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    "parsed_content": "The legacy media doesn\u2019t care about your rejected ballot \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n These ballots are rejected over small discrepancies or technical errors that disenfranchise U.S. citizens.\u00a0\u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f 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\u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \n\u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u2007\u034f \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \u00ad \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Friday, October 2\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \nBy Marc Elias \u00b7 Democracy Docket founder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n I have built a career fighting to make sure that every ballot cast by an eligible voter is counted. Yet, despite these efforts, hundreds of thousands of mail votes in every election still get rejected for reasons that have no bearing on the voter\u2019s eligibility.\n\u00a0\nThese ballots are rejected over small discrepancies or technical errors that disenfranchise U.S. citizens.\n\u00a0\nSometimes voters make mistakes. Things like a ballot envelope that\u2019s not sealed properly. Or even \u2014 this is unbelievable \u2014 that a voter forgot to list their mother\u2019s maiden name on the back of the envelope.\n\u00a0\nOther times, they result from election worker errors, such as when they decide a signature doesn\u2019t match the one on the voter\u2019s registration card. To be clear, there is no requirement of penmanship to vote, and signature matching is junk science.\n\u00a0\nIn an eye-opening analysis, Democracy Docket found 72,000 instances, across six states, of mail ballots being thrown out over inconsequential technical issues.\n\u00a0\nRecall the outcry from Republicans and many in the media when we learned about a tiny number of noncitizen voters in New Jersey. It was headline news. But when it comes to voters whose voices were silenced over a forgotten maiden name? Silence.\n\u00a0\nWhether it\u2019s a rejected ballot or a noncitizen voter, the impact on the fairness of our elections is the same. And let me be clear: ballots get rejected at an exponentially greater rate \u2014 yet it\u2019s treated as business as usual.\n\u00a0\nThose of us who care about protecting access to the ballot need to start working on changing that.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n What worried me this week\nIn a recent interview with Time, Trump refused to rule out declaring a national emergency or invoking the Insurrection Act to take control of the midterm elections.\n\u00a0\n\u201cI\u2019m not committed to anything,\u201d he told the magazine.\n\u00a0\nThis may surprise some. It does not surprise me.\n\u00a0\nSince day one in office, Trump has been committed to keeping his options open when it comes to undermining democracy \u2014 whether that be sending troops to polls or running for an illegal third term.\n\u00a0\nDeclaring a national emergency around the elections would cause chaos. It would confuse voters, deter people from voting, and lay the groundwork for disputing election results.\n\u00a0\nWhich is exactly what Trump wants. But this isn\u2019t a new idea.\n\u00a0\nDuring an appearance on Wayne Allyn Root\u2019s podcast earlier this month, far-right lawyer and conspiracy theorist Peter Ticktin insisted that Trump needs to declare martial law and seize control of elections from the states. A coalition of anti-voting activists that includes Ticktin has even been coordinating with White House officials to pressure Trump to sign an emergency elections order.\n\u00a0\nThis isn\u2019t a right-wing conspiracy floating in the deepest corners of the internet. This is a plan inside the White House walls \u2014 and we need to be prepared for it.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n What I\u2019m watching in the courts\nThe Republican campaign to disenfranchise overseas voters is ongoing and relentless. A new lawsuit filed by the Democratic Party argues that the Trump administration illegally changed the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), which is used by overseas voters to register and request mail ballots. With just weeks to go before the midterms, the change could make it much harder for overseas voters to receive their ballots in time.\n\u00a0\nThe change \u2014 in which the Pentagon removed a checkbox on the FPCA for citizens living abroad who have never resided in the U.S. \u2014 was made on a manufactured \u201cemergency\u201d basis, bypassing the lengthy process for modifying federal forms required by the Administrative Procedure Act.\n\u00a0\nThe administration also removed state-by-state guidance from a federal guide that previously told U.S. citizens born and living abroad whether they were eligible to vote in each state.\n\u00a0\nThis isn\u2019t the first time Republicans have targeted the voting rights of these voters, and it likely won\u2019t be the last. The GOP believes overseas voters are more likely to vote Democratic than Republican, and instead of courting these voters, Republicans have waged war against their constitutional right.\n\u00a0\nWe will continue to advocate and fight for voters living abroad. That starts in the courtroom.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n What gave me hope this week\n The Trump administration is failing to prove any evidence of voter fraud \u2014 and they\u2019re failing spectacularly. This week, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a new lawsuit because federal agencies failed to provide any records to back up Trump\u2019s allegations that tens of thousands of noncitizens are registered to vote in various blue states.\n\u00a0\nOn top of CREW\u2019s admission, election denier Kurt Olsen left the Trump administration after failing to find evidence that the 2020 election was stolen.\n\u00a0\nIt was a bad week in the Trump election conspiracy world \u2014 and that always gives me hope.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n We\u2019re grateful for your support at the highest level. Make the most of your VIP membership and enjoy exclusive perks \u2014 claim your tote, gift two memberships and set your email preferences today.\n \n \n \n \n USE YOUR VIP BENEFITS",
    "author_name": "Marc Elias",
    "site_name": "Democracy Docket",
    "section": null,
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    "ai_headline": "The legacy media doesn\u2019t care about your rejected ballot",
    "ai_simplified_title": "Marc Elias Criticizes Media Silence on Rejected Ballots",
    "ai_excerpt": "Marc Elias argues that hundreds of thousands of mail ballots are rejected due to minor errors, disenfranchising voters, a problem ignored by legacy media. He also expresses concern over Trump's potential plans to undermine elections and highlights ongoing legal battles to protect voting rights.",
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