JOCELYN BENSON

Efforts to deceive the public about voting and elections remain a top concern for state election officials as they dig into preparations for the 2024 election.

A bipartisan effort among states to combat voter fraud has found itself in the crosshairs of conspiracy theories fueled by Donald Trump’s false claim about the 2020 presidential election and now faces an uncertain future.

Democratic congresswoman Elissa Slotkin of Michigan is taking steps toward seeking the U.S. Senate seat held by retiring Democrat Debbie Stabenow.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was sworn in alongside other Democratic leaders as she officially began her second term in office after winning reelection in the 2022 midterms.

Federal proposals that would have significantly boosted security funding for election offices and heightened penalties for threatening their staff failed to advance this year.

Only scattered challenges to certification of the midterm election have been reported in the United States, and not a single one is based on any problems with the accuracy of the results.

Certification of this year’s midterm election results appears to be proceeding smoothly and with little controversy across the country.

This week’s ballot had an unspoken candidate — American democracy.

A shortage of poll workers has concerned local election officials across the country as the midterm elections approach.

In one of the country's premier battleground states, a last-ditch effort from Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon has helped her pull closer with incumbent Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

With Election Day 12 days away, efforts are already underway in courtrooms across the country to sow doubt over the outcome.

Campaign spending is setting records in races to oversee state elections.

Before the 2020 presidential election, certifying election results was routine and generated little public attention.

Candidates who have to play to their party’s base during primaries or nominating conventions often shift toward the center when the time comes to seek support from a wider range of voters for the general election.

An apparent attempt by a voter in Colorado to tamper with a voting machine during the state's primary this summer has heightened concerns among election officials and security experts.

A top official says the Justice Department has charged five people for making threats of violence against election workers amid a rising wave of harassment and intimidation tied to the 2020 presidential election.

Businesswoman and conservative commentator Tudor Dixon has won the Republican primary for Michigan governor.

Some Democratic candidates in statewide down-ballot races have decided to make abortion access key to their campaigns.

An Associated Press survey of state election officials across the U.S. found that the expanded use of drop boxes for mailed ballots during the 2020 election didn't lead to any widespread problems.

This week’s gripping testimony to Congress about threats to local election officials following the 2020 presidential election had a rapt audience outside Washington — secretaries of state and election clerks across the U.

A House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection is turning to former President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign on state and local officials to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Add one more group of contests to the white-hot races for Congress and governor that will dominate this year’s midterm elections: secretaries of state.

Two candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump have won Michigan Republicans’ backing for attorney general and secretary of state at a convention, clearing their path to face Democratic incumbents in the fall.

Arizona’s Republican House speaker has been awarded the John F.

Former President Donald Trump’s extraordinary effort to mold Republicans’ 2022 tickets will be put to the test this weekend in Michigan, where thousands of party activists will endorse candidates including for attorney general and secretary of state.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is among five people being named as recipients of the John F.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was one of the more high-profile targets of political violence when prosecutors say a group of men who were angry about pandemic restrictions plotted to kidnap her.

Election officials preparing for this year’s midterms have yet another security concern to add to an already long list – threats from within.

Supporters of Donald Trump are trying to remove some of the guardrails that stopped him from overturning the 2020 presidential election.

The first major election day following a year of relentless attacks on voting rights and election officials went off largely without a hitch.

Texas has become the latest state where Republicans have rolled back access to voting methods that soared in popularity during last year’s pandemic presidential election.

State election officials say they are confronting a myriad of challenges heading into the 2022 midterm elections.

A federal judge in Detroit is considering whether to order financial penalties and other sanctions against some of former President Donald Trump’s lawyers.

Michigan’s attorney general is investigating after a Republican-led state legislative committee said people are making baseless allegations about 2020 presidential election results in a northern Michigan county to raise money or publicity for their own ends.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says politicians lying about fraud in the 2020 presidential election, Republican efforts to make voting more difficult and the continued spread of disinformation leave her deeply concerned about the future of American democracy.

Republicans in Florida, Georgia and other states have seized on former President Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud to push ID requirements for voters to request or return mailed ballots.

Democrats and Republicans both see the legislation, which touches on nearly every aspect of the electoral process, as fundamental to their parties’ political futures. Republicans charge the bill would strip power from the states and cement an unfair political advantage for Democrats. It would expand voting by mail, promote early voting and give states money to track absentee ballots. Some measures would limit mail voting, cut hours at polling places and impose restrictions that Democrats argue amount to the greatest assault on voting rights since the Jim Crow era. The bill has already run into roadblocks that have become familiar since Democrats began their narrow control of the Senate two months ago.

Democrats and Republicans both see the legislation, which touches on nearly every aspect of the electoral process, as fundamental to their parties’ political futures. Republicans charge the bill would strip power from the states and cement an unfair political advantage for Democrats. It would expand voting by mail, promote early voting and give states money to track absentee ballots. Some measures would limit mail voting, cut hours at polling places and impose restrictions that Democrats argue amount to the greatest assault on voting rights since the Jim Crow era. The bill has already run into roadblocks that have become familiar since Democrats began their narrow control of the Senate two months ago.

In one of the most striking instances, Wisconsin saw both a decline in rejection rate and the overall number of ballots tossed out. For instance, a GOP push in Georgia would eliminate no-excuse absentee voting, requiring people to give a reason. In nine, it found the mailed ballot rejection rate declined. Overall, about 0.34% of absentee ballots cast were rejected, compared with roughly 1% in the primary. Just over 15,000 ballots were rejected there in November, just shy of 0.5% of absentee ballots cast and down slightly from the primary.

Republicans in key states that voted for President-elect Joe Biden already are pushing for new restrictions, especially to absentee voting. President Donald Trump has been unrelenting in his attacks on mail voting as he continues to challenge the legitimacy of an election he lost. They are vowing to crack down on mail ballots and threatening to roll back other steps that have made it easier for people to vote. An estimated 108 million people voted before Election Day, either through early in-person voting or by mailing or dropping off absentee ballots. Previous elections have shown that voters appreciate mail voting, no matter their party affiliation.

It also comes as an increasing number of Republicans were publicly acknowledging Biden’s victory, after weeks of tolerating Trump’s baseless claims of fraud. The president had grown increasingly frustrated with the flailing tactics of his legal team. President-elect Biden won the State of Michigan by more than 154,000 votes, and he will be our next president on January 20th,” Michigan Gov. The campaign, in its filings, asked for urgent consideration so it could challenge the state election results before they are certified next month. Pennsylvania county election boards voted Monday, the state deadline, on whether to certify election results to the Department of State.

Then there is Georgia, where election officials did a high-profile audit of the presidential race as required by state law. It began when two Republican election board members of the district that includes majority-Black Detroit, voted to block a routine certification of the votes. At most, election officials have cited routine instances of human error or minor technical problems. Trump’s own election security agency declared the 2020 presidential election to have been the most secure in history. At this point it's unlikely that any audit in any state could uncover problems large enough to sway election results.

With a few reports of overly aggressive poll watchers, election officials said they were carefully balancing access with the need to minimize disruptions. Voting advocates noted the restrictions applied to both Republican and Democratic poll watchers. “There are specific rules in Pennsylvania about where poll watchers can stand and what they can do,” said Suzanne Almeida, interim director of Common Cause Pennsylvania. This is not about disadvantaging one party over another.”The number of poll watchers allowed at an election office varies. Also Thursday, a Michigan judge dismissed a Trump campaign lawsuit over whether enough Republican poll watchers had access to the handling of absentee ballots.

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH POLL WATCHERS? The campaign of President Donald Trump says Republican poll watchers are being improperly denied access to observe the counting of ballots. Tasked this year with monitoring a record number of mail ballots, partisan poll watchers are designated by a political party or campaign to report any concerns they may have. With a few reports of overly aggressive poll watchers, election officials said they were carefully balancing access with the need to minimize disruptions. Poll watchers have been a central element of legal battles that have erupted in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Nevada.

With a few reports of overly aggressive poll watchers, election officials said they were carefully balancing access with the need to minimize disruptions. Voting advocates noted the restrictions applied to both Republican and Democratic poll watchers. “There are specific rules in Pennsylvania about where poll watchers can stand and what they can do,” said Suzanne Almeida, interim director of Common Cause Pennsylvania. This is not about disadvantaging one party over another.”The number of poll watchers allowed at an election office varies. Also Thursday, a Michigan judge dismissed a Trump campaign lawsuit over whether enough Republican poll watchers had access to the handling of absentee ballots.

A family visits the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – Judges in Georgia and Michigan quickly dismissed Trump campaign lawsuits Thursday, undercutting a campaign legal strategy to attack the integrity of the voting process in states where the result could mean President Donald Trump’s defeat. “But we think there’ll be a lot of litigation because we can't have an election stolen like this,” Trump said. Campaign officials said earlier they were considering similar challenges in a dozen other counties around the state. Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller said additional legal action was expected and would be focused on giving campaign officials access to where ballots were being counted.

Workers prepare mail-in ballots for counting, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, at the convention center in Lancaster, Pa., following Tuesday's election. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)If you need help with the Public File, call 407-291-6000.

Unlike in previous years, states were contending with an avalanche of mail ballots driven by the global pandemic. Every election, what’s reported on election night are unofficial results and the counting of votes extends past Election Day. This year, with so many mail ballots and close races in key states, counting every vote was expected to take more time. “These ballots were cast by tens of thousands of Michigan citizens who have the right to have their vote counted. Slowing the process down was the fact that local election officials could not begin processing and scanning ballots ahead of Election Day, as most states did.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said "I'm grateful for our sports partners in Detroit," Benson said Tuesday night at the home of the Detroit Lions. "They really led the way for sports teams across the country to play a critical role in providing the resources we needed to run the election successfully this year. “I'm grateful for our sports partners in Detroit," Benson said Tuesday night at the home of the Lions. “They really led the way for sports teams across the country to play a critical role in providing the resources we needed to run the election successfully this year. Meanwhile, many Major League Baseball and NHL teams also put their stadiums and arenas in play on Election Day.

FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 19, 2020, file photo, an election worker places a vote-by-mail ballot into an official ballot drop box outside of an early voting site, in Miami. Just days before the presidential election, millions of mail-in ballots have still not been returned in key battleground states. Many of those are due in county offices by Tuesday, Nov. 3, but the latest Postal Service delivery data suggests its too late for voters to drop their ballots in the mail. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

Just days before the presidential election, millions of mail-in ballots have still not been returned in key battleground states. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)ATLANTA – Just days before the presidential election, millions of mail ballots have yet to be returned in key battleground states, and election officials warn that time is running out for voters who want to avoid a polling place on Election Day. At least 35 million mail ballots had been returned or accepted as of early Wednesday, according to data collected by The Associated Press. That surpasses the 33.3 million total mail ballots returned during the 2016 election, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Yet an estimated 1.9 million ballots were still outstanding in Florida, along with 962,000 in Nevada, 850,000 in Michigan and 1 million in Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner opened a hotline that rings directly to his office's prosecutors, who will send detectives to investigate reports of voter suppression or intimidation. In Arizona, a coalition of voting rights groups has formed to dispatch volunteers trained to combat voter intimidation and misinformation efforts. Federal and state law enforcement officials are expanding preparations for the possibility of widespread unrest at the polls. In Michigan, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson issued a directive reminding state elections clerks that firearms cannot be openly carried at the polls. ___AP’s Advance Voting guide brings you the facts about voting early, by mail or absentee from each state: https://interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020

Postal Service records show delivery delays have persisted across the country as millions of Americans began voting by mail, raising the possibility of ballots being rejected because they arrive too late. Postal Service records show delivery delays have persisted across the country as millions of Americans are voting by mail, raising the possibility of ballots being rejected because they arrive too late. The agency also announced it will treat election mail as first-class, which had previously been an informal policy. Other battleground areas also showed problems in early October, with delivery rates of first-class mail below the national average. Postal delays also could compound existing issues that have cropped up in recent weeks as election officials manage the unpreceded surge in mail voting with deadlines looming.

Two conservative operatives were charged Thursday in connection with false robocalls that aimed to dissuade Black residents in Detroit and other Democratic-leaning U.S. cities from voting by mail, Michigan's attorney general announced. Nessel said her office would work with local law enforcement to secure their appearances, saying they could face arrest and extradition or could voluntarily travel to Michigan to face the charges. Nessel said the investigation found that Burkman and Wohl created and funded the robocalls to deter voters of color from participating in the November election. In Michigan, voters can cast an absentee ballot for any reason. A woman on the robocalls said she was part of Project 1559, a group founded by Wohl and Burkman.

He said it was "to avoid even the appearance of impact on election mail." Federal judges have since ordered the Postal Service to halt all changes, although the agency said it is exploring its legal options. On-time delivery in northern Ohio, which includes Cleveland, dipped to as low as 63% in July before rising to 88% by the end of August. On-time delivery declined to as low as 79% for the Philadelphia area and to 67% for the central part of the state. Earlier this year, the Philadelphia district averaged 84.5% on-time delivery, according to the quarterly data.

It could be even more pronounced in some urban areas where Democratic votes are concentrated and ballot rejection rates trended higher during this years primaries. Amy Campbell, a 26-year-old University of Pennsylvania medical student, had her ballot rejected for another reason: a missing signature. Vote-by-mail rejections could be of special concern to Democrats, who have seen a surge in absentee ballot applications this year. For its analysis, the AP also collected absentee ballot data from Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. All have had absentee ballots rejected at higher rates than white and more experienced mail-in voters.

The mail-in ballot deadlines are tight in the best of times. Georgia voters can request a ballot by mail until four days before the Nov. 3 election, with completed ballots due by 7 p.m. on Election Day. New Jersey ballots mailed on Election Day must be received within 48 hours of polls closing. Other states also are seeing conflicts between state officials and lawmakers over changing ballot deadlines. LaRose is urging voters to submit applications no later than Oct. 27, rather than waiting until the Saturday before Election Day.

FILE - In this May 28, 2020, file photo, mail-in primary election ballots are processed at the Chester County Voter Services office in West Chester, Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf's top election official said Friday, Aug. 14, that the administration had to take action after receiving a blunt warning from the U.S. Postal Service that it may be unable to deliver some mail-in ballots in the November presidential election by the deadline in state law. That warning precipitated Thursday night's filing in the state Supreme Court asking for an order to extend the deadline for mail-in ballots to be received in the Nov. 3 election when Pennsylvania will be a premier presidential battleground. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Postal Service of money in order to make it harder to process an expected surge of mail-in ballots, which he worries could cost him the election. He's pairing the tough Postal Service stance in congressional negotiations with an increasingly robust mail-in-voting legal fight in states that could decide the election. That followed legal maneuvers in battleground Pennsylvania, where the campaign hopes to force changes to how the state collects and counts mail-in ballots. That figure, which would include money to help with election mail, is down from a $25 billion plan in a House-passed coronavirus measure. Judy Beard, legislative and political director for the American Postal Workers Union, said postal workers are up to the task of delivering mail-in ballots this year.

FILE - In this July 31, 2020, file photo, letter carriers load mail trucks for deliveries at a U.S. Postal Service facility in McLean, Va. Postal Service. The Postal Service is bracing for an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. A spokesman for the Postal Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he walks to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, July 31, 2020, in Washington. Trump is en route to Florida. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON A shift to mail voting is increasing the chances that Americans will not know the winner of Novembers presidential race on election night. In an election as close as 2016s, a delayed tally in key states could keep news organizations from calling a winner. In some states, the ballots can be accepted several days after Election Day, as long as they are postmarked before polls closed. In Arizona in 2018, for example, Republican Martha McSally was narrowly winning the initial tally of in-person votes and mail ballots that had arrived days before Election Day. More than a week later, after election officials were able to tally all the mail votes that arrived on Election Day, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema won the senatorial race by more than 2 percentage points.

The League of Women Voters of Michigan and three voters sued in May, seeking a declaration that absentee ballots be counted as long as they are mailed on or before Election Day and are received within six days of the election. The plaintiffs, who will appeal to the state Supreme Court, pointed to voters' new constitutional rights to cast an absentee ballot without giving a reason 40 days before an election and to do it in person or by mail. It also said the deadline especially burdens undecided and late-deciding voters and said at least 11 states count ballots sent by Election Day. About 1.75% of ballots were not counted in the recent May local elections because they came in too late. A similar suit funded by Priorities USA, a powerful super PAC in Democratic politics is pending in the state Court of Claims.

ATLANTA If basketball icon LeBron James gets his way, NBA arenas and other sports venues around the country will be mega polling sites for the November general election. James and his voting rights group, formed this spring with other black athletes and entertainers, are joining with other professional basketball leaders and Michigans top elections official to push for mega voting sites to accommodate in-person balloting amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In Georgia, Fulton County elections officials this week approved the Atlanta Hawks proposal to use State Farm Arena as a polling site. Plans call for the arena to serve any Fulton County voters during early voting and on Election Day, Nov. 3. Voting rights advocates argued in federal court that the plan, part of culling voting sites statewide amid coronavirus concerns, would harm minority voters.

A person waits in line to vote in the Georgia's primary election at Park Tavern on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, in Atlanta. President Donald Trump is also fighting states' plans to expand voting by mail, raising repeated concerns with no evidence about voter fraud. Beyond lines, the mail voting boom has caused unprecedented reporting delays. Scott Walker, a Republican, said he's confident in the state's voting system and blames any issues on the incompetence of municipal election officials. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, said he's working to ensure Ohio has adequate poll workers.