Examples of proposed policies and candidates tied to false claims of election fraud have spread to Minnesota, and a new national report found the movement is not slowing down ahead of this fall's vote.

A trio of voter-rights groups issued findings into how state legislatures are trying to subvert elections, including more leeway to reject results, requiring partisan or outside audits, and shifting power away from election administrators. Some ideas have been floated by Minnesota Republicans but are not likely to pass under the current balance of power.

Rachel Homer, counsel for the nonprofit group Protect Democracy, said simply proposing them poses a threat.

"This is about everyone in support of democracy," Homer asserted. "Both political parties really need to be standing against this movement toward autocracy."

Despite calls for unity, Republicans are seeing more candidates for statewide offices who either perpetuate the stolen-election narrative, or suggest current laws need restrictions they said would tighten election security.

The Minnesota GOP recently endorsed such a candidate running for Secretary of State, the office overseeing elections. The report said 175 such laws were introduced in the U.S. this year.

Homer argued false election-fraud claims, taking shape following Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential vote, have ballooned to a five-alarm fire. She noted even if most bills do not pass, voters are still being exposed to theories soundly rejected by the courts.

"These bills are being proposed by a lot of legislators across a lot of states," Homer observed. "They clearly think there's an audience for it. "

The groups behind the report emphasized it is important to remember most administrators, staffs and volunteers are committed to free and fair elections.

Sylvia Albert, national voting and elections director for Common Cause, said outside the findings, potentially having some candidates espousing such views take office is concerning. If election results were to be rejected without a valid reason, she said it might be harder to seek recourse.

"So, there definitely is an ability to challenge in court, [but] the courts are leaning more and more toward stepping away and letting the political process run itself," Albert stressed. "What that does, is not protect the people who don't have power, which are normal Americans."

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

Democrats, Republicans and other political parties in Utah hold primary elections Tuesday, and advocates for older voters are promoting the importance of making sure their voices are heard.

Each party will choose its candidates for the Nov. 8 midterm elections.

Danny Harris, director of advocacy for AARP Utah, said some critical issues are coming up, both in the Utah Legislature and Congress, but the ballots will also be full of candidates for state supreme and appellate court justices, county and city officers, school boards and local ballot measures.

"There's a lot of issues that are particularly important to 50-plus voters, especially right now," Harris outlined. "With rising prices, people struggling to pay for groceries and gas, dealing with the pandemic and a retirement savings crisis."

People over 50 typically turn out to vote in large numbers. Harris urged them to study their local issues to make informed choices. Nonpartisan information is online at Vote.Utah.gov and at AARP.org/UTvotes. Voters can also contact their county elections office.

Harris pointed out voters can still fill out and send a mail-in ballot no later than Monday, or they can vote at their local precinct on Election Day. He said in-person voters should be ready to show identification.

"You must provide at least one valid primary form of ID that includes your name and photograph," Harris explained. "Or you can provide two forms of ID that, when those two combine, they show your name and a current address."

Harris added each political party in Utah has its own ballot, and some but not all, limit voting to only members of the party.

"The Republican, Constitution and Libertarian parties require voters to be affiliated with their respective parties," Harris noted. "But the Democratic, the United Utah, and the Independent American Party primaries are open. In the General Election, however, voters use the same ballot."

Voters who have questions or need assistance should contact election officials at their precinct. Polls will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., or until everyone in line by 8 p.m. has cast a ballot.

July 1 is the next scheduled hearing date for a pair of lawsuits tied to North Dakota's redistricting process. The legal issue is political boundaries for tribal areas, and whether their federal rights are being honored.

One lawsuit alleges the state violated the Voting Rights Act by not creating a majority Native American legislative district for the Spirit Lake and Turtle Mountain reservations. The other case seeks to protect a newly created subdistrict encompassing the Fort Berthold reservation.

Staff Attorney Michael Carter of the Native American Rights Fund said he feels the law is on their side, noting recent federal activity in the first case.

"The U.S. Department of Justice Department filed a statement of interest in the case," said Carter, "taking our position against the state."

The position is that the Voting Rights Act affords citizens the ability to assert their legal rights in these situations. The state disagrees and has sought to dismiss the case filed by tribal nations.

The competing suit, brought by GOP officials, argues it was unconstitutional for the state to consider race when creating the subdistrict for Fort Berthold.

Lisa DeVille, who resides on the Forth Berthold reservation, has been part of the legal efforts on behalf of tribal members.

She said lawmakers were right to establish the subdistrict in that region and bolster the voting power of Natives, and notes it's an area often overlooked by the state.

"The only time these people come to visit us is when they want our vote," said DeVille. "Not ever seeing what we deal with, what we need, our needs, our wants."

DeVille, who is now running for House District 4A in the State Legislature, said maintaining the subdistrict could pave the way for more candidates who better reflect the interests of tribal voters.

Meanwhile, the GOP plaintiffs in the case have indicated they'll take their arguments to the U.S. Supreme Court. They're appealing the denial of a preliminary injunction they sought ahead of last month's primary election.

On the heels of Tuesday's removal of South Dakota's attorney general, a political expert says it appears lawmakers followed through on what voters were hoping for.

In a legislative trial, the state Senate found Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg guilty of impeachment charges tied to a 2020 fatal crash. He was also forced to step down and was barred from seeking future office in the state.

Lisa Hager is an assistant professor of political science at South Dakota State University. She said the outcome reflects recent public polling from her department.

"Roughly 70% of South Dakota voters wanted Ravnsborg impeached and removed from office," said Hager. "So, it seems as if government here in South Dakota is following the will of the voters."

Ahead of the impeachment process, the situation drew widespread attention over Ravnsborg's actions following the crash, and whether he tried to mislead investigators.

Ravnsborg's defense argued his actions amounted to human error, and that the law-enforcement probe ultimately resulted in traffic misdemeanors. But Hager said there's a different threshold in a political trial.

The votes were not unanimous, but Hager said she feels it was still a pretty convincing result, noting the GOP controlled Legislature overcame party infighting to convict a fellow Republican.

Moving forward, she said it doesn't appear any follow-up action is needed to regain public trust.

"I think there is probably a higher trust in government with respect as to how this incident was handled," said Hager.

This week's final vote marked the first time a statewide official in South Dakota was impeached and removed from office.