Con el anuncio del lunes de que el senador de Ohio JD Vance, es el candidato a la vicepresidencia en el GOP, los grupos progresistas dicen estar preocupados por el historial de voto del senador Vance y por cómo sus decisiones han afectado a la clase trabajadora del estado.
Vance es un capitalista con inversiones en la industria de la salud.
Desiree Tims, de Innovation Ohio, califica de "preocupante" el apoyo de Vance a la prohibición nacional del aborto, a las grandes corporaciones y algunas de sus posturas en materia de salud.
"Entiendo que puede ser muy emocionante para nuestros amigos republicanos del otro lado del pasillo, creo que el público en general debería estar preocupado y realmente prestar atención al historial del Senador Vance en el Senado de los Estados Unidos, que aunque fue breve, fue impactante de todos modos," enfatiza Tims.
Vance se opone a que los menores reciban atención médica de reafirmación de género y apoya negar la cobertura médica a los migrantes que llegaron a EE.UU. cuando eran niños. Vance, de 39 años, quien lleva año y medio en el Senado estadounidense, fue anunciado como compañero de Trump para 2024 el lunes por la tarde en la Convención Nacional Republicana de Milwaukee en Wisconsin.
Tims dice que ahora es el momento de que los votantes de Ohio se informen sobre los temas y se registren para votar. Hasta ahora, más de dos millones y medio de personas han sido eliminadas del censo electoral del estado. Dice que los habitantes de Ohio probablemente verán una medida en la boleta electoral este otoño para reformar el proceso de redistribución de distritos, incluida la sustitución de la Comisión de Redistribución de Distritos de Ohio por un organismo independiente elegido por los votantes.
"Se trata de otra oportunidad para que los habitantes de Ohio opinen sobre la democracia directa," agrega Tim, "y participen en cómo quieren que se gestionen y tracen los distritos en este estado."
Tims agrega que los últimos días han sido sombríos y tristes para la nación, hace un llamado a bajar el tono de la retórica política, ya que se han perdido más vidas inocentes a causa de la violencia armada.
"El intento de asesinato a Donald Trump fue ciertamente aterrador para los asistentes y los espectadores," asegura Tims, "y realmente no tiene cabida en nuestra democracia, especialmente cuando hablamos de violencia política."
El apoyo para este informe fue proporcionado por The Carnegie Corporation de Nueva York.
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California political analysts predict the race for president will tighten since President Joe Biden has dropped out and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
If elected, Harris would be the first Black woman and first person of Asian descent to ascend to the highest office in the land.
Lynn Vavreck, professor of political science at the University of California-Los Angeles, predicted it will re-energize the race on the Democratic side.
"There will be a flood of money coming into whatever the new ticket is likely to be," Vavreck pointed out. "The race will once again tighten to be somewhere around 50/50. That will roll us into the Democratic convention. And from that point forward, it's not that long until early voting starts."
Harris has vowed to "earn and win" the nomination at the Democratic National Convention, which starts in Chicago on August 19. It is unclear if anyone will challenge Harris for the nomination, or whom she might choose as a running mate.
Mark Baldassare, survey director for the Public Policy Institute of California, noted Harris previously served as a U.S. Senator from California, Attorney General of the Golden State, and District Attorney for San Francisco.
"This is somebody who has a long history of public service at the local, state and national levels," Baldassare emphasized. "And of course, spent three years as the vice president, which is very relevant (to) somebody who would step into the Oval Office and become president."
Harris is a strong supporter of abortion rights, voting rights, social justice and environmental causes.
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Voting-rights advocates are pleased two of three Washoe County commissioners who refused to certify the results of two primary election recounts decided to reverse course after facing legal pushback.
On July 11, the commissioners voted against certifying the results for two races: one for a commission seat, the other for a county school board position. The same day, the state filed suit with the Nevada Supreme Court to get the board to fulfill its duties.
Emily Persaud-Zamora, executive director of the advocacy group Silver State Voices, said the controversy set what she called a "negative precedent."
"We want to ensure that we are getting a legal record through the courts as to what the precedent is," Persaud-Zamora explained. "So that when folks try to pull shenanigans in the General (Election), that we have a blueprint to be able to address these things."
She noted her organization is hopeful the state Supreme Court can hear the case and rule on it, despite the results already being certified. She contended if the three Republican county commissioners were capable of instilling doubt, it could happen elsewhere come November. Similar cases have been seen in battleground states like Georgia and Pennsylvania.
Ryan Vortisch, Reno democracy director for Silver State Voices, said the incident undeniably perpetuates the false narrative there is reason to distrust election processes. He and others are reminding people the systems are reliable.
"While it's positive that we did certify the results, it does still kind of creates doubt that we needed to do a revote in the first place," Vortisch pointed out. "You know, the reality is that we are a battleground county in a battleground state and because of that, we have attracted a lot of mis- and disinformation about the elections process."
Persaud-Zamora added incidents like the Washoe County vote prompt some people to believe false information and feed into it. But it also leads to what she called "political and mental fatigue," which can take a toll on voters.
"That clearly has a whole different level of potential consequences: people not voting in the presidential election," Persaud-Zamora emphasized. "But beyond that, I mean, we've had many conversations. It's not just about the top of the ticket. It's about all of the ticket, down the ballot."
Disclosure: Silver State Voices contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy and Priorities, Civic Engagement, Health Issues, and Human Rights/Racial Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
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A voting rights group has filed a lawsuit in Alabama to prevent thousands from losing their right to vote.
The Campaign Legal Center said Alabama's House Bill 100 could potentially disenfranchise many voters just before the 2024 general election. The bill aims to expand the list of crimes which result in the loss of voting rights, by adding more than 120 felonies to the existing list. Backers of the bill say it's necessary to protect poll workers.
Blair Bowie, director of the Restore Your Vote program for the Campaign Legal Center, highlighted the effect the bill could have on Alabama voters.
"People who have been convicted of the crimes that have been recently added to the list, people who have the right to vote now, could actually cast their absentee ballots before the law goes into effect taking away their voting rights," Bowie pointed out.
She noted it raises concerns over whether people could face criminal prosecution for illegal registration or voting if they attempt to cast their ballot. Currently, 40 existing "crimes of moral turpitude" disqualify someone from voting. The list would now include crimes like elder abuse, domestic violence and stalking.
Bowie pointed out the group's main concern is to not allow the measure to deny voters the chance to make their voices heard this November. She explained the Campaign Legal Center's lawsuit argued the law violates the Alabama constitution prohibiting changes to election laws within six months of an election.
"This new additional definition of crimes and moral turpitude is set to go into effect at the beginning of October," Bowie observed. "Clearly within six months of an election, it clearly violates that constitutional provision."
In Alabama if you lose your right to vote, you have to go through the state's process of getting a Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote. Bowie advises anyone unsure of their voting status to visit restoreyourvote.org.
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