talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-04--Is Your State Ready For The Pandemic Election? A Look At AZ, FL, NH, SC And VA

Our journey through America ’ s varying levels of pandemic-voting preparedness continues this week with looks at Arizona , Florida , New Hampshire , South Carolina and Virginia .
Every week , we ’ re looking at what states have done — or not done — to make voting easier during the coronavirus outbreak , where the fights over those moves have been the most contentious , and which states feature the kind of competitive races that could make things extra messy and volatile come November .
Here ’ s this week ’ s installment of our survey , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve examined .
Arizona may not have it so bad this year .
The state has used widespread , no-reason-required voting-by-mail longer than nearly any other .
Eighty-eight percent of voters in the state ’ s August primary voted by mail , and even that volume did not significantly delay the reporting of the results .
And yet , questions do persist about whether the state has invested enough to expand its absentee voting capacity above its already considerable level , amid partisan rancor that has blocked reforms which could help the situation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also put the state in a uniquely vulnerable spot .
Meanwhile , Arizona has become a battleground state in 2020 , with President Trump vying to win it again and Sen. Martha McSally ( R-AZ ) fighting for her life to hold onto Sen. John McCain ( R-AZ ) ’ s former seat , which Mark Kelly , an astronaut and husband to former Rep. Gabby Giffords , hopes to claim .
President Trump has targeted the state with his bogus allegations of voter fraud , and the state ’ s voting rules @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tussles that could change the state of play before Election Day .
The attorney general ’ s office is controlled by a Republican , while the secretary of state is a Democrat , leading to fights between the two over , for example , conflicting deadlines on how to fix ballots that have various errors — that question is subject to a DNC lawsuit filed against the state in June .
A separate case over that issue as well as over who can transport a ballot to a precinct is pending before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acceptance could trigger more restrictive rules being reinstated .
This partisan rancor has meant that the state has put in place no changes to contend with COVID-19 .
In spite of that , election officials have cited a law that allows them to start counting votes received more than two weeks before Election Day as helpful in alleviating backlogs .
Its solid history of remote voting has otherwise left it in a relatively prepared place for holding an election during a pandemic .
Beyond its typical swing state status , Florida will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could serve as an early indicator of the type of Joe Biden landslide that would wrap the presidential race up that night , or soon thereafter .
Florida already had an expansive mail-in voting program before the pandemic , as it offered no excuse absentee voting and operated a semi-permanent absentee voting list that allowed voters to sign up to receive mail ballots for two general election cycles at a time .
That approach had been embraced by Florida ’ s GOP , who saw it benefiting the Republican-leaning elderly population in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeing a third of their ballots come in by mail , they were at an advantage over other states in figuring out what additional scaling-up was needed to accommodate the pandemic election , in which they estimate that mail ballots could make up 50 percent or more of the votes cast .
Florida also has the kind of rules on the books that will help the counting process happen quickly .
Nonetheless , there was still some frustration over the state ’ s slowness to approve some additional rule changes that local election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dispersing the federal election funding Congress approved in its COVID-19 package this spring .
Furthermore , voting rights advocates are calling for early voting to start earlier in the state , and also want more drop boxes to be set up outside , in addition to the ones that are planned indoors at Florida ’ s early vote centers .
A major ongoing legal fight over ex-felon voting could inject additional chaos into November ’ s election .
When the Supreme Court reinstated for August ’ s primary the state ’ s 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had paid all fines , court fees and restitution associated with their conviction — described by voter advocates as a “ poll tax ” — it caused confusion for the ex-felons who registered to vote under a federal judge ’ s previous order partially blocking that 2019 law .
It ’ s still TBD whether the law , which stands to prevent hundreds and thousands of people from voting , will be in place for the general .
In addition to the presidential race , Florida ’ s Democrats are hoping to flip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to break up the GOP ’ s unified hold on its state government .
Unlike most states , New Hampshire hasn ’ t faced the pandemic ’ s electoral test quite yet : Primary day is next week , Sept. 8 .
But the state has made a few allowances for the virus : Concern about COVID-19 is now a valid excuse to cast an absentee ballot .
First-time voters can also register through the mail , despite the state ’ s voter ID laws , by providing a copy of their state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and address .
The state also recently allowed voters with certain disabilities , such as blindness , to fill out a ballot online and print and return it , rather than requesting a typical print ballot and relying on another person ’ s assistance to fill it out .
Then there are the “ Live Free or Die ” accommodations , like separate polling areas for people who refuse to wear masks .
Voters may return ballots directly to election officials , and they may want to : New Hampshire allows voters to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before Election Day .
At that point , sending it through the mail likely won ’ t get it counted in time .
Before a few years ago , the last substantial change to the state ’ s laws came in 1976 , with legislation that allowed 18-year-olds to vote and allowed voting absentee .
But after Donald Trump lost the state to Hillary Clinton by less than half of one percent in 2016 , Republicans passed laws that made voting harder , especially for students .
SB3 , a 2017 law that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struck down by a state judge in April .
But judges didn ’ t stop HB 1264 , which requires students and others who vote in New Hampshire to be considered legal residents of the state .
Voting rights advocates feared the initial lack of clarity over HB 1264 might discourage potential college student voters who ’ d rather not take steps otherwise required of residents , like getting new drivers licenses or registering their vehicles in New Hampshire — but , as the state ’ s Supreme Court made clear in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not required to vote .
At this point , the line from Democrats and voting rights attorneys is straightforward : “ If you live in New Hampshire , you can vote in New Hampshire.
” Last month , a memo from the secretary of state ’ s office articulated restrictions on the use of dropboxes — voters may only use them when they are staffed by an election official .
Those restrictions and others were subsequently targeted in a lawsuit brought by the American Federation of Teachers , which said the rules would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign and Republican National Committee have asked a state superior court judge to allow them to intervene against the teachers ’ union , on the side of New Hampshire ’ s secretary of state .
If successful , the AFT suit could loosen state restrictions on everything from absentee ballot postage requirements and Election Day return deadlines to rules on third party absentee ballot collection .
The purple state will be the site of some contentious elections .
Gov .
Chris Sununu ( R ) is running for a third term as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shaheen ( D-NH ) is also seeking a third term and faces a Democratic primary election in a few days .
And while Trump could turn the tables this year — Joe Biden came in a crushing fifth place in the state ’ s Democratic presidential primary — Biden is up against Trump in recent polling .
South Carolina is , as Greenville County spokesperson Conway Belangia put it , still waiting for the dust to settle .
Decisions that will dramatically affect the November election — namely , whether or not all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — are still up in the air .
There has been some recent progress , as the Republican-led state Senate passed a bill allowing voters to use a “ state of emergency ” excuse to vote absentee in the fall , after months of kicking the can down the road .
Republicans refused to pass other measures called for by election officials , like waiving requiring voters to have a witness when signing their absentee ballots to letting them submit their ballots in dropboxes , saying it would expose the process to fraud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal court that , while centered on the now-almost moot absentee voting issue , touch on some of those rejected measures .
The General Assembly passed a bill during the primaries letting voters temporarily use the “ state of emergency ” excuse to vote absentee , which brought in double the number of absentee ballots cast in 2016 .
But for the 75 percent of voters that cast a ballot in person , the process was plagued by COVID-19-caused problems .
The day before the June 9 primary , the state election commission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ due to a lack of poll workers or unavailable sites , leading to significant voter confusion .
The poll closures suffered by Richland County , the second-most populous in the state , disproportionately affected Black voters , many of whom stood in 5-hour lines well into the night .
There were also problems with incomplete or incorrect ballots , an issue worsened , the state election commission determined , by inexperienced poll workers .
Displeased with the problems of the primary , the election commission went to work to smooth things out for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County in particular , the commission recruited poll workers and held intensive training sessions for them , and assisted with the testing of voting machines .
As a result , the runoffs went much more smoothly , with the caveat that they had lower turnout than the July 9 round .
For the general , up to three times more voters are expected than the 767,187 people who voted in the primary .
The state election commission had been pushing for county officials to start tallying ballots as early as the Friday before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to keep the interior envelopes sealed until Election Day , a recipe for long wait times for results , especially if turnout in November is as high as expected .
The state Senate bill would allow workers to start opening envelopes two days before the election .
Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) is facing a surprisingly competitive reelection race against the well-funded former lobbyist Jaime Harrison , and Republicans are trying to flip Rep. Joe Cunningham ’ s ( D-VA ) House seat .
Last week , the Virginia General Assembly passed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ralph Northam ( D ) to make voting in the general election even easier , building on the measures the completely-Democratic-led state government had already put in place .
The new bills included setting aside $ 2 million for prepaid postage on ballots , waiving the requirement for a witness to the absentee ballot signature and mandating that drop boxes be placed in voting precincts .
State Republicans balked at the inclusion of drop boxes , which they baselessly say will invite fraud , and prepaid postage , which they say the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used their majorities to muscle through the measures .
After a couple more procedural steps , Northam is expected to sign the bills into law .
The new measures are a complement to a battery of voting laws that Democrats , who have had a trifecta in the state since the 2019 elections , passed in April , just before the COVID-19 pandemic struck the United States in earnest .
That package extended early voting to a 45-day period , eliminated the photo ID requirement , made Election Day a state holiday and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use DMV services .
A law was also passed to get rid of the excuse needed to vote absentee , though that didn ’ t go into effect until July 1 , causing some temporary consternation around the June primary .
Ultimately though , the excuse requirement was waived via a court order .
The primary went smoothly , extremely high turnout notwithstanding — a record-breaking 1.3 million Virginians voted , including twice as many who voted absentee than did in the 2016 Democratic primary .
In general though , the state has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cope with the influx well in the primary .
Last month , there was a flurry of concern when a third-party voter advocacy group sent around absentee ballot applications to hundreds of thousands of voters , some of which had an incorrect return address .
The group , The Center for Voter Information , apologized for the mistake , and state election officials are encouraging people to apply for absentee ballots online .
The state is set to see some competitive House races .
There is also a referendum on the ballot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handle redistricting .
Democratic nominee Joe Biden is well up in the state , and Sen. Mark Warner ( D-VA ) seems poised to win reelection .

Our journey through America’s varying levels of pandemic-voting preparedness continues this week with looks at Arizona, Florida, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Virginia.
Every week, we’re looking at what states have done — or not done — to make voting easier during the coronavirus outbreak, where the fights over those moves have been the most contentious, and which states feature the kind of competitive races that could make things extra messy and volatile come November.
Here’s this week’s installment of our survey, and check out the other states we’ve examined.
Arizona
Arizona may not have it so bad this year. The state has used widespread, no-reason-required voting-by-mail longer than nearly any other. Eighty-eight percent of voters in the state’s August primary voted by mail, and even that volume did not significantly delay the reporting of the results. And yet, questions do persist about whether the state has invested enough to expand its absentee voting capacity above its already considerable level, amid partisan rancor that has blocked reforms which could help the situation. Attacks on the postal service have also put the state in a uniquely vulnerable spot.
Meanwhile, Arizona has become a battleground state in 2020, with President Trump vying to win it again and Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) fighting for her life to hold onto Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)’s former seat, which Mark Kelly, an astronaut and husband to former Rep. Gabby Giffords, hopes to claim.
President Trump has targeted the state with his bogus allegations of voter fraud, and the state’s voting rules are caught in a number of legal tussles that could change the state of play before Election Day. The attorney general’s office is controlled by a Republican, while the secretary of state is a Democrat, leading to fights between the two over, for example, conflicting deadlines on how to fix ballots that have various errors — that question is subject to a DNC lawsuit filed against the state in June. A separate case over that issue as well as over who can transport a ballot to a precinct is pending before the Supreme Court — the case’s acceptance could trigger more restrictive rules being reinstated.
This partisan rancor has meant that the state has put in place no changes to contend with COVID-19. In spite of that, election officials have cited a law that allows them to start counting votes received more than two weeks before Election Day as helpful in alleviating backlogs. Its solid history of remote voting has otherwise left it in a relatively prepared place for holding an election during a pandemic.
Florida
Beyond its typical swing state status, Florida will be watched closely on Election Day because it could serve as an early indicator of the type of Joe Biden landslide that would wrap the presidential race up that night, or soon thereafter.
Florida already had an expansive mail-in voting program before the pandemic, as it offered no excuse absentee voting and operated a semi-permanent absentee voting list that allowed voters to sign up to receive mail ballots for two general election cycles at a time. That approach had been embraced by Florida’s GOP, who saw it benefiting the Republican-leaning elderly population in the state. With election officials used to seeing a third of their ballots come in by mail, they were at an advantage over other states in figuring out what additional scaling-up was needed to accommodate the pandemic election, in which they estimate that mail ballots could make up 50 percent or more of the votes cast. Florida also has the kind of rules on the books that will help the counting process happen quickly.
Nonetheless, there was still some frustration over the state’s slowness to approve some additional rule changes that local election officials were seeking and its delays in dispersing the federal election funding Congress approved in its COVID-19 package this spring.
Furthermore, voting rights advocates are calling for early voting to start earlier in the state, and also want more drop boxes to be set up outside, in addition to the ones that are planned indoors at Florida’s early vote centers.
A major ongoing legal fight over ex-felon voting could inject additional chaos into November’s election. When the Supreme Court reinstated for August’s primary the state’s 2019 law barring ex-felons from voting until they had paid all fines, court fees and restitution associated with their conviction — described by voter advocates as a “poll tax” — it caused confusion for the ex-felons who registered to vote under a federal judge’s previous order partially blocking that 2019 law. It’s still TBD whether the law, which stands to prevent hundreds and thousands of people from voting, will be in place for the general.
In addition to the presidential race, Florida’s Democrats are hoping to flip at least one of its statehouse chambers to break up the GOP’s unified hold on its state government.
New Hampshire
Unlike most states, New Hampshire hasn’t faced the pandemic’s electoral test quite yet: Primary day is next week, Sept. 8.
But the state has made a few allowances for the virus: Concern about COVID-19 is now a valid excuse to cast an absentee ballot. First-time voters can also register through the mail, despite the state’s voter ID laws, by providing a copy of their state ID or other proof of their identity and address. The state also recently allowed voters with certain disabilities, such as blindness, to fill out a ballot online and print and return it, rather than requesting a typical print ballot and relying on another person’s assistance to fill it out.
Then there are the “Live Free or Die” accommodations, like separate polling areas for people who refuse to wear masks.
Voters may return ballots directly to election officials, and they may want to: New Hampshire allows voters to request absentee ballots up until the day before Election Day. At that point, sending it through the mail likely won’t get it counted in time.
Before a few years ago, the last substantial change to the state’s laws came in 1976, with legislation that allowed 18-year-olds to vote and allowed voting absentee. But after Donald Trump lost the state to Hillary Clinton by less than half of one percent in 2016, Republicans passed laws that made voting harder, especially for students.
SB3, a 2017 law that made voter registration more complicated, was struck down by a state judge in April. But judges didn’t stop HB 1264, which requires students and others who vote in New Hampshire to be considered legal residents of the state.
Voting rights advocates feared the initial lack of clarity over HB 1264 might discourage potential college student voters who’d rather not take steps otherwise required of residents, like getting new drivers licenses or registering their vehicles in New Hampshire — but, as the state’s Supreme Court made clear in an opinion in May, such steps are not required to vote. At this point, the line from Democrats and voting rights attorneys is straightforward: “If you live in New Hampshire, you can vote in New Hampshire.”
Last month, a memo from the secretary of state’s office articulated restrictions on the use of dropboxes — voters may only use them when they are staffed by an election official. Those restrictions and others were subsequently targeted in a lawsuit brought by the American Federation of Teachers, which said the rules would suppress the pandemic vote. The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee have asked a state superior court judge to allow them to intervene against the teachers’ union, on the side of New Hampshire’s secretary of state. If successful, the AFT suit could loosen state restrictions on everything from absentee ballot postage requirements and Election Day return deadlines to rules on third party absentee ballot collection.
The purple state will be the site of some contentious elections. Gov. Chris Sununu (R) is running for a third term as the state’s governor. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) is also seeking a third term and faces a Democratic primary election in a few days. And while Trump could turn the tables this year — Joe Biden came in a crushing fifth place in the state’s Democratic presidential primary — Biden is up against Trump in recent polling.
South Carolina
South Carolina is, as Greenville County spokesperson Conway Belangia put it, still waiting for the dust to settle. Decisions that will dramatically affect the November election — namely, whether or not all voters will get to cast absentee ballots — are still up in the air. There has been some recent progress, as the Republican-led state Senate passed a bill allowing voters to use a “state of emergency” excuse to vote absentee in the fall, after months of kicking the can down the road. Republicans refused to pass other measures called for by election officials, like waiving requiring voters to have a witness when signing their absentee ballots to letting them submit their ballots in dropboxes, saying it would expose the process to fraud. There are two ongoing lawsuits in federal court that, while centered on the now-almost moot absentee voting issue, touch on some of those rejected measures.
The General Assembly passed a bill during the primaries letting voters temporarily use the “state of emergency” excuse to vote absentee, which brought in double the number of absentee ballots cast in 2016. But for the 75 percent of voters that cast a ballot in person, the process was plagued by COVID-19-caused problems. The day before the June 9 primary, the state election commission announced the movement of 250 polling places due to a lack of poll workers or unavailable sites, leading to significant voter confusion. The poll closures suffered by Richland County, the second-most populous in the state, disproportionately affected Black voters, many of whom stood in 5-hour lines well into the night. There were also problems with incomplete or incorrect ballots, an issue worsened, the state election commission determined, by inexperienced poll workers.
Displeased with the problems of the primary, the election commission went to work to smooth things out for the June 23 runoffs. In Richland County in particular, the commission recruited poll workers and held intensive training sessions for them, and assisted with the testing of voting machines. As a result, the runoffs went much more smoothly, with the caveat that they had lower turnout than the July 9 round. For the general, up to three times more voters are expected than the 767,187 people who voted in the primary. The state election commission had been pushing for county officials to start tallying ballots as early as the Friday before Election Day — they are currently required to keep the interior envelopes sealed until Election Day, a recipe for long wait times for results, especially if turnout in November is as high as expected. The state Senate bill would allow workers to start opening envelopes two days before the election. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is facing a surprisingly competitive reelection race against the well-funded former lobbyist Jaime Harrison, and Republicans are trying to flip Rep. Joe Cunningham’s (D-VA) House seat.
Virginia
Last week, the Virginia General Assembly passed a series of recommendations from Gov. Ralph Northam (D) to make voting in the general election even easier, building on the measures the completely-Democratic-led state government had already put in place. The new bills included setting aside $2 million for prepaid postage on ballots, waiving the requirement for a witness to the absentee ballot signature and mandating that drop boxes be placed in voting precincts. State Republicans balked at the inclusion of drop boxes, which they baselessly say will invite fraud, and prepaid postage, which they say the state can’t afford, but Democrats used their majorities to muscle through the measures. After a couple more procedural steps, Northam is expected to sign the bills into law.
The new measures are a complement to a battery of voting laws that Democrats, who have had a trifecta in the state since the 2019 elections, passed in April, just before the COVID-19 pandemic struck the United States in earnest. That package extended early voting to a 45-day period, eliminated the photo ID requirement, made Election Day a state holiday and made voter registration automatic for all who use DMV services. A law was also passed to get rid of the excuse needed to vote absentee, though that didn’t go into effect until July 1, causing some temporary consternation around the June primary. Ultimately though, the excuse requirement was waived via a court order. The primary went smoothly, extremely high turnout notwithstanding — a record-breaking 1.3 million Virginians voted, including twice as many who voted absentee than did in the 2016 Democratic primary. In general though, the state has low absentee ballot percentages though it managed to cope with the influx well in the primary.
Last month, there was a flurry of concern when a third-party voter advocacy group sent around absentee ballot applications to hundreds of thousands of voters, some of which had an incorrect return address. The group, The Center for Voter Information, apologized for the mistake, and state election officials are encouraging people to apply for absentee ballots online.
The state is set to see some competitive House races. There is also a referendum on the ballot to create a bipartisan commission that would handle redistricting. Democratic nominee Joe Biden is well up in the state, and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) seems poised to win reelection.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-04--How Atlanta Voters Faced The Perfect Storm Of Pandemic Election Disasters

Murphy ’ s law was in full force in Fulton County — the Georgia county containing much of Atlanta — as it prepared for its pandemic primary in June .
Everything that could go wrong pretty much did .
Voters faced long in-person voting lines coupled with issues in obtaining and sending in absentee ballots , making the county the poster child this summer for how the coronavirus outbreak was rocking elections .
The voting nightmare was cast across national newspaper headlines , dominated cable news segments and ultimately prompted an investigation by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did .
“ I didn ’ t see any evidence of dereliction or indifference from them .
I think they tried , ” Chris Harvey , Georgia ’ s elections director , recently told the state elections board , which heard the findings of the investigation this week and last .
” Unfortunately , I believe the process in Fulton County of trying to deal with the absentee ballots was insufficient and ineffective , ” he said .
Fulton County meanwhile said its election officials felt “ vilified ” by the state for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for problems that arose all over Georgia during the primary .
The board , nonetheless , voted to send allegations of election law violations over to the state attorney general ’ s office for further investigation .
“ We know that many other counties , including ones in our metropolitan area as well as rural counties that are hours away , experienced long lines , malfunctioning voting machines and not enough poll workers , just to name a few .
All issues caused by the pandemic , ” Amanda Clark Palmer , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told the board on Thursday .
It ’ s undeniable that election officials were faced with a perfect storm of elements that were out of their control .
The secretary of state investigation also pointed to unforced errors .
The county is now taking measures for November ’ s election that it says will prevent things from going so horribly wrong again .
But the investigation revealed how any singular shortcoming — be it a failure to train new poll workers adequately , a lack of supplies for provisional voting , or unclear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could still cause chaos elsewhere in the country , if the lessons of the Fulton County fiasco aren ’ t fully heeded .
Georgia election officials were expecting a crush of absentee ballot applications as the pandemic took hold , particularly after the state sought to proactively send out applications to all Georgia voters .
That move was intended to relieve county officials of some of the costs and logistics burdens of expanding their mail-in voting programs .
But Fulton County was thrown another curveball : a COVID-19 outbreak among its own election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of its longtime staffers , while putting in the hospital a top election official .
The staffer ’ s death had a “ devastating , emotional impact ” on the office , Fulton County voter registration supervisor Caryn Ficklin said at a hearing last week on the investigation .
“ We were all touched by her passing and it took a toll on our production.
” Logistically , it meant that the office was closed for cleaning for four days in mid-April , right as the onslaught of applications was ramping up , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they struggled to dig out of upon their return .
But that was only the start of Fulton County ’ s problems .
The county email address the state listed on its materials for returning ballot applications automatically forwarded emails to 20 separate email accounts , meaning that every application took 20 times the space on the election office ’ s servers .
IT staff were constantly being called to assist with the problems caused by the 80,000 emailed applications the county ultimately received .
Officials adopted other questionable practices to manage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state investigation .
Some employees would immediately delete applications from their inbox — without taking record-ing keeping steps like printing them first — once they were processed , in order to open up server space ( though one inbox was used to preserve all the applications that came in ) .
The digital chaos was exacerbated by the fact that voters were apparently not given a clear instruction for how they should submit applications via email , meaning all kinds of extensions ( pdfs , jpegs , etc ) were used to attach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to print out some applications .
Trying to catch up on the absentee ballot backlog pulled staff away from dealing with another issue that would prove to be consequential : a pandemic-caused shortage in poll workers and locations to host voting sites .
Amid the frenzy , according to the state ’ s investigation , election officials also did an inadequate job of updating the ballot tracking platforms voters are supposed to be able to use to confirm their mail ballots ’ status .
“ Voters who had applied for their absentee ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots , hadn ’ t not gotten any communication , which resulted in them sending in more applications , which was adding to the snowball that was building already and was making the problem worse , ” Harvey said .
This also had a domino effect on in-person voting , according to the investigators .
Any voter who applied for an absentee ballot but then showed up in person had to fill out a form voiding their mail ballot , regardless of whether they received the ballot , and that led to longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s office reviewed the complaints of 254 county residents who reached out for the probe with stories of not receiving in time the mail ballots they applied for .
That failure resulted in 107 of those residents not voting at all .
“ This is just those that reached out to our office to submit a complaint , ” Francis Watson , an investigator for the secretary of state , told the board last week .
“ I anticipate the numbers to be much higher for those that did not receive their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers that went to the polls and reported not receiving an absentee ballot.
” Long lines were a problem all over Georgia during the June election , as poll workers struggled with the new voting machines that were being deployed for the first time during the primary .
( The equipment was initially supposed to be rolled out during March ’ s presidential primary , which usually has lower turnout than the other primary election that happens later in the spring .
But the elections were combined once the pandemic caused a delay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials , Fulton County was unique , however , in its inability to recover from initial delays caused by technological difficulties , while the pandemic caused other kinds of in-person voting confusion .
More than 40 polling locations were changed — the vast majority due to COVID-related closures — and some voters told the investigators that they didn ’ t receive in time the notices election officials sent out indicating that their precincts had moved .
The reworked location plan assigned way too many voters for single locations .
Some 16,000 voters were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Once voters showed up , some found waits as long as six hours to vote , and several people were seen leaving the lines .
Poll workers told investigators they struggled to get in touch with county officials , and some reported waiting several hours for technicians to show up to help deal with the technological issues .
The state said that 54 percent of the poll managers they spoke to reported a lack of adequate supplies .
The 50 sets of provisional ballot accoutrements the county provided for each precinct quickly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many more were needed for voters who showed up after seeing their attempts to vote absentee stymied .
A third of the managers told the state their polling places were not adequately staffed , while about half said that the training they received was inadequate , the state investigators said .
Palmer , the attorney for the local officials , stressed in her rebuttal to the investigation that the pandemic had disrupted in-person training plans , while hundreds of workers who had been trained in person before the pandemic bailed on working the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ online training session was developed instead , and the county also offered webinars for workers to call in questions .
“ I recognize that virtual training , especially when you ’ re dealing with new equipment , is not as good as in person training , but given the limitations they were facing at that point in time , I don ’ t know what they could have done differently , ” she said .

Murphy’s law was in full force in Fulton County — the Georgia county containing much of Atlanta — as it prepared for its pandemic primary in June. Everything that could go wrong pretty much did.
Voters faced long in-person voting lines coupled with issues in obtaining and sending in absentee ballots, making the county the poster child this summer for how the coronavirus outbreak was rocking elections. The voting nightmare was cast across national newspaper headlines, dominated cable news segments and ultimately prompted an investigation by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger into how exactly things unraveled the way it did.
“I didn’t see any evidence of dereliction or indifference from them. I think they tried,” Chris Harvey, Georgia’s elections director, recently told the state elections board, which heard the findings of the investigation this week and last.
”Unfortunately, I believe the process in Fulton County of trying to deal with the absentee ballots was insufficient and ineffective,” he said.
Fulton County meanwhile said its election officials felt “vilified” by the state for how they’d been singled out for problems that arose all over Georgia during the primary. The board, nonetheless, voted to send allegations of election law violations over to the state attorney general’s office for further investigation.
“We know that many other counties, including ones in our metropolitan area as well as rural counties that are hours away, experienced long lines, malfunctioning voting machines and not enough poll workers, just to name a few. All issues caused by the pandemic,” Amanda Clark Palmer, a lawyer representing the local election officials, told the board on Thursday.
It’s undeniable that election officials were faced with a perfect storm of elements that were out of their control. The secretary of state investigation also pointed to unforced errors. The county is now taking measures for November’s election that it says will prevent things from going so horribly wrong again.
But the investigation revealed how any singular shortcoming — be it a failure to train new poll workers adequately, a lack of supplies for provisional voting, or unclear directions for submitting absentee ballot applications — could still cause chaos elsewhere in the country, if the lessons of the Fulton County fiasco aren’t fully heeded.
A Backlog Of Mail Ballot Applications That ‘Snowballed’
Georgia election officials were expecting a crush of absentee ballot applications as the pandemic took hold, particularly after the state sought to proactively send out applications to all Georgia voters. That move was intended to relieve county officials of some of the costs and logistics burdens of expanding their mail-in voting programs.
But Fulton County was thrown another curveball: a COVID-19 outbreak among its own election staff that took the life of one of its longtime staffers, while putting in the hospital a top election official.
The staffer’s death had a “devastating, emotional impact” on the office, Fulton County voter registration supervisor Caryn Ficklin said at a hearing last week on the investigation. “We were all touched by her passing and it took a toll on our production.”
Logistically, it meant that the office was closed for cleaning for four days in mid-April, right as the onslaught of applications was ramping up, putting election officials deep in a hole that they struggled to dig out of upon their return.
But that was only the start of Fulton County’s problems. The county email address the state listed on its materials for returning ballot applications automatically forwarded emails to 20 separate email accounts, meaning that every application took 20 times the space on the election office’s servers.
IT staff were constantly being called to assist with the problems caused by the 80,000 emailed applications the county ultimately received.
Officials adopted other questionable practices to manage the service issue, according to the state investigation. Some employees would immediately delete applications from their inbox — without taking record-ing keeping steps like printing them first — once they were processed, in order to open up server space (though one inbox was used to preserve all the applications that came in).
The digital chaos was exacerbated by the fact that voters were apparently not given a clear instruction for how they should submit applications via email, meaning all kinds of extensions (pdfs, jpegs, etc) were used to attach the forms, which made it difficult to print out some applications.
Trying to catch up on the absentee ballot backlog pulled staff away from dealing with another issue that would prove to be consequential: a pandemic-caused shortage in poll workers and locations to host voting sites.
Amid the frenzy, according to the state’s investigation, election officials also did an inadequate job of updating the ballot tracking platforms voters are supposed to be able to use to confirm their mail ballots’ status.
“Voters who had applied for their absentee ballots as early as April had not gotten ballots, hadn’t not gotten any communication, which resulted in them sending in more applications, which was adding to the snowball that was building already and was making the problem worse,” Harvey said.
This also had a domino effect on in-person voting, according to the investigators. Any voter who applied for an absentee ballot but then showed up in person had to fill out a form voiding their mail ballot, regardless of whether they received the ballot, and that led to longer wait times.
The secretary of state’s office reviewed the complaints of 254 county residents who reached out for the probe with stories of not receiving in time the mail ballots they applied for. That failure resulted in 107 of those residents not voting at all.
“This is just those that reached out to our office to submit a complaint,” Francis Watson, an investigator for the secretary of state, told the board last week. “I anticipate the numbers to be much higher for those that did not receive their ballots, as evidenced by the large numbers that went to the polls and reported not receiving an absentee ballot.”
In-Person Voting Debacles
Long lines were a problem all over Georgia during the June election, as poll workers struggled with the new voting machines that were being deployed for the first time during the primary. (The equipment was initially supposed to be rolled out during March’s presidential primary, which usually has lower turnout than the other primary election that happens later in the spring. But the elections were combined once the pandemic caused a delay to both.)
According to state officials, Fulton County was unique, however, in its inability to recover from initial delays caused by technological difficulties, while the pandemic caused other kinds of in-person voting confusion.
More than 40 polling locations were changed — the vast majority due to COVID-related closures — and some voters told the investigators that they didn’t receive in time the notices election officials sent out indicating that their precincts had moved.
The reworked location plan assigned way too many voters for single locations. Some 16,000 voters were assigned to a restaurant called Park Tavern.
Once voters showed up, some found waits as long as six hours to vote, and several people were seen leaving the lines. Poll workers told investigators they struggled to get in touch with county officials, and some reported waiting several hours for technicians to show up to help deal with the technological issues.
The state said that 54 percent of the poll managers they spoke to reported a lack of adequate supplies. The 50 sets of provisional ballot accoutrements the county provided for each precinct quickly ran out at some sites, as many more were needed for voters who showed up after seeing their attempts to vote absentee stymied.
A third of the managers told the state their polling places were not adequately staffed, while about half said that the training they received was inadequate, the state investigators said.
Palmer, the attorney for the local officials, stressed in her rebuttal to the investigation that the pandemic had disrupted in-person training plans, while hundreds of workers who had been trained in person before the pandemic bailed on working the polls because of the outbreak.
An online training session was developed instead, and the county also offered webinars for workers to call in questions.
“I recognize that virtual training, especially when you’re dealing with new equipment, is not as good as in person training, but given the limitations they were facing at that point in time, I don’t know what they could have done differently,” she said.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-04--MI Joins States Refusing An Inadequately Vetted But Trump-Approved COVID Vaccine

The State of Michigan said that it would not agree to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine absent adequate data from the federal government , joining a growing list of states that would refuse to dole out a vaccine if they believe it was approved on a political schedule .
The state ’ s health department told TPM on Friday that it would not agree to distribute a vaccine that received federal approval without completing safety and efficacy trials or without approval from an independent board of scientists .
Instead , a spokeswoman said , the state wants to review the data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Before making decisions on the distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine in Michigan , we would need to evaluate the efficacy and safety data regarding any approved vaccine , ” Lynn Sutfin , spokeswoman for the health department , told TPM on Friday .
She added that the state “ would hope there would be transparency at the federal level regarding that data so we can make an informed decision.
” On Thursday , officials in three states said that they would refuse to play ball with any attempt from the Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trial and review process .
A spokesman for California ’ s department of public health told TPM that the state would not distribute a vaccine that had not completed phase III trials or which had not passed muster under an independent review board .
Washington and New York officials have also said that they would hold back on distributing such a vaccine .
The statements threaten to throw a wrench in the Trump administration ’ s plan to begin distributing a vaccine before the November election .
As recently as last week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states to have vaccine distribution sites “ fully operational ” by Nov. 1 .
President Trump has pressured the Food and Drug Administration , responsible for vetting and licensing vaccine candidates , to move quickly on approving a vaccine , saying that the “ deep state ” was slowing down the process .
The FDA did not immediately return a request for comment on whether it plans on sharing vaccine data with the states .
HHS spokesman Michael Caputo told TPM that “ Any suggestion that the FDA would prematurely authorize a COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our public health system .
Data is driving the development of all COVID-19 vaccines and countermeasures , and the Administration has made it abundantly clear that any vaccine distributed to the American people will be held to the FDA ’ s gold standard.
” Officials at Operation Warp Speed — the Trump administration ’ s effort to accelerate vaccine development — have promised to “ overwhelm ” the airwaves with vaccine messaging by November .
But it remains very unlikely that any of the three vaccine candidates currently in phase III trials will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time .
Dr. Moncef Slaoui , director of Operation Warp Speed , said on Thursday that it would be “ extremely unlikely ” that a vaccine would have gathered enough data from the trial for a late-October approval .

The State of Michigan said that it would not agree to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine absent adequate data from the federal government, joining a growing list of states that would refuse to dole out a vaccine if they believe it was approved on a political schedule.
The state’s health department told TPM on Friday that it would not agree to distribute a vaccine that received federal approval without completing safety and efficacy trials or without approval from an independent board of scientists.
Instead, a spokeswoman said, the state wants to review the data before agreeing to distribute the vaccine.
“Before making decisions on the distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine in Michigan, we would need to evaluate the efficacy and safety data regarding any approved vaccine,” Lynn Sutfin, spokeswoman for the health department, told TPM on Friday.
She added that the state “would hope there would be transparency at the federal level regarding that data so we can make an informed decision.”
On Thursday, officials in three states said that they would refuse to play ball with any attempt from the Trump administration to speed a vaccine past the typical trial and review process.
A spokesman for California’s department of public health told TPM that the state would not distribute a vaccine that had not completed phase III trials or which had not passed muster under an independent review board. Washington and New York officials have also said that they would hold back on distributing such a vaccine.
The statements threaten to throw a wrench in the Trump administration’s plan to begin distributing a vaccine before the November election. As recently as last week, CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield told the states to have vaccine distribution sites “fully operational” by Nov. 1.
President Trump has pressured the Food and Drug Administration, responsible for vetting and licensing vaccine candidates, to move quickly on approving a vaccine, saying that the “deep state” was slowing down the process.
The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics. Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after November 3rd. Must focus on speed, and saving lives! @SteveFDA — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 22, 2020
The FDA did not immediately return a request for comment on whether it plans on sharing vaccine data with the states.
HHS spokesman Michael Caputo told TPM that “Any suggestion that the FDA would prematurely authorize a COVID-19 vaccine is irresponsible and undermines confidence in our public health system. Data is driving the development of all COVID-19 vaccines and countermeasures, and the Administration has made it abundantly clear that any vaccine distributed to the American people will be held to the FDA’s gold standard.”
Officials at Operation Warp Speed — the Trump administration’s effort to accelerate vaccine development — have promised to “overwhelm” the airwaves with vaccine messaging by November.
But it remains very unlikely that any of the three vaccine candidates currently in phase III trials will have enough data to assess by that time. Dr. Moncef Slaoui, director of Operation Warp Speed, said on Thursday that it would be “extremely unlikely” that a vaccine would have gathered enough data from the trial for a late-October approval.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-04--Two Senior Officials Confirm Trump’s Remarks About Fallen Soldiers To AP

DELRAY BEACH , FLa. ( AP ) — President Donald Trump is angrily denying a report that he made disparaging remarks about U.S. service members who have been captured or killed , including that he described American war dead at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France in 2018 as “ losers ” and “ suckers.
” “ This is more made up Fake News given by disgusting & jealous failures in a disgraceful attempt to influence the 2020 Election !
” Trump tweeted late Thursday .
The allegations were reported in The Atlantic .
A senior Defense Department official with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Marine Corps officer who was told about Trump ’ s comments confirmed some of the remarks to The Associated Press , including the 2018 cemetery comments .
The White House swiftly mounted a concerted defense of the president , with Trump ’ s campaign and allies taking to social media and broadcast interviews to denounce the report .
In the article , defense officials said Trump made the comments as he begged off visiting the cemetery outside Paris during a meeting following his presidential daily briefing on the morning of Nov. 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Security Council and the Secret Service told Trump that rainy weather made helicopter travel to the cemetery risky , but they could drive there .
Trump responded by saying he didn ’ t want to visit the cemetery because it was “ filled with losers , ” the official said , speaking on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss it publicly .
The White House blamed the canceled visit on poor weather at the time .
In another conversation on the trip , The Atlantic said , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the World War I battle of Belleau Wood as “ suckers ” for getting killed .
Trump , who traveled to Pennsylvania on Thursday , told reporters after he returned to Washington that the Atlantic report was “ a disgraceful situation ” by a “ terrible magazine.
” “ I would be willing to swear on anything that I never said that about our fallen heroes , ” Trump told the reporters , gathered on the tarmac in the dark .
“ There is nobody that respects them more .
No animal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such a thing ?
” Trump also reiterated the White House explanation of why he didn ’ t visit the cemetery .
“ The helicopter could not fly , ” he said , because of the rain and fog .
“ The Secret Service told me you can ’ t do it .
… They would never have been able to get the police and everybody else in line to have a president go through a very crowded , very congested area.
” “ It ’ s sad the depths that people will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential campaign to try to smear somebody , ” said White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told “ Fox & Friends ” on Friday that he was with the president for a good part of the trip to France .
“ I never heard him use the words that are described in that article , ” Pompeo said .
Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted that she was part of the discussion about visiting the cemetery .
“ This never happened .
I have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called family members after their sons were killed in action and it was heart-wrenching .
… I am disgusted by this false attack.
” Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said that “ if the revelations in today ’ s Atlantic article are true , then they are yet another marker of how deeply President Trump and I disagree about the role of the President of the United States.
” “ Duty , honor , country — those are the values that drive our service members , ” Biden said in a statement Thursday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elected president , “ I will ensure that our American heroes know that I will have their back and honor their sacrifice — always.
” Biden ’ s son Beau served in Iraq in 2008-09 .
The Defense officials also confirmed to The AP reporting in The Atlantic that Trump on Memorial Day 2017 had gone with his chief of staff , John Kelly , to visit the Arlington Cemetery gravesite of Kelly ’ s son , Robert , who was killed in 2010 in Afghanistan , and said to Kelly : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What was in it for them ?
” The senior Marine Corps officer and The Atlantic , citing sources with firsthand knowledge , also reported that Trump said he didn ’ t want to support the August 2018 funeral of Republican Sen. John McCain , a decorated Navy veteran who spent years as a Vietnam prisoner of war , because he was a “ loser.
” The Atlantic also reported that Trump was angered that flags were flown at half-staff for McCain , saying : “ What the f—- are we doing that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Trump acknowledged Thursday he was “ never a fan ” of McCain and disagreed with him , but said he still respected him and approved everything to do with his “ first-class triple-A funeral ” without hesitation because “ I felt he deserved it.
” In 2015 , shortly after launching his presidential candidacy , Trump publicly blasted McCain , saying “ He ’ s not a war hero.
” He added , “ I like people who weren ’ t captured.
” Trump only amplified his criticism of McCain as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ style of politics , culminating in a late-night “ no ” vote scuttling Trump ’ s plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act .
That vote shattered what few partisan loyalties bound the two men , and Trump has continued to attack McCain for that vote , even posthumously .
The magazine said Trump also referred to former President George H.W .
Bush as a “ loser ” because he was shot down by the Japanese as a Navy pilot in World War II .

DELRAY BEACH, FLa. (AP) — President Donald Trump is angrily denying a report that he made disparaging remarks about U.S. service members who have been captured or killed, including that he described American war dead at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France in 2018 as “losers” and “suckers.”
“This is more made up Fake News given by disgusting & jealous failures in a disgraceful attempt to influence the 2020 Election!” Trump tweeted late Thursday.
The allegations were reported in The Atlantic. A senior Defense Department official with firsthand knowledge of events and a senior U.S. Marine Corps officer who was told about Trump’s comments confirmed some of the remarks to The Associated Press, including the 2018 cemetery comments.
The White House swiftly mounted a concerted defense of the president, with Trump’s campaign and allies taking to social media and broadcast interviews to denounce the report.
In the article, defense officials said Trump made the comments as he begged off visiting the cemetery outside Paris during a meeting following his presidential daily briefing on the morning of Nov. 10, 2018.
Staffers from the National Security Council and the Secret Service told Trump that rainy weather made helicopter travel to the cemetery risky, but they could drive there. Trump responded by saying he didn’t want to visit the cemetery because it was “filled with losers,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss it publicly.
The White House blamed the canceled visit on poor weather at the time.
In another conversation on the trip, The Atlantic said, Trump referred to the 1,800 Marines who died in the World War I battle of Belleau Wood as “suckers” for getting killed.
Trump, who traveled to Pennsylvania on Thursday, told reporters after he returned to Washington that the Atlantic report was “a disgraceful situation” by a “terrible magazine.”
“I would be willing to swear on anything that I never said that about our fallen heroes,” Trump told the reporters, gathered on the tarmac in the dark. “There is nobody that respects them more. No animal — nobody — what animal would say such a thing?”
Trump also reiterated the White House explanation of why he didn’t visit the cemetery. “The helicopter could not fly,” he said, because of the rain and fog. “The Secret Service told me you can’t do it. … They would never have been able to get the police and everybody else in line to have a president go through a very crowded, very congested area.”
“It’s sad the depths that people will go to during a lead-up to a presidential campaign to try to smear somebody,” said White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told “Fox & Friends” on Friday that he was with the president for a good part of the trip to France. “I never heard him use the words that are described in that article,” Pompeo said.
Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted that she was part of the discussion about visiting the cemetery. “This never happened. I have sat in the room when our President called family members after their sons were killed in action and it was heart-wrenching. … I am disgusted by this false attack.”
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said that “if the revelations in today’s Atlantic article are true, then they are yet another marker of how deeply President Trump and I disagree about the role of the President of the United States.”
“Duty, honor, country — those are the values that drive our service members,” Biden said in a statement Thursday night, adding that if he is elected president, “I will ensure that our American heroes know that I will have their back and honor their sacrifice — always.” Biden’s son Beau served in Iraq in 2008-09.
The Defense officials also confirmed to The AP reporting in The Atlantic that Trump on Memorial Day 2017 had gone with his chief of staff, John Kelly, to visit the Arlington Cemetery gravesite of Kelly’s son, Robert, who was killed in 2010 in Afghanistan, and said to Kelly: “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?”
The senior Marine Corps officer and The Atlantic, citing sources with firsthand knowledge, also reported that Trump said he didn’t want to support the August 2018 funeral of Republican Sen. John McCain, a decorated Navy veteran who spent years as a Vietnam prisoner of war, because he was a “loser.” The Atlantic also reported that Trump was angered that flags were flown at half-staff for McCain, saying: “What the f—- are we doing that for? Guy was a f—-ing loser.”
Trump acknowledged Thursday he was “never a fan” of McCain and disagreed with him, but said he still respected him and approved everything to do with his “first-class triple-A funeral” without hesitation because “I felt he deserved it.”
In 2015, shortly after launching his presidential candidacy, Trump publicly blasted McCain, saying “He’s not a war hero.” He added, “I like people who weren’t captured.”
Trump only amplified his criticism of McCain as the Arizona lawmaker grew critical of his acerbic style of politics, culminating in a late-night “no” vote scuttling Trump’s plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act. That vote shattered what few partisan loyalties bound the two men, and Trump has continued to attack McCain for that vote, even posthumously.
The magazine said Trump also referred to former President George H.W. Bush as a “loser” because he was shot down by the Japanese as a Navy pilot in World War II.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-04--Fauci Tries To Calm Fears Of Trump Rushed, Faulty Vaccine: FDA Is ‘Very Committed’ To Science Over P

Fauci Tries To Calm Fears Of Trump Rushed, Faulty Vaccine: FDA Is ‘Very Committed’ To Science Over Politics

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday that he believes federal regulators will allow a coronavirus vaccine to be distributed this fall only if it ’ s based on science and “ hard data , ” a sharp veer from President Donald Trump ’ s own rosy predictions about the vaccine and his administration ’ s efforts to speed up development before the election .
Fauci , the nation ’ s leading infectious diseases expert , made the assessment to NBC News on Thursday , days after the CDC issued a letter telling states to prepare for “ large-scale ” distribution of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two days before the Election Day .
Fauci has previously warned against rushing a vaccine and has said that he anticipates one could be developed by the end of the year .
Earlier on Thursday , the infectious diseases expert told CNN ’ s Jim Sciutto that it was “ conceivable ” but “ not likely ” that a vaccine would be ready by October , suggesting that November or December were his predictions but that they were “ all guesstimates.
” The CDC ’ s announcement of a sped up timeline comes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s efforts to pressure the Federal Drug Administration to hurriedly push approval of a vaccine in time for Election Day may yield a COVID-19 shot that has not been properly vetted for safe use .
TPM reported exclusively on Thursday night that some major states have already determined they won ’ t distribute the vaccine if state public health officials think the development has been rushed by Trump or hasn ’ t undergone proper vetting by the federal government .
When NBC News asked if Fauci worried the process had become too political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be perception of external influence he said he doesn ’ t see it “ practically playing out.
” FDA regulators and experts at the independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board are “ very , very committed to making sure that science prevails and not politics , ” Fauci said .

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday that he believes federal regulators will allow a coronavirus vaccine to be distributed this fall only if it’s based on science and “hard data,” a sharp veer from President Donald Trump’s own rosy predictions about the vaccine and his administration’s efforts to speed up development before the election.
Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert, made the assessment to NBC News on Thursday, days after the CDC issued a letter telling states to prepare for “large-scale” distribution of a vaccine by Nov. 1 — just two days before the Election Day.
Fauci has previously warned against rushing a vaccine and has said that he anticipates one could be developed by the end of the year. Earlier on Thursday, the infectious diseases expert told CNN’s Jim Sciutto that it was “conceivable” but “not likely” that a vaccine would be ready by October, suggesting that November or December were his predictions but that they were “all guesstimates.”
The CDC’s announcement of a sped up timeline comes amid growing concerns that President Trump’s efforts to pressure the Federal Drug Administration to hurriedly push approval of a vaccine in time for Election Day may yield a COVID-19 shot that has not been properly vetted for safe use. TPM reported exclusively on Thursday night that some major states have already determined they won’t distribute the vaccine if state public health officials think the development has been rushed by Trump or hasn’t undergone proper vetting by the federal government.
When NBC News asked if Fauci worried the process had become too political, he said that while there may be perception of external influence he said he doesn’t see it “practically playing out.”
FDA regulators and experts at the independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board are “very, very committed to making sure that science prevails and not politics,” Fauci said.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-05--Harris Predicts Scientists Will Be ‘Muzzled’ Amid Trump Effort To Push Vaccine Before Election

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris has said she “ would not trust ” President Donald Trump ’ s word on the safety of any potential coronavirus vaccine .
“ I will say that I would not trust Donald Trump and it would have to be a credible source of information that talks about the efficacy and the reliability of whatever he ’ s talking about , ” Harris said in the clip of a CNN interview with Dana Bash released Saturday .
“ I will not take his word for it.
” Harris predicted when asked if she thought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last word on the efficacy of a vaccine that scientists would be “ muzzled.
” “ If past is prologue that they will not , they ’ ll be muzzled , they ’ ll be suppressed , they will be sidelined , ” Harris said .
She told Bash that the President was grasping in the remaining days leading up to the election “ to get whatever he can to pretend he has been a leader on this issue when he is not.
” President Trump has pressured administration health officials to speed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declare a win in response to the coronavirus pandemic that Democratic lawmakers and some prominent Republicans have said he has failed to adequately confront — as the death toll swells to roughly 188,000 since Mach .
The President last month suggested that the FDA had been infiltrated by a “ deep state ” that was intentionally slowing clinical trials in order to keep him from a vaccine win going into the presidential elections in November .
Several drug companies have since prepared to issue a joint statement pledging that they will not rush @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meet rigorous measures of efficacy and safety .
Chief adviser to Operation Warp Speed , Moncef Slaoui , told Science in an interview published Thursday that there has been “ absolutely no interference ” amid concerns of political meddling , adding that he would resign if at any time that became an issue or if he felt pressure from FDA regulators to push a half-baked vaccine out before it had been adequately tested .
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany brushed away concerns that the FDA had been subject to undue pressure , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ no one is pressuring the FDA to do anything.
” Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , told NBC News in an interview that he trusted that FDA regulators would only approve a vaccine for distribution based on “ hard data.
” On Thursday , he told CNN ’ s Jim Sciutto that he didn ’ t believe a vaccine would be approved for public use “ unless it was indeed both safe and effective.
” He said that if that ’ s the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a moment to take the vaccine myself and recommend it for my family .
”

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris has said she “would not trust” President Donald Trump’s word on the safety of any potential coronavirus vaccine.
“I will say that I would not trust Donald Trump and it would have to be a credible source of information that talks about the efficacy and the reliability of whatever he’s talking about,” Harris said in the clip of a CNN interview with Dana Bash released Saturday. “I will not take his word for it.”
Harris predicted when asked if she thought that public health experts would get the last word on the efficacy of a vaccine that scientists would be “muzzled.”
“If past is prologue that they will not, they’ll be muzzled, they’ll be suppressed, they will be sidelined,” Harris said. She told Bash that the President was grasping in the remaining days leading up to the election “to get whatever he can to pretend he has been a leader on this issue when he is not.”
President Trump has pressured administration health officials to speed up the vaccine so that he can declare a win in response to the coronavirus pandemic that Democratic lawmakers and some prominent Republicans have said he has failed to adequately confront — as the death toll swells to roughly 188,000 since Mach.
The President last month suggested that the FDA had been infiltrated by a “deep state” that was intentionally slowing clinical trials in order to keep him from a vaccine win going into the presidential elections in November.
Several drug companies have since prepared to issue a joint statement pledging that they will not rush to release a vaccine that fails to meet rigorous measures of efficacy and safety.
Chief adviser to Operation Warp Speed, Moncef Slaoui, told Science in an interview published Thursday that there has been “absolutely no interference” amid concerns of political meddling, adding that he would resign if at any time that became an issue or if he felt pressure from FDA regulators to push a half-baked vaccine out before it had been adequately tested.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany brushed away concerns that the FDA had been subject to undue pressure, saying at a press bringing Thursday that “no one is pressuring the FDA to do anything.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told NBC News in an interview that he trusted that FDA regulators would only approve a vaccine for distribution based on “hard data.”
On Thursday, he told CNN’s Jim Sciutto that he didn’t believe a vaccine would be approved for public use “unless it was indeed both safe and effective.”
He said that if that’s the case he “would not hesitate for a moment to take the vaccine myself and recommend it for my family.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-05--Drugmakers Expected To Pledge COVID Vaccine Safety In Effort To Diminish Fears

A group of drug companies racing against each other to develop coronavirus vaccines , are planning to release a statement early next week pledging that they will not prematurely release a vaccine amid political pressure to deliver on a presidential election timeline that is now just two months away .
A copy of the companies ’ draft statement obtained by the Wall Street Journal says the drugmakers will submit applications for government emergency-use authorization or vaccine licensing based on “ substantial evidence of safety and efficacy ” from advanced clinical trials conducted under Food and Drug Administration guidance .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mount that a COVID-19 vaccine is being jammed through federal regulation to deliver a Trump campaign victory ahead of the election .
The companies have said they will look at Phase 3 trials , which are designed to demonstrate the efficacy of the shots at reducing rates of symptomatic COVID-19 compared with unvaccinated people .
The manufacturers who have reportedly signed the letter include Pfizer , Moderna , Johnson & Johnson , GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi .
The news comes as doubts swell regarding the safety and efficacy of a vaccine that has faced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ usually takes years , yet Covid-19 shots are progressing at a rapid pace as companies and countries rush to stop the spread of the coronavirus .
Several of the companies have already embarked on large clinical trials that include at least 30,000 people .
There was some discussion in recent weeks about possible emergency-use authorization or approval .
Last week , the CDC told state officials that they should prepare to launch COVID-19 vaccination campaigns by November .
The timeline coincides within days of the presidential elections on Nov. 3 .
Last month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meant to pressure and simultaneously undermine the FDA by suggesting that a “ deep state ” within the agency was intentionally delaying trials for a vaccine to deny him a victory that would likely boost his chances ahead of the election .
Those remarks have intensified concern by lawmakers , with some states even refusing to distribute a vaccine if it is not properly vetted or that appears to cling too closely to Trump ’ s political schedule .
While the federal government has pledged to deliver 300 million doses by January 2021 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t approve a shot for coronavirus unless there is evidence showing it is 50 % effective compared with a placebo .
But the credibility of the FDA is in repair , after it recently hastily authorized convalescent plasma to treat Covid-19 patients .
Earlier this summer , the FDA was also forced to revoke the emergency-use authorization of hydroxychloroquine , an antimalarial touted by Trump following concerns about its safety and efficacy as treatment .
FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn was on the receiving end of Trump ’ s earlier attack on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offered the glowing review of the treatment — he later apologized for presenting an overzealous picture that raved of the treatment ’ s effectiveness .

A group of drug companies racing against each other to develop coronavirus vaccines, are planning to release a statement early next week pledging that they will not prematurely release a vaccine amid political pressure to deliver on a presidential election timeline that is now just two months away.
A copy of the companies’ draft statement obtained by the Wall Street Journal says the drugmakers will submit applications for government emergency-use authorization or vaccine licensing based on “substantial evidence of safety and efficacy” from advanced clinical trials conducted under Food and Drug Administration guidance.
The announcement of the pledge comes as concerns mount that a COVID-19 vaccine is being jammed through federal regulation to deliver a Trump campaign victory ahead of the election.
The companies have said they will look at Phase 3 trials, which are designed to demonstrate the efficacy of the shots at reducing rates of symptomatic COVID-19 compared with unvaccinated people.
The manufacturers who have reportedly signed the letter include Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi.
The news comes as doubts swell regarding the safety and efficacy of a vaccine that has faced a sped up timeline. Vaccine development usually takes years, yet Covid-19 shots are progressing at a rapid pace as companies and countries rush to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Several of the companies have already embarked on large clinical trials that include at least 30,000 people. There was some discussion in recent weeks about possible emergency-use authorization or approval.
Last week, the CDC told state officials that they should prepare to launch COVID-19 vaccination campaigns by November.
The timeline coincides within days of the presidential elections on Nov. 3. Last month, President Donald Trump tweeted a conspiracy meant to pressure and simultaneously undermine the FDA by suggesting that a “deep state” within the agency was intentionally delaying trials for a vaccine to deny him a victory that would likely boost his chances ahead of the election.
Those remarks have intensified concern by lawmakers, with some states even refusing to distribute a vaccine if it is not properly vetted or that appears to cling too closely to Trump’s political schedule.
While the federal government has pledged to deliver 300 million doses by January 2021, the FDA has said it won’t approve a shot for coronavirus unless there is evidence showing it is 50% effective compared with a placebo.
But the credibility of the FDA is in repair, after it recently hastily authorized convalescent plasma to treat Covid-19 patients.
Earlier this summer, the FDA was also forced to revoke the emergency-use authorization of hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial touted by Trump following concerns about its safety and efficacy as treatment.
FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn was on the receiving end of Trump’s earlier attack on the vaccine’s slower pace when he offered the glowing review of the treatment — he later apologized for presenting an overzealous picture that raved of the treatment’s effectiveness.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-05--Trump Still Won’t Condemn Navalny’s Poisoning

President Donald Trump on Friday refused to condemn Russia over the poisoning of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny , even as world leaders , as well as officials from his own administration , have stepped in to censure the move .
Trump said at a press briefing on Friday that he intended to “ look at it very seriously ” when asked about Navalny ’ s poisoning .
When pressed about how the United States should react , the President said “ I think we will , ” while simultaneously appearing to cast doubt about whether or not the Russian government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poisoning .
“ I don ’ t know exactly what happened , ” Trump said as he often does when he doesn ’ t want to assume responsibility to call out those whom he views as potential allies .
“ I think it ’ s tragic .
It ’ s terrible , it shouldn ’ t happen .
We haven ’ t had any proof yet , but I will take a look , ” Trump added .
The German government had previously said that a chemical agency produced by the Soviet Union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kremlin was used in Navalny ’ s poisoning .
On Thursday , White House press secretary , Kayleigh McEnany , called Navalny ’ s poisoning “ deeply reprehensible ” adding that the United States would “ hold those in Russia accountable wherever the evidence leads.
” She also reiterated a claim that “ no one has been tougher on the Russian government than this president.
” But Trump ’ s comments on Friday are a common refrain in his rhetoric on Russia — as he repeatedly has declined to address Russian president Vladimir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issues , among them , reports of Russian operatives offering bounties to Taliban-linked militias for the killing of American and coalition troops in Afghanistan .
Trump has isolated himself from Democratic leaders around the world , including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson , who have expressed strong public opposition to the move and demanded answers from the Russian government .
“ It is interesting that everybody is always mentioning Russia , ” Trump said responding to a reporter who asked about the Navalny poisoning , adding : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia , but I think probably China at this point is a nation that you should be talking about much more so than Russia , because the things that China is doing are far worse , if you take a look at what ’ s happening with the world.
” On Thursday , at a campaign event in Latrobe , Pennsylvania Trump defended his efforts to “ get along.
” “ If I get along with Russia , is that a good thing or bad thing ?
I think it ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He reinforced those sentiments at Friday ’ s press briefing , saying at one point that he would “ not be happy at all ” if it was proven that the Russian government poisoned Navalny , but also noting , “ I do get along with President Putin .
”

President Donald Trump on Friday refused to condemn Russia over the poisoning of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, even as world leaders, as well as officials from his own administration, have stepped in to censure the move.
Trump said at a press briefing on Friday that he intended to “look at it very seriously” when asked about Navalny’s poisoning.
When pressed about how the United States should react, the President said “I think we will,” while simultaneously appearing to cast doubt about whether or not the Russian government had been involved in the opposition leader’s poisoning.
“I don’t know exactly what happened,” Trump said as he often does when he doesn’t want to assume responsibility to call out those whom he views as potential allies.
“I think it’s tragic. It’s terrible, it shouldn’t happen. We haven’t had any proof yet, but I will take a look,” Trump added.
The German government had previously said that a chemical agent produced by the Soviet Union and thought to be used by the Kremlin was used in Navalny’s poisoning.
On Thursday, White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, called Navalny’s poisoning “deeply reprehensible” adding that the United States would “hold those in Russia accountable wherever the evidence leads.” She also reiterated a claim that “no one has been tougher on the Russian government than this president.”
But Trump’s comments on Friday are a common refrain in his rhetoric on Russia — as he repeatedly has declined to address Russian president Vladimir Putin on a series of national security issues, among them, reports of Russian operatives offering bounties to Taliban-linked militias for the killing of American and coalition troops in Afghanistan.
Trump has isolated himself from democratic leaders around the world, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who have expressed strong public opposition to the move and demanded answers from the Russian government.
“It is interesting that everybody is always mentioning Russia,” Trump said responding to a reporter who asked about the Navalny poisoning, adding: “I don’t mind you mentioning Russia, but I think probably China at this point is a nation that you should be talking about much more so than Russia, because the things that China is doing are far worse, if you take a look at what’s happening with the world.”
On Thursday, at a campaign event in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Trump defended his efforts to “get along.”
“If I get along with Russia, is that a good thing or bad thing? I think it’s a good thing,” Trump said.
He reinforced those sentiments at Friday’s press briefing, saying at one point that he would “not be happy at all” if it was proven that the Russian government poisoned Navalny, but also noting, “I do get along with President Putin.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-09-05--Cohen: Trump Will Go as Far As ‘Manipulating The Ballots’ To Win Election

President Donald Trump ’ s former lawyer Michael Cohen said Friday he believes the President will “ do anything and everything ” to win re-election even if that means “ manipulating the ballots.
” “ So Donald Trump will do anything and everything within which to win , ” Cohen told NBC News ’ Lester Holt in an interview when asked if he though Trump would clinch a victory in the upcoming presidential elections .
“ And I believe that includes manipulating the ballots , ” Cohen said .
The comments come as the President earlier this week suggested at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and later in Pennsylvania that his supporters should commit voter fraud by illegally casting a ballot twice – first submitting an absentee ballot and then appearing at the polls in-person to cast a second vote .
Cohen who served as President Trump ’ s personal lawyer and “ fixer ” said that his former boss would “ even go so far as to start a war in order to prevent himself from being removed from office.
” Cohen ’ s concerns reflect those of many Democratic lawmakers who have suggested that Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ addition to broader efforts to delegitimize the electoral process are priming him to try to contest the election ’ s results should they prove unfavorable to him .
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden already warned that Trump would employ unsavory tactics .
“ This president is going to try to steal this election , ” Biden said in June .
“ My biggest fear is that there will not be a peaceful transition of power in 2020 , ” Cohen told NBC News .
Cohen began serving a three-year prison sentence last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He was released in July to home confinement following considerations about health safety in prisons amid the coronavirus pandemic .
In addition to calling Trump both a “ con man ” and “ a cheat ” during emotional testimony before Congress last year , Cohen has since spoken out warning voters about the dangers of a second-term should Trump be re-elected in November .
In a video clip produced by liberal super PAC , American Bridge 21st Century that aired during the Republican National Convention , Cohen said that Trump “ can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ joins a long list of Trump detractors who have written accounts about their personal and professional encounters with the President — his book that chronicles his experiences working with the President entitled “ Disloyal , a Memoir , ” hits shelves on Tuesday .
The White House has called Cohen ’ s book “ fan fiction ” and saying in a statement that the former Trump associate , “ readily admits to lying routinely but expects people to believe him now so that he can make money from book sales .
”

President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen said Friday he believes the President will “do anything and everything” to win re-election even if that means “manipulating the ballots.”
“So Donald Trump will do anything and everything within which to win,” Cohen told NBC News’ Lester Holt in an interview when asked if he though Trump would clinch a victory in the upcoming presidential elections. “And I believe that includes manipulating the ballots,” Cohen said.
The comments come as the President earlier this week suggested at two different campaign events in North Carolina and later in Pennsylvania that his supporters should commit voter fraud by illegally casting a ballot twice – first submitting an absentee ballot and then appearing at the polls in-person to cast a second vote.
Cohen who served as President Trump’s personal lawyer and “fixer” said that his former boss would “even go so far as to start a war in order to prevent himself from being removed from office.”
Cohen’s concerns reflect those of many Democratic lawmakers who have suggested that Trump’s ongoing attacks on mail-in voting in addition to broader efforts to delegitimize the electoral process are priming him to try to contest the election’s results should they prove unfavorable to him.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden already warned that Trump would employ unsavory tactics.
“This president is going to try to steal this election,” Biden said in June.
“My biggest fear is that there will not be a peaceful transition of power in 2020,” Cohen told NBC News.
Cohen began serving a three-year prison sentence last year for financial crimes and lying to Congress. He was released in July to home confinement following considerations about health safety in prisons amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition to calling Trump both a “con man” and “a cheat” during emotional testimony before Congress last year, Cohen has since spoken out warning voters about the dangers of a second-term should Trump be re-elected in November. In a video clip produced by liberal super PAC, American Bridge 21st Century that aired during the Republican National Convention, Cohen said that Trump “can’t be trusted.”
Cohen also joins a long list of Trump detractors who have written accounts about their personal and professional encounters with the President — his book that chronicles his experiences working with the President entitled “Disloyal, a Memoir,” hits shelves on Tuesday.
The White House has called Cohen’s book “fan fiction” and saying in a statement that the former Trump associate, “readily admits to lying routinely but expects people to believe him now so that he can make money from book sales.”