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Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

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JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Latest Election Challenge Spurs More Discussion About Democracy

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Monday, December 14, 2020   

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Electoral College convenes today in another step to formally establish Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential race.

But following the latest legal challenge on President Donald Trump's behalf, questions about faith in democracy persist.

Three Minnesota Republican congressmen were among the more than 120 GOP House members who signed an amicus brief, supporting a Texas lawsuit that sought to overturn the election.

That suit was rejected by the Supreme Court.

Sylvia Albert, national voting and elections director for the nonpartisan group Common Cause, said no matter which party you support, it's striking to see elected officials disregard certified election results.

"That's not democracy," Albert insisted. "They're basically signaling that they only believe in democracy when the votes are for them."

She observed this convinces party supporters to question the process, noting without shared belief in outcomes, it's hard for democracy to exist.

Albert added election authorities and the courts have protected votes by rejecting unfounded claims of fraud. But she worries those systems won't prevent some state Legislatures from scaling back voting options based on this year's results.

Albert cites current examples in Georgia and Pennsylvania. She contended Congress can help by enhancing federal election protections without taking away a state's ability to run the process.

"We absolutely think the federal government can go further in, you know, saying every American should have the right to vote absentee without an excuse," Albert asserted.

Anika Bowie, vice president of NAACP Minneapolis, agrees with other civil-rights activists who see challenging other states' election results as an attempt to dismiss votes from Black and Brown residents.

She said a state like Minnesota, known for strong turnout and fair election laws, can help quell some of the rhetoric.

"I believe our representatives should be more vocal about the importance of protecting the vote," Bowie stressed. "There needs to be a bipartisan expression of the importance of voting."

She added having Minnesota leaders tout the state's election-process achievements on a national scale could help lead to more healthy discussions across the country. She thinks Minnesota operates with a "privileged mindset," believing because voting is strong here, it doesn't have to worry about problems elsewhere.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.


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