matter, and it’s fuel to the fire,” she said.

In response to VOA’s request for comment, Trump’s presidential campaign shared a statement that Republican National Committee spokesperson Taylor Rogers originally provided to the conservative news site the Daily Caller.

In it, Rogers described Trump as a “champion for free speech” and said that “everyone was safer under President Trump, including journalists.”

Mitigating risk

The hostile environment for journalists comes at a time when trust in media is already at a record low in the U.S., according to Gallup. Attacks or hostile rhetoric against the press only make the situation worse.

So far, the Tracker has documented only a few violations directly related to the election. But, McCudden said, “History tells us that we should be worried and aware.”

She cited the January 6 insurrection on the Capitol, where 18 journalists were assaulted.

It may take a few days for the election results to be confirmed, McCudden said. “And in that time, tensions will be high. And journalists whose job it is to cover these tense times are also often in harm’s way,” she said.

The IWMF’s safety training originally was directed at journalists in combat zones and dangerous regions. But following the 2016 U.S. presidential election, when attacks on the media began to rise, the IWMF realized U.S. based journalists would benefit from them, too, according to Munoz.

For Jennifer Thomas, a journalism professor at Howard University in Washington, the training offered her the tools to better help her students to stay safe.

“Back when I was reporting locally and then nationally and covering news, we didn’t have to really be that concerned when we went out to cover an event,” said Thomas, who previously worked at CNN. “Well, times have changed.”

During the training, Thomas and the others were introduced to a range of resources on issues including covering riots and dealing with an arrest. Munoz thinks this information will become all the more important for journalists in the U.S. in years to come.
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How Republican-leaning Arizona became a swing state

There are 50 U.S. states, but voters from seven so-called battleground states are expected to determine the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. The Southwestern state of Arizona used to reliably lean toward Republican candidates. But President Joe Biden, a Democrat, won the state in 2020. And this year, Arizona’s electoral votes are up for grabs again.
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Harris laying out plan to empower Black men, earn their votes 

washington — Vice President Kamala Harris is announcing a plan to give Black men more economic opportunities and other chances to thrive as she works to energize a key voting bloc that has Democrats concerned about a lack of enthusiasm. 

Harris’ plan includes providing forgivable business loans for Black entrepreneurs, creating more apprenticeships, and studying sickle cell and other diseases that disproportionately affect African American men. 

Harris already has said she supports legalizing marijuana, and her plan calls for working to ensure that Black men have opportunities to participate as a “national cannabis industry takes shape.” She is also calling for better regulation of cryptocurrency to protect Black men and others who invest in digital assets. 

The vice president’s “opportunity agenda for Black men” is meant to invigorate African American males at a moment when there are fears some may sit out the election rather than vote for Harris or her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump. 

The vice president unveiled the plan ahead of a Monday visit to Erie, Pennsylvania, where she planned to visit a Black-owned small business and hold a campaign rally. Her push comes after former President Barack Obama suggested last week that some Black men aren’t comfortable with “the idea of having a woman as president.” 

The Harris campaign has also been working to increase support among other male voting blocs, including Hispanics, by founding the group “Hombres con Harris,” Spanish for “Men with Harris.”

The latest policy rollout is notable because it comes with the stated purpose of motivating Black men to vote mere weeks before Election Day. 

As Harris’ team has done with the “Hombres” group, it plans to organize gender-specific gatherings. Those include “Black Men Huddle Up” events in battleground states featuring African American male celebrities for things like professional and college football game watch parties. The campaign says it also plans new testimonial ads in battleground states that feature local Black male voices. 

‘Tools to thrive’

Cedric Richmond, co-chair of the Harris campaign and a former Louisiana congressman who is Black, said Harris wants to build an economy “where Black men are equipped with the tools to thrive: to buy a home, provide for our families, start a business and build wealth.” 

Black Americans strongly supported Joe Biden when he beat Trump in 2020. Harris advisers say they are less worried about losing large percentages of Black male support to the former president than about some of these voters choosing not to turn out at all. 

Trump, too, has stepped up efforts to win over Black and Hispanic voters of both genders. He has held round-tables with Black entrepreneurs in swing states and will sit for a town hall sponsored by Spanish-language Univision this week. He also has repeatedly suggested that immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally are taking jobs from Black and Hispanic Americans. 

The latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey data show that as of 2023, native-born Black workers are most predominantly employed in management and financial operations, sales and office support roles, while native-born Latino workers are most often employed in management, office support, sales and service occupations.

Foreign-born, noncitizen Black workers are most often represented in transportation and health care support roles, and foreign-born, noncitizen Hispanic workers are most often represented in construction, building and grounds cleaning.

Harris’ plan 

Harris’ new round of proposals includes a promise that, if elected, she will help distribute 1 million loans of up to $20,000 that can be fully forgivable to Black entrepreneurs and others who have strong ideas to start businesses. The loans would come via new partnerships between the Small Business Administration and community leaders and banks “with a proven commitment to their communities,” her campaign says. 

The vice president also wants to offer federal incentives to encourage more African American men to train to be teachers, citing statistics that Black males made up only a bit more than 1% of the nation’s public school teaching ranks in 2020-21, according to data from the National Teacher and Principal Survey. 

Harris also is pledging to expand existing federal programs that forgive some educational loans for public service to further encourage more Black male teachers. She also wants to use organizations like the National Urban League, local governments and the private sector to expand apprenticeships and credentialing opportunities in Black communities. 

The vice president’s advisers have been urging her to talk more about cryptocurrency to appeal to male voters. Her campaign said that as president, Harris will back a regulatory framework meant to better protect investors in cryptocurrency and other digital assets, which are popular with Black men. 

Harris also promised to create a national initiative to better fund efforts to detect, research and combat sickle cell disease, diabetes, prostate cancer, mental health challenges and other health issues that disproportionately affect Black men. 

A recent poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found about 7 in 10 Black voters had a favorable view of Harris and preferred her leadership to that of Trump on major policy issues including the economy, health care, abortion, immigration, and the war between Israel and Hamas. There was little difference in support for Harris between Black men and Black women.
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Undecided voters could swing US presidential vote

In this last month of U.S. presidential campaigning, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris both are trying to reach the relatively small number of voters who say they still have not decided who to support. VOA correspondent Scott Stearns looks at the election’s “undecided.” Vero Balderas contributed.
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Harris, Trump campaigning in battleground Pennsylvania Monday

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will take their fight for Pennsylvania to opposite ends of the state on Monday, with Harris speaking in the northwest corner in Erie and Trump in the southeastern suburbs of Philadelphia.

Democrat Harris and Republican Trump have been making regular appearances in what is the country’s largest battleground state — it will be Harris’ 10th visit to Pennsylvania this campaign season, and just last week Trump made stops in both Scranton and Reading.

Pennsylvania’s energy industry and natural gas fracking are likely topics as they compete for the fraction of the state’s voters who have not made up their minds. Mail-in voting is well underway in the state where some 7 million people are likely to cast votes in the presidential race.

Trump beat Hillary Clinton by more than 40,000 votes in Pennsylvania on his way to winning the presidency in 2016, but native Scrantonian Joe Biden beat Trump by about 80,000 votes in the state four years ago.

Harris will be holding a rally in Erie, a Democratic majority city of about 94,000 people bordered by suburbs and rural areas with significant numbers of Republicans. Erie County is often cited as one of the state’s reliable bellwether regions, where the electorate has a decidedly moderate voting record. Trump visited Erie on Sept. 29.

Harris plans to talk up early voting during her rally. And she’ll stop by a Black-owned small business in Erie in advance of the rally to promote her proposals to give Black men more economic opportunities and other chances to thrive as Democrats try to energize the voting bloc.

Trump plans a town hall Monday at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center and Fairgrounds in suburban Oaks, hoping to drive up turnout among his supporters.

Pennsylvania and its 19 electoral votes, the most of any swing state, have generated the most attention by far from the Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns. Including Monday’s scheduled events, they will have made 46 stops in the state, according to Associated Press tracking of the campaigns’ public events.

Michigan, with 33 visits, and Wisconsin, with 29, are the next most-visited states, illustrating how both campaigns are focusing on winning states that had been part of the Democrats’ so-called “blue wall” until Trump emerged as the Republican standard-bearer.

Democrats have won three straight elections for governor, and both current U.S. senators are Democrats, but the state’s legislature is closely divided.
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What is ‘gerrymandering’ and how does it work?

Many U.S. politicians throughout history owe their success to the drawing of boundary lines on a map that made their election a near certainty. Here is how it worked and continues to work to this day.
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More relief for hurricane victims under way as campaigns spar over misinformation

On Sunday, President Joe Biden visited areas affected by Hurricane Milton in Florida and announced a half-billion dollars in new funding to improve electric grid resilience. But even as relief and recovery efforts continue, officials warn that misinformation is spreading rapidly as Election Day draws near. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the details, with reporting from Patrick Bresnan in North Carolina.
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