RandySF
RandySF's JournalThese 30 cases will determine the future of our elections
Donald Trump spent his week making deranged threats to world peace. Meanwhile, I’ve been focusing on defending voters in Idaho. That’s because last Wednesday, the Department of Justice added Idaho to the list of states it is suing to gain access to unredacted, individualized voter data.
Over the last few months, a familiar pattern has emerged. Trump’s DOJ sues a state to obtain the voting information that states keep on their citizens, and within days, my law firm intervenes on behalf of groups of voters seeking to protect the privacy of that data.
So far, the DOJ has sued 29 states plus the District of Columbia — 30 cases in all. My team has sought to defend voters in each of them. Twenty-one courts have granted our motions to intervene, and only one has been denied. The remaining eight, including Idaho, are pending.
It is grueling work. Unlike other areas of law, fighting for voting rights means battling state by state, in courtrooms across the country.
https://www.democracydocket.com/opinion/these-30-cases-will-determine-the-future-of-our-elections/
Report: FBI previously debunked fraud claims used to justify its Fulton County election raid
When the FBI seized 2020 election materials from an election hub in Fulton County, Georgia, this January, their extraordinary raid was predicated in part on a report alleging election fraud in the county.
But before the raid, officials within the bureau had already debunked that report, according to a new investigation by ProPublica.
ProPublica’s reporting, published Monday, also revealed closer coordination between the White House and the Department of Justice (DOJ) during the bureau’s criminal investigation into the county than had been previously known.
The revelations are likely to be cited in Fulton County’s ongoing lawsuit to force the DOJ to return the sensitive election records, which included original ballots.
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/fbi-fulton-county-georgia-election-raid-deunked-election-oversight-group-report/
PA-10: Janelle Stelson (D) hauls in more than $2.1M in Q1 in House race against Scott Perry
Democrat Janelle Stelson’s campaign announced on Monday that the former broadcast journalist hauled in more than $2.1 million in the first quarter of fundraising this year as she eyes a rematch against Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) this November, according to figures first shared with The Hill.
Stelson’s campaign said it has received contributions from 9,000 unique donors; she starts off the second quarter with more than $3 million in the bank for one of the most competitive House races of this cycle.
Perry has not yet announced his fundraising numbers for the first quarter. Candidates have until Wednesday to file their fundraising reports.
“Hardworking Central Pennsylvanians from every corner of our community are rallying around Janelle’s campaign to unseat career politician Scott Perry because they’re ready for something different,” Stelson campaign manager Alma Baker said in a statement.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5828628-stelson-campaign-pennsylvania-house-fundraising/
NJ-07: Tina Shah raises nearly $1M, mostly self funded, in Democratic primary for New Jersey House seat
Democrat and ICU physician Dr. Tina Shah raised close to $1 million in her bid to take on Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) in November, which included $650,000 that she personally loaned to her campaign, according to figured first shared with The Hill.
“We know that we have the best message to reach voters across NJ-7 and stop Donald Trump’s assault on our Democracy and our economy,” Shah said in a statement, touting that she is starting the second quarter with close $1.4 million in the bank.
“Our country–and our healthcare system–are in crisis, and I am the only candidate in this primary with the policy experience to address these challenges and deliver for the people of our district,” she added.
Shah, a former senior adviser to the U.S. Surgeon General who’s served in the Obama and Biden administrations, is one of four Democrats looking to challenge Kean in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5829021-tina-shah-fundraising-new-jersey-house-primary/
Cook Political Report: Four Senate Races Shift Towards the Democrats
GA-SEN - From Tossup to Lean D
NC-SEN - From Tossup to Lean D
OH-SEN - From Lean R to Tossup
NE-SEN - From Solid R to Likely R
https://politicalwire.com/2026/04/13/four-senate-races-shift-towards-the-democrats/
AK-SEN: Peltola raises almost $9M in first three months of Senate bid
Former Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) raked in nearly $9 million across her authorized committees over the first three months of the year, a staggering sum for Alaska that reflects how critical national Democrats believe the race is to their chances of retaking the Senate majority.
Peltola’s $8.9 million haul represents the largest first-quarter raise of any Senate candidate in the state’s history, according to her campaign, which shared its numbers first with POLITICO. It’s quadruple the amount her rival, GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan, raised over the same period.
“Alaskans know DC isn’t working for them, and they’re ready for change,” Peltola said in a statement. “I’m so grateful for the support we’ve received from every single borough and census area across our state, and it’s that support that will bring us to victory this November.”
Sullivan’s campaign said last week he had raised $2.1 million across his authorized committees and had $7.5 million in cash on hand. Peltola’s campaign declined to provide her amount of cash on hand, raising the possibility that she spent a lot to raise that much. Her team noted that 95 percent of the contributions she received since launching her Senate bid in mid-January were $100 or less, meaning she can go back to those small-dollar donors for more money in future months.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/13/senate-midterms-peltola-fundraising-sullivan-alaska-00868627
April 20 is deadline to register to vote in Kentucky's May primary election
Kentuckians have a week to register to vote in the May 19 primary election.
The deadline to register is 4 p.m. local time Monday, April 20.
Highlighting the ballot is the race for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell who is retiring after 42 years in the Senate.
Kentuckians this year will also be choosing members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Kentucky legislature and county and city offices.
https://kentuckylantern.com/briefs/april-20-is-deadline-to-register-to-vote-in-kentuckys-may-primary-election/
Can felons vote in North Dakota? Democracy group seeks to dispel misconceptions
The League of Women Voters of North Dakota is coordinating with state agencies and jails to make sure people with criminal records know their voting rights.
Under state law, North Dakota residents cannot vote while incarcerated for a felony. They can vote after they’re released, however, as long as they meet all other requirements. People can also vote if they’re serving time for a misdemeanor, or if they’ve been charged but not convicted.
But these nuances aren’t well understood by the public, said Whitney Oxendahl, a volunteer for the League of Women Voters of North Dakota.
Many volunteers for the League meet people who think having a felony means they permanently lose their voting rights, she said. Sometimes people with felonies also think they can vote in state elections but not federal races.
https://northdakotamonitor.com/2026/04/13/can-felons-vote-in-north-dakota-democracy-group-seeks-to-dispel-misconceptions/
WV-02: In race for WV's 2nd House of Representatives district, three Dems vie for chance to unseat Moore
Democratic voters will choose between Ace Parsi, an Iranian-born community organizer, Stephanie Spears Tomana, a science teacher and youth sports coach, and Steven Wendelin, a navy veteran. The primary election is May 12.
Ace Parsi’s family immigrated to the United States when he was 8 years old to escape the authoritarian regime there. His brother was about to be conscripted into the military.......
Steven Wendelin, of Lost River, is a Northern California native who settled in West Virginia after retiring from a 39-year career in the U.S. Navy. The military took him all over the world, but when he got to choose where to live, he chose West Virginia, he said.....
Stephanie Spears Tomana is a Fairmont science teacher and a lifelong West Virginia resident. She said she was inspired to run for office after seeing West Virginia being exploited over and over.
https://westvirginiawatch.com/2026/04/13/in-race-for-wvs-2nd-house-of-representatives-district-three-dems-vie-for-chance-to-unseat-moore/
AK-SEN: 'It would be catastrophic': A Supreme Court decision could upend Alaska's crucial Senate race
In the villages that dot Kodiak Island off the coast of southwest Alaska, the post arrives by plane. Mailing a ballot to the archipelago’s hub takes at least two days — if the region’s frequent storms haven’t grounded air traffic.
It’s a common problem across Alaska. And it’s a big reason why the state allows ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted for up to 10 days afterward, a critical reprieve for voters in remote communities that are disconnected from the state’s highway system and sometimes even polling locations.
That’s why Alaskans across the political spectrum are sounding the alarm about a pending Supreme Court ruling. A majority of justices appear to be leaning toward barring states from counting late-arriving ballots, a ruling that would upend voting laws in Alaska and more than a dozen other states. That could potentially disenfranchise hundreds of voters in Kodiak’s distant villages and thousands more across the remote reaches of The Last Frontier — and upend Alaska’s election process in a state that could determine Senate control.
“This matters a lot in a place like Kodiak, because absentee voting, it’s not a convenience here,” said Jared Griffin, the mayor of Kodiak Island Borough, who is an independent. “It’s going to really hurt those rural, remote voters.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/12/it-would-be-catastrophic-a-supreme-court-decision-could-upend-alaskas-crucial-senate-race-00867699
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