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RandySF's JournalBoone County voters prepare for upcoming elections at nonpartisan event
COLUMBIA — Some Boone County voters started getting ready for upcoming elections at “Your Vote, Your Voice!,” a nonpartisan event held Saturday at the Columbia Public Library.
The event was co-sponsored by local coalition When She Votes and the library. When She Votes consists of organizations including the NAACP, the League of Women Voters, Services for Independent Living, and the City of Columbia and Boone County governments.
"The goal is to inform people that their vote has value," said Marilyn McLeod, the co-chair of When She Votes.
Speakers pushed for people to go out and vote, especially in municipal elections, where voter turnout tends to be significantly lower.
https://www.komu.com/news/midmissourinews/boone-county-voters-prepare-for-upcoming-elections-at-nonpartisan-event/article_69fb00d9-4296-4e6d-9bfe-ea918f4e8444.html
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Chris Taylor (D) emphasizes rights and democracy
CAMBRIDGE, Wis. (WKOW) – Judge Chris Taylor, a candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, addressed supporters at a meet and greet on Sunday.
She discussed her campaign and vision for the court. Taylor emphasized the significance of the upcoming election.
“We must have a strong court to protect our rights, to protect our democracy, our ability to vote and to protect the independence of the state of Wisconsin,” said Taylor.
She addressed concerns about federal overreach, highlighting the role of state rights. “We have rights that are not delegated to the federal government remain with the state. Those include rights over our election,” Taylor said.
https://www.wkow.com/news/wisconsin-supreme-court-candidate-chris-taylor-emphasizes-rights-and-democracy/article_c1b38713-e99b-4f9e-bd0c-6602210b1f79.html
Election uncertainties facing Michigan clerks mount after Trump threat
Lansing — Michigan election officials are facing increasing scrutiny from some politicians and a presidential threat of federal intervention, which some expect to be attempted in the coming months, to begin the pivotal 2026 campaign year.
Republican President Donald Trump has floated the idea of having federal officials take over local responsibilities for administering elections. He's also used social media to promote five-year-old and dubious claims of voter fraud centered on Michigan.
A spokeswoman for Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said Friday that Michigan leaders were preparing for a "range of potential threats." Despite the array of pressures — including a push for funding for new equipment and a petition campaign on voter eligibility — some of the clerks who administer elections in Michigan's largest cities said they'll continue to be focused on ensuring the law is followed.
"They will not betray their oath because of any type of effort by any elected official, whether it be Donald Trump or anyone else," said Michael Siegrist, the clerk in Wayne County's Canton Township.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2026/02/22/michigan-november-2026-election-donald-trump-federal-takeover-threat-governor-senate-congress/88774636007/
New Mexico Launches Investigation of Forced Sterilization of Native American Women
EDGEWOOD, N.M. (AP) — In the 1970s, the U.S. agency that provides health care to Native Americans sterilized thousands of women without their full and informed consent, depriving them of the opportunity to start or grow families.
Decades later, the state of New Mexico is set to investigate that troubling history and its lasting harm.
New Mexico legislators approved a measure last week to have the state Indian Affairs Department and the Commission on the Status of Women examine the history, scope and continuing impact of forced and coerced sterilizations of women of color by the Indian Health Service and other providers. The findings are expected to be reported to the governor by the end of 2027.
“It’s important for New Mexico to understand the atrocities that took place within the borders of our state,” said state Sen. Linda Lopez, one of the legislation’s sponsors.
https://buckscountybeacon.com/2026/02/new-mexico-launches-investigation-of-forced-sterilization-of-native-american-women/
FL-GOV: The Casey DeSantis question looming over Florida's governor race
POLITICO spoke with 20 friends, lobbyists, operatives and GOP leaders about Casey DeSantis’ future, and most expect she won’t run for governor. She and Gov. DeSantis haven’t floated her name to insiders or started fundraising. Five of the people interviewed said the fact that the DeSantises have three young children was a major factor in their decision-making, and her prospects are also heavily tethered to her husband’s political future. Making a successful run more difficult is that President Donald Trump has made it clear he wants GOP Rep. Byron Donalds to be the state’s next chief executive.
Yet no one close to the first lady was willing to rule out the possibility of a gubernatorial run. Speculation will likely continue until at least June 12, the official deadline to enter the race. But in interviews, it also became clear some party faithful — unlike average GOP voters — are on the fence about Donalds given the governor won’t support him, and want the DeSantises to weigh in about their succession preferences. The governor’s office declined comment about the first lady’s future plans.
POLITICO spoke with 20 friends, lobbyists, operatives and GOP leaders about Casey DeSantis’ future, and most expect she won’t run for governor. She and Gov. DeSantis haven’t floated her name to insiders or started fundraising. Five of the people interviewed said the fact that the DeSantises have three young children was a major factor in their decision-making, and her prospects are also heavily tethered to her husband’s political future. Making a successful run more difficult is that President Donald Trump has made it clear he wants GOP Rep. Byron Donalds to be the state’s next chief executive.
Yet no one close to the first lady was willing to rule out the possibility of a gubernatorial run. Speculation will likely continue until at least June 12, the official deadline to enter the race. But in interviews, it also became clear some party faithful — unlike average GOP voters — are on the fence about Donalds given the governor won’t support him, and want the DeSantises to weigh in about their succession preferences. The governor’s office declined comment about the first lady’s future plans.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/22/casey-desantis-florida-governor-00791391
Chlorine-free pools may become reality for small lodges with legislative approval
PIERRE — Small lodges would be able to offer their guests a chlorine-free swimming experience under the terms of a bill approved Friday by the South Dakota House of Representatives.
House Bill 1299, sponsored by Rapid City Democrat Nicole Uhre-Balk, would allow establishments with 15 or fewer sleeping rooms to install biofilters for their pools. A biofilter is defined by the bill as a system that uses natural filtration processes to clean water, rather than chlorine.
Such systems use areas of plants, soil and rocks, physically separate from the pool, to clean water in a manner that mimics natural processes. Water flows through these regeneration zones, where microorganisms and beneficial bacteria in the soil leach out harmful contaminants, much like they do when water seeps through layers of soil on its way to aquifers.
The systems have caught on in other parts of the country and have grown popular in Europe, according to supporters who spoke in favor of the bill in the House Ag and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday. No one testified against the bill. The first natural pools opened in Europe in 1980 and in the United States in 2015.
https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2026/02/22/chlorine-free-pools-may-become-reality-for-small-lodges-with-legislative-approval/
Alaska Supreme Court upholds constitutionality of campaign ad disclosure statements
Alaska’s legally required campaign ad disclaimers do not violate the First Amendment, the state supreme court ruled Friday, deciding a six-year-old dispute between the Alaska Policy Forum and state campaign regulators.
Justice Dario Borghesan wrote the 61-page decision on behalf of the court, which ruled unanimously and upheld minor fines against APF that were issued by the Alaska Public Offices Commission five years ago.
At issue were a series of news releases, opinion pieces and a video embedded in the group’s website, all opposing ranked-choice voting.
“We uphold the agency’s decision, concluding that the cited publications had to be reported and required a ‘paid for by’ disclosure,” Borghesan wrote. “We also hold that the statutory standards are not unconstitutionally vague because they give fair notice of what kind of speech must be reported and must contain a disclosure. And we conclude that the First Amendment challenges to these laws are unavailing.”
https://alaskabeacon.com/2026/02/18/alaska-supreme-court-upholds-constitutionality-of-campaign-ad-disclosure-statements/
Alabama Senate passes bill easing voting rights restoration for those convicted of felonies
The Alabama Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would streamline the process for formerly incarcerated Alabamians to get their voting rights restored.
SB 24, sponsored by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, requires the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles and the Secretary of State to develop a website with instructions on how a formerly incarcerated person “may have their right to vote restored” in an easily accessible manner.
“They just put on a web page, more of a notification deal, that they will be able to go to find out if they have completed everything,” Coleman-Madison said.
The bill would require the Board of Pardons and Paroles, starting in March 2027, to publish a list of names that have qualified to have their voting rights restored and the county in which they reside. The board must also submit the list to the Secretary of State, who must then publish the list on its website.
https://alabamareflector.com/2026/02/19/alabama-senate-passes-bill-easing-voting-rights-restoration-for-those-convicted-of-felonies/
CA-GOV: Why Swalwell and Steyer are surging in California governor's race
SAN FRANCISCO — When Eric Swalwell and Tom Steyer jumped into the California governor’s race, much of the political class rolled its eyes — two failed presidential hopefuls with seemingly thin bases and no track record statewide.
Three months later they’re surging, with poll after poll placing them among the top three Democrats in the race. Without better-known and better-connected candidates running, Swalwell and Steyer have capitalized on their passing familiarity and, in Steyer’s case, bottomless wealth, to create surprisingly durable campaigns with a real shot at winning.
Swalwell and Steyer’s campaigns got legs because there still hasn’t been a breakout candidate,” said veteran California political consultant Elizabeth Ashford, who was a senior adviser to two former governors and chief of staff to Kamala Harris when she was state attorney general. “It’s still on the table.”
In a state that has produced a run of high-profile governors with national clout — from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Jerry Brown and now, Gavin Newsom — the rise of Swalwell and Steyer reflects a low-wattage and deeply unsettled contest. First Harris and Sen. Alex Padilla passed on running. Then state Attorney General Rob Bonta and billionaire mall magnate Rick Caruso declined. Former Rep. Katie Porter, an early frontrunner stung by viral videos of contentious interactions with a journalist and a staffer, failed to pull away from the field.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/21/swalwell-and-steyer-surge-in-wide-open-california-governors-race-00792365
DC police searched Labor Secretary's office in sexual assault investigation
District of Columbia police searched Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s offices at the agency’s headquarters this month as part of its investigation of sexual assault allegations against her husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, according to three DOL officials.
Employees who work in the secretary’s suite were ushered out of their offices temporarily Feb. 5, and Metropolitan Police Department personnel entered and looked around, according to the DOL officials, who were granted anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.
It is unclear what the police were searching for or how long they stayed, but it is unusual for a local police force to seek access to federal property, and especially rare for them search the office of a Cabinet official. In addition to the secretary’s own office, the suite also includes the work stations of a number of aides and advisers who report to her.
“LCD knew MPD was here but not why,” said one of the officials, referring to Chavez-DeRemer by her initials.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/20/dc-police-searched-chavez-deremer-office-00791631
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