With the election decided, I want to recognize what a devastating result this is for our country and everything we stand for at Public Rights Project. As Maya Angelou said, “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.”
Understanding the Latest Challenges to Elections in Battleground States
A staggering three-quarters of Americans say they’ve seen inaccurate news about the 2024 election “at least somewhat often.” Here’s a look at the spectrum of obstacles faced by election officials and their shared confidence in a secure election system.
Amici Curiae | Provisional Ballots to Correct Mail-in Ballot Defects
Public Rights Project – on behalf of a coalition of Pennsylvania county commissioners, councilmembers, and election officials – filed an amicus brief in Genser v. Butler County Board of Elections urging the U.S. Supreme Court not to get in the way of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s recent decision affirming the right of voters to cast a provisional ballot in instances when their mail-in ballot is not going to be counted because of an error.
A Guide to Election Security Resources
Amici Curiae | Changing Rules Shortly Before an Election
Legal Case | Hand Counting Ballots
PRP filed a lawsuit against the Georgia State Election Board on behalf of the Muscogee County Board of Elections and Registration to block the state’s new hand-counting rule from going into effect. The lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of Muscogee County. Muscogee has agreed to pay PRP for its services in the case.
Amici Curiae | Undated or Incorrectly Dated Mail-In Ballots
Public Rights Project – on behalf of a coalition of 34 Pennsylvania county commissioners, councilmembers, and election officials – filed an amicus brief in Baxter v. Philadelphia Board of Elections urging the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court to require the board to count 69 mail-in ballots that were rejected due to a missing date or incorrect handwritten date in a September 2024 special election in Philadelphia, because to reject the ballots based on those dating issues would violate the Pennsylvania Constitution.
Amici Curiae | Notice and Cure of Mail-in Ballots
Public Rights Project – on behalf of county commissioners from east, west and central Pennsylvania – filed an amicus brief in Center for Coalfield Justice, et al. v. Washington County Board of Elections, et al. urging the state’s Supreme Court to uphold the Commonwealth Court’s order that voters be notified if their mail-in ballot will be disqualified for an error and given an opportunity to cure the mistake.
The brief relates to the 2024 primary in Washington County when election officials did not notify voters who submitted mail-in ballots with disqualifying errors and also refused to disclose the status of ballots when voters called to confirm it was received, even after the ballots had been segregated for disqualification.
The signatories to the brief are each the longest-serving member of their respective election board and have first-hand knowledge on how mail-in ballots are processed. The brief argues that election officials are equipped to manage the review and segregation of ballots in a timely manner, especially after the widespread adoption of mail-in ballots over the past five years in Pennsylvania. The signatories also agree with the Commonwealth Court’s rejection of the idea that reviewing ballots to notify voters is illegal. The process requires only a quick review of an outer envelope to identify errors and many counties already follow notice procedures that comply with the court’s order.
Finally, the brief argues that by not giving voters an opportunity to fix an error, those who use mail-in ballots are treated unfairly and disenfranchised.
Amici Curiae | Provisional Ballots to Correct Defects
Public Rights Project filed an amicus brief in Genser v. Butler County Board of Elections urging the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to uphold the Commonwealth Court’s decision to allow voters to cast a provisional ballot in instances when their mail-in ballot is not going to be counted because of an error in returning their mail-in ballot.
Opinion: I was a local election official. We don’t need chaos in November.
Amici Curiae | State Election Board Rules and Certification
Democrats sue Georgia board over election certification rules
Amici Curiae | Disenfranchisement of Older Voters & Mail-In Ballots
Public Rights Project – on behalf of a coalition of 32 Pennsylvania county commissioners, councilmembers, and election officials – filed an amicus brief in Black Political Empowerment Project v. Schmidt urging the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to uphold the recent Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court’s decision to eliminate the requirement to date absentee ballots on the outer envelope.
Amici Curiae | Voting Rights Restoration
Amici Curiae | Paying for Recount Requests at Early Voting Sites
Public Rights Project (PRP) recently filed an amicus brief with the Michigan Court of Appeals in Harrison v. Halas on behalf of a coalition of current election officials. The brief urges the court to reverse the circuit court’s decision and require that recount requesters pay for the recounting of early voting sites. Signatories are county clerks serving Dickinson, Ingham, Kalamazoo, Kalkaska, Midland, and Sanilac Counties.
The Election Protection Hub’s Impact at Six Months
Amici Curiae | Holding Rogue Election Workers Accountable for Misconduct
A Win in Wisconsin: State Supreme Court Recognizes Vital Role of Election Clerks in Dropbox Case
PRP Joins Pro-Voting Groups in Georgia Election Certification Statement
Public Rights Project joined Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) in submitting comments to the Georgia state election board about a proposed rule that would define election certification to include a “reasonable inquiry” by election officials. The comment urges the board NOT to adopt the proposed amendment because it is contrary to Georgia law, exceeds the board’s statutory authority, and would increase the risk of certification abuse and electoral chaos in Georgia. Public Rights Project joined Common Cause Georgia and ACLU of Georgia as signatories.
PRP's Statement on Wisconsin AG's Opinion Regarding Election Administration
On June 25, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul issued a legal opinion clarifying the state’s new constitutional provision, Article III § 7(2), which prohibits non-election officials from performing “task[s] in the conduct of . . . election[s].” The provision, approved by voters in April, caused confusion and concern among Wisconsin clerks.
