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Democrats sue for Saturday voting in Georgia Senate runoff

Published

2 years ago

November 15, 2022

Democrats sue for Saturday voting in Georgia Senate runoff

ATLANTA (AP) — U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock’s marketing campaign and Democratic teams are suing the state of Georgia to overturn steerage by Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that counties can’t supply Saturday voting forward of subsequent month’s Senate runoff election.

The lawsuit, filed late Monday by the Democratic Celebration of Georgia, Democratic Senatorial Marketing campaign Committee and the Warnock marketing campaign, challenges the state’s discovering that it will be unlawful to carry early voting on Nov. 26, the day after a state vacation. The lawsuit says the state’s interpretation hurts Warnock specifically as a result of Democrats are likely to push early voting greater than Republicans.

The race between Warnock and his Republican challenger, Herschel Walker, is headed to a Dec. 6 runoff after neither candidate received a majority of votes within the midterm election. Democrats have already secured management of the Senate however are hoping to extend their slim margin with a Warnock victory.

“Unlawful makes an attempt to dam Saturday voting are one other determined try by profession politicians to squeeze the folks out of their very own democracy and to silence the voices of Georgians,” Quentin Fulks, Warnock’s marketing campaign supervisor, mentioned in an announcement. “We’re aggressively preventing to guard Georgia voters’ potential to vote on Saturday.”

Raffensperger dismissed the lawsuit as politics.

“Senator Warnock and his Democratic Celebration allies are searching for to alter Georgia regulation proper earlier than an election based mostly on their political preferences,” he mentioned. “As a substitute of muddying the water and pressuring counties to disregard Georgia regulation, Senator Warnock must be permitting county election officers to proceed preparations for the upcoming runoff.”

Walker’s marketing campaign didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Underneath Georgia’s 2021 election regulation, there might be solely 4 weeks earlier than the runoff — with Thanksgiving within the center. Many Georgians might be provided solely 5 weekdays of early in-person voting starting Nov. 28. And June’s major runoffs confirmed time for mail ballots to be acquired and returned might be very tight.

Raffensperger and Deputy Secretary of State Gabriel Sterling had initially mentioned they anticipated at the very least some counties would supply voting on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. State regulation requires at the very least 5 weekdays of early in-person balloting starting Monday, Nov. 28, but additionally directs Georgia’s 159 counties to open early in-person voting “as quickly as potential” in a runoff.

However Sterling instructed The Related Press in a Friday interview that officers had researched the regulation and concluded that it will be unlawful to carry early voting on a day after a state vacation. Thanksgiving and the next Friday are each state holidays. Raffensperger’s workplace adopted up Saturday with an official election bulletin to the counties setting the place into writing.

The plaintiffs say Raffensperger’s interpretation “misreads” and “cherry-picks” the regulation.

They argue that the bar on voting after a vacation applies solely to major and normal elections and to not runoffs. They are saying a 2017 revision of state regulation dropped the vacation exception for runoffs, and that studying it that approach would mandate early voting on Saturday, Nov. 19, an impossibility since state officers don’t plan to certify the midterm election outcomes till Monday, Nov. 21.

“The Secretary’s insistence that counties might not maintain advance voting on November 26 due to this fact has no help within the regulation,” attorneys wrote.

The lawsuit, filed in Fulton County Superior Court docket, asks a choose to rule that the regulation doesn’t bar counties from holding advance voting on Saturday, Nov. 26 and to bar Raffensperger from interfering with counties holding voting on that day. The plaintiffs additionally ask for an emergency listening to and momentary restraining order.

The DSCC has despatched letters encouraging counties to defy Raffensperger and schedule Saturday voting anyway. However the lawsuit notes that the State Election Board would possibly retaliate towards counties that go forward by investigating or suspending election officers. Atlanta’s Fulton County is already beneath investigation after Republican lawmakers used a provision in Georgia’s 2021 election regulation to demand a state inquiry.

Republicans pushed by means of the election regulation in response to Donald Trump’s false claims that he had been cheated out of victory in Georgia. Republicans argued the regulation was wanted to revive public confidence, but it surely shortened the interval to request an absentee poll and restricted poll drop containers, resulting in a Democratic outcry.

Saturday voting had much less participation through the normal election than weekday early voting, however Democrats argue that it advantages individuals who can’t vote on weekdays and that eliminating Saturday voting would hurt Warnock “by eliminating a possible advance voting day that’s possible for use by voters who affiliate with the Democratic Celebration.”

The lawsuit performs out towards a yearslong background of clashes over voting in Georgia. In 2018, Democrat Stacey Abrams claimed Republican Brian Kemp used his place as secretary of state to improperly maintain again possible Democratic voters of their gubernatorial contest that yr. The Abrams-founded Truthful Combat Motion misplaced a lawsuit over these claims.

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Be taught extra in regards to the points and components at play within the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections. And comply with the AP’s election protection of the 2022 elections at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections.

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Canadian PM Justin Trudeau to announce resignation as early as Monday: report

Published

6 minutes ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau to announce resignation as early as Monday: report

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is reportedly expected to resign from his position as early as Monday, according to Canadian media.

The news was first reported by the Globe and Mail on Sunday night, citing three sources. The outlet said that it is unclear when exactly the Liberal Party leader will step down, but a resignation is expected to come before a national caucus meeting on Wednesday.

The news comes as Trudeau’s popularity continues to dwindle in Canada, which has a national election planned for Oct. 20 of this year. The country continues to suffer from a housing crisis, a declining per-capita GDP and high inflation, among other issues.

According to Canadian pollster Angus Reid, Trudeau has a disapproval rate of around 68% as of Dec. 24, with a meager 28% of Canadians supporting him.

TRUMP SUGGESTS CANADA BECOME 51ST STATE AFTER TRUDEAU SAID TARIFF WOULD KILL ECONOMY: SOURCES

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could announce his resignation as early as Monday, Canadian media reports. (DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The potential resignation would also come after Trudeau, who became prime minister in 2015, braved a difficult few months in politics. In September, he faced a no confidence vote in parliament that later failed, despite efforts from the Conservative Party to remove him from office.

On Dec. 16, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced that she was stepping down from Trudeau’s cabinet, dealing a significant blow to the prime minister. In her resignation letter, she claimed that the only “honest and viable path” was to leave the Cabinet.

“For the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada,” Freeland, who was previously seen as a Trudeau loyalist, wrote.

“Our country is facing a grave challenge,” the letter added. “That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war.”

Later in December, one of Trudeau’s key allies, New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, said that he planned to present a formal motion of no-confidence on Jan. 27.

CANADA’S TRUDEAU FACING REVOLT FROM WITHIN AS POPULAR CONSERVATIVE LEADER LOOKS TO CAPITALIZE

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been facing dwindling popularity in his country. (DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

“No matter who is leading the Liberal Party, this government’s time is up. We will put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons,” Singh said.

Trudeau’s personal choices have also invited backlash from his opponents. At the end of November, Trudeau faced international criticism after he was seen dancing at a Taylor Swift concert in Toronto while a destructive riot took place in his home city of Montreal.

Don Stewart, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing part of Toronto, called out the prime minister in a post on X.

“Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances,” the Canadian politician wrote. “This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.”

“Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved,” Stewart added. Trudeau later denounced the lawlessness, calling the riot “appalling.”

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will step down, according to the Globe and Mail. (DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital has reached out to Trudeau’s office for comment.

Fox News’ Chris Massaro, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Andrea Margolis is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Readers can send story tips to andrea.margolis@fox.com.

World

The Take: What lies ahead for world politics in 2025?

Published

49 minutes ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

The Take: What lies ahead for world politics in 2025?

Podcast, The Take

Al Jazeera’s correspondents look ahead to global politics in 2025.

As 2025 unfolds, the world faces significant shifts. From climate crises in West Africa to continuing wars in Gaza and Sudan, Al Jazeera correspondents share their insights on the key events and challenges shaping the year ahead.

In this episode:

Kimberly Halkett (@KimberlyHalkett), Al Jazeera White House correspondent
Dorsa Jabbari (@DorsaJabbari), Al Jazeera correspondent
John Holman (@Johnholman100), Al Jazeera Mexico and Latin America correspondent
Nicolas Haque (@NicolasHaque), Al Jazeera correspondent
Tony Cheng (@tlcbkk), Al Jazeera Asia correspondent
Maram Humaid (@maramgaza), Al Jazeera digital correspondent

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra and Chloe K Li with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline and Malika Bilal.

The Take production team is Marcos Bartolome, Sonia Bhagat, Spencer Cline, Sari el-Khalili, Tamara Khandaker, Phillip Lanos, Chloe K Li, Ashish Malhotra, Khaled Soltan, and Amy Walters. Our editorial intern is Hagir Saleh and the host is Malika Bilal. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Aya Elmileik is the lead of audience engagement.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan and Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem are our video editors. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. We’ll be back tomorrow.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

World

Nix leads Broncos past Chiefs' reserves 38-0 and into playoffs for 1st time since 2015 season

Published

7 hours ago

January 5, 2025

Press Room

Nix leads Broncos past Chiefs' reserves 38-0 and into playoffs for 1st time since 2015 season

DENVER (AP) — Rookie Bo Nix set a franchise record by completing his first 18 passes and the Denver Broncos ended an eight-year playoff drought Sunday with a 38-0 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs’ bevy of backups.

The Broncos (10-7) snapped a two-game skid and buried nearly a decade’s worth of futility and frustrations by returing to the postseason party for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.

They’ll visit Buffalo (13-4) in the wild-card round next weekend after handing the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs (15-2) their first shutout since Dec. 16, 2012, at Oakland.

Having already secured the AFC’s No. 1 seed and sole first-round bye in their quest for an unprecedented three-peat, Chiefs coach Andy Reid sat Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and a host of other starters.

Carson Wentz got the start at quarterback and fizzled in his first extended action since Week 18 with the Rams last season. He was 10 of 17 for 98 yards and was sacked four times by the league’s best pass rush (62 sacks).

Nix threw for four touchdowns, giving him 29 for the season, second-most by a rookie in NFL history, behind only Justin Herbert’s 31 in 2020.

He finished 26 of 29 for 321 yards, and his 18 consecutive completions also were the most ever by a Broncos QB. Nix hit Marvin Mims twice, Courtland Sutton (five times for 98 yards) and Devaughn Vele for scores.

Vele’s TD was intended for Adam Trautman but ricocheted off cornerbacks Nazeeh Johnson (twice) and Keith Taylor before Vele cradled the catch just before tumbling out of the back of the end zone, giving Nix 17 consecutive completions at that point and extending Denver’s lead to 21-0.

That wild conclusion capped an 18-play, 89-yard drive that lasted more than 11 minutes, keeping Wentz cooling his cleats on the sideline next to Mahomes, who was decked out in a white hoodie.

After Harrison Butker was wide left on a 51-yard field goal — his first miss in 18 tries at Empower Field at Mile High — Wil Lutz gave Denver a 24-0 halftime lead by nailing a 33-yarder with 3 seconds left.

The Broncos made it 31-0 on Mims’ second TD catch late in the third quarter and Audric Estime punched it in from the 1 in the fourth quarter.

The Chiefs won’t play again until Jan. 18 or 19, meaning Mahomes, who last played on Christmas Day, and other stars who sat this one out will have at least 24 days between games.

The Broncos are back in the playoffs for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 after the 2015 season. That’s the longest playoff drought for a team after raising the Lombardi Trophy.

The Broncos’ clincher came 3,255 days after Von Miller led them to a 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on Feb. 7, 2016, and their reward as the AFC’s seventh and final seed is a trip to Buffalo next weekend to face Miller in the first round of the playoffs.

The Bills were the only other team to beat Kansas City this season, 30-21 in Week 11.

The Chiefs’ loss ended their six-game win streak but eliminated the prospect of them having to possibly face Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow at some point in the playoffs. The Bengals, who won their fifth consecutive game Saturday night at Pittsburgh, needed Denver to lose to have a chance to sneak into the playoffs at 9-8.

The Chiefs, who had won 17 of their previous 18 games against the Broncos, were planning on staying in Denver for the night because of a winter storm that also delayed their flight into Colorado for several hours Saturday.

Injuries

Chiefs DB Chamarri Conner injured a shoulder in the first half and was ruled out at the start of the third quarter. Also sitting out for Kansas City were RB Isiah Pacheco (ribs), RT Jawaan Taylor (knee), CB Jaylen Watson (ankle), WR Mecole Hardman (knee), DE George Karlaftis, CB Trent McDuffie and DT Chris Jones (calf), among others.

The Broncos came out of the game healthy. WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey left briefly with an ankle injury in the first half but only missed a few snaps.