buzzfeed--2020-11-01--The Texas Supreme Court Won’t Toss Out 100,000 Drive-Thru Votes In The State’s Most Populous County,

The Texas Supreme Court Won’t Toss Out 100,000 Drive-Thru Votes In The State’s Most Populous County, But A Federal Case Is Pending

WASHINGTON — The Texas Supreme Court on Sunday rejected an effort by Republicans in the state to halt drive-thru voting and invalidate more than 100,000 ballots already cast in the state 's most populous county , Harris County .
The court ’ s one-line order doesn ’ t end the fight over Harris County ’ s efforts to expand the ways that residents can vote during the coronavirus pandemic — the challengers , a group of Republican state lawmakers and registered Republican voters , still have a lawsuit pending in federal court seeking to get the ballots tossed out .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a hearing for Monday .
There are ten drive-thru voting sites in Harris County , which covers Houston , and each is next to a standard indoor polling location , according to the county 's court papers .
Early voting began on Oct. 13 , and as of Oct. 29 , more than 117,000 county residents had voted at a drive-thru site ; county clerk Chris Hollins estimated that more than 135,000 people would cast ballots at one of these sites through Election Day .
The Republican challengers had tried before to stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a petition with the Texas Supreme Court in mid-October ; the court rejected that effort as well .
This go-around , they argued that the drive-thru voting sites were prohibited by state election law .
The county had argued that state law explicitly allowed polling sites to be located `` in a movable structure , '' and that the metal-framed tents that the county was using to accomodate voters in their cars to vote satisfied the law 's requirements .
They included photographs in their brief that showed voters sitting in their cars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pulling up to large white tents where people could cast ballots .

WASHINGTON — The Texas Supreme Court on Sunday rejected an effort by Republicans in the state to halt drive-thru voting and invalidate more than 100,000 ballots already cast in the state's most populous county, Harris County.
The court’s one-line order doesn’t end the fight over Harris County’s efforts to expand the ways that residents can vote during the coronavirus pandemic — the challengers, a group of Republican state lawmakers and registered Republican voters, still have a lawsuit pending in federal court seeking to get the ballots tossed out. The judge in that case has set a hearing for Monday.
There are 10 drive-thru voting sites in Harris County, which covers Houston, and each is next to a standard indoor polling location, according to the county's court papers. Early voting began on Oct. 13, and as of Oct. 29, more than 117,000 county residents had voted at a drive-thru site; county clerk Chris Hollins estimated that more than 135,000 people would cast ballots at one of these sites through Election Day.
The Republican challengers had tried before to stop drive-thru voting in Harris County, filing a petition with the Texas Supreme Court in mid-October; the court rejected that effort as well. This go-around, they argued that the drive-thru voting sites were prohibited by state election law.
The county had argued that state law explicitly allowed polling sites to be located "in a movable structure," and that the metal-framed tents that the county was using to accommodate voters in their cars to vote satisfied the law's requirements. They included photographs in their brief that showed voters sitting in their cars in lines waiting to vote and cars pulling up to large white tents where people could cast ballots.


buzzfeed--2020-11-01--Phone-Banking Is Democrats’ Best Hope For Organizing In A Pandemic. It's Also Helping Volunteers Fee

Phone-Banking Is Democrats’ Best Hope For Organizing In A Pandemic. It's Also Helping Volunteers Feel Less Lonely.

Democrats are n't doing as much on-the-ground organizing .
But isolated in their homes , some are making hundreds of calls to get people to vote and find connection .
When she hears the sound of the beep in her living room in Seattle , Mari is usually the one who leans forward over the laptop and starts to talk .
On the other end of the line is someone she ’ s never met in a place she ’ s never been : Texas .
“ My name is Mari and I ’ m here with my mom and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas Democrats , ” she says , making sure to enunciate every word .
Mari and her mom , Julie , are calling about voting : voting early , voting by mail , voting for Democrats up and down the ballot .
But first , before they talk about any of that , Mari asks the person on the other end of the line something else : “ How are you doing in these difficult times ?
” Mari , 11 , and her mom have never been to Texas .
Like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t really left their house much since the pandemic began , when Seattle was among the first cities to begin shutting down .
Their world has been mostly limited to their small family : Mari ’ s dad , her sister , and their brown lab .
But in between the tones of the Democratic Party ’ s autodialer , they ’ ve talked to a lot of Texans .
Texans really are friendlier , Julie said .
She knows it ’ s a stereotype , but she thinks it ’ s true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her mother have learned about Texas geography and about how much harder it is to vote in Texas than in their home state of Washington .
They learned that Texas has two time zones .
Once , Mari asked her mom : “ Why do they always call you ‘ ma ’ am ’ ?
” “ You hear people ’ s voices and the hope and the civility , and I don ’ t think ‘ healing ’ is too strong a word , ” Julie said .
“ You get to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ They tell you about their life and what ’ s happened to them.
” The last few months before a presidential election are supposed to be filled with canvassers crisscrossing neighborhoods in swing states , their arms stuffed with campaign literature — a so-called “ ground game ” of voter persuasion , registration , and turnout .
But all of that came to a halt with the coronavirus pandemic .
And while Republicans in many states were back out canvassing within months , sending armies out to knock on what they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most Democratic campaigns , the last eight months of organizing has looked very , very different .
It has looked like Julie and Mari , huddled together over a laptop , making phone calls to a place they ’ ve never been .
Texas Democrats say their organizers sometimes make more than 750,000 calls a day — they called more than 2 million voters in the state last weekend , as early voting was coming to a close .
And 5,000 “ active texters ” send as many as a million texts a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ started smaller-scale door-knocking programs .
But no one knows , exactly , what the months of gaping differences between the two parties ’ strategies will mean for the election .
So far , it has sown Democratic panic , given Republicans an edge in voter registration in key states , and formed the basis of GOP arguments that the polls , once again , will turn out to be wrong .
For the Democratic Party and its leaders , it ’ s also been a point of pride — a model of how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a president who has defied coronavirus guidelines , endangering his own health as well as that of voters .
No one will know until Tuesday , at the earliest , who is right .
But for people like Mari and Julie , isolated by COVID-19 and anxious about the election , the digital campaign has turned out to be an unexpected source of connection .
Maybe even a little hope .
On a weekday in early October , more than 150 people gathered in the rectangles of a Zoom room to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kept their cameras on as they dialed , talking emphatically into laptops and headphones .
In their silent panels , a man spoke from his kitchen table ; a woman sat at her desk in San Francisco , a stack of books behind her ; two women made calls together in a kitchen .
By the end , they had made 20,000 calls to Texas voters who had requested mail-in ballots .
Different nights bring different batches of Texans .
Calling people to convince them to vote at all is hard ; you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporters .
Calling registered Democrats can be a much more positive experience .
The weekday call was a “ Dance and Dial , ” not just a phone-bank session ; after the two-hour session was over , everyone came back together in the Zoom room , and Lionel Richie began to play through people ’ s speakers .
Some dialers bobbed their heads ; others swayed .
Some just squinted into their webcams , confused .
A woman danced in a leopard-print hat , and another woman held a tambourine , rattling it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s view .
A man held up a hand-lettered sign that read : “ Calling from New Jersey.
” “ I am sorely missing getting my groove on in these COVID-y times , ” someone wrote into the chat window .
Democrats from around the country virtually descending on Texas is another unique part of this year ’ s presidential campaign .
Texas isn ’ t supposed to merit this many phone calls .
But after decades of clear Republican wins , polls now show the race for the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Because Texas isn ’ t likely to be the state that tips the election to Democrats , Biden ’ s campaign has paid it less attention than to places like Pennsylvania and Florida .
But Beto O ’ Rourke , who lost a Senate race there to Ted Cruz by just three points in 2018 , has been beating a drum begging his party to invest time and resources in his state .
O ’ Rourke has long been a champion of the ground game : In the 2018 Senate race , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doors across Texas .
After his failed presidential run , O ’ Rourke founded a nonprofit , Powered by People , that was envisioned as an extension of his door-knocking powerhouse .
But in the pandemic , it has gone mostly virtual , making hundreds of thousands of calls a week in Texas .
Sometimes , on its Zoom calls , Oprah is there too , cold-calling voters alongside hundreds of others .
In Leander , Texas , O ’ Rourke ’ s vision has helped draw in Brian Nguyen and his boyfriend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rooms — some 3,000 or 4,000 calls in all , by Nguyen ’ s roughest count .
For months now , he has made calls almost every night while his boyfriend acts as tech support for the volunteers .
Mostly , Nguyen calls people in Texas , but once it gets too late there , he sometimes switches to phone-banking in Alaska .
“ It ’ s a cool thing I ’ ve found .
It ’ s three hours off , so if it ’ s 10:30 our time , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve been doing some of those to really optimize my time . ''
A software engineer , Nguyen moved from California to Leander , a city just north of Austin , just before the pandemic began , and he ’ s seen almost no one since .
He and his boyfriend haven ’ t even been outside much ; their regular hikes had to stop in the summer thanks to the muggy Texas heat .
But in March , Nguyen started making phone calls for MJ Hegar , the Democratic Senate candidate in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He hasn ’ t stopped since .
He made hundreds of calls through Powered by People .
“ I think of these calls as therapy , ” he said .
“ I have some agency back .
I ’ m talking to real people and having real conversations with them about what ’ s important to them.
” When the New York Times broke the news that President Donald Trump paid just $ 750 in income taxes in 2017 , Nguyen decided to do 750 more calls .
After he reached that goal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Early in the year , he went to a virtual seminar about how to convince undecided voters .
He avoids moral judgments or telling them what to do .
Instead , he said , he tries to “ put them into problem-solver mode.
” “ It actually has a lot of parallels to addiction counseling , ” he said .
“ People know they shouldn ’ t be smoking , but their addiction prevents them from choosing an option like a nicotine patch .
So I try to lay out the options @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beeps him from house to house , Nguyen writes down on a notepad snatches of conversations he finds inspiring or even just funny , like a beekeeper who he joked with about starting a movement called “ Bees for Biden.
” “ There ’ s been this silver lining to us having to do everything virtual , which is that I wouldn ’ t be as involved as I am now , ” Nguyen said .
“ I ’ d have to drive to whatever phone bank it is or to knock doors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time to do this .
It ’ s not as easy as it is jumping onto a Zoom call.
” The technology has not been easy for everyone , especially the retirees who make up a huge chunk of Democratic volunteers .
Organizers who might have spent their time corralling armies of door knockers have instead become tech support , helping people figure out how to download Slack or restart a frozen autodialer .
“ I ’ m sorry .
I am old and not accustomed to texting a lot , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a wall of books a few minutes later .
“ Now , archiving someone — that sets them aside , but it doesn ’ t cut them off altogether ?
” “ I hope you don ’ t mind my sad story .
But technology hates me , ” begins a closeup of a woman ’ s forehead .
She couldn ’ t figure out how to get the texting system to work , she said .
“ Last time , I went through this whole thing , and it said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t want that to happen to me again .
I have this chunk of time .
I ’ m doing it .
I want to do everything I can.
” Labor unions , a big source of Democratic organizing muscle , were frustrated by the months where they could not campaign in person , sending their members out door knocking in droves in states like Nevada and Pennsylvania .
For some union members , especially older ones , the technology of Zoom calls , Slack , texting , and autodialing has been a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokesperson for 32BJ , which organizes building service workers like door attendants and cleaners in 12 states .
“ It ’ s been a tough transition to learn how to do these things , ” she said .
“ They ’ ll say , ‘ I don ’ t understand this texting thing ; I want to do the thing that we ’ ve done before.
’ ” But others have latched on immediately ; one member in his sixties sent 10,000 texts in a week and a half .
In Seattle , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tech support , showing her how to summon a staffer into a breakout room to ask questions .
And she keeps her mother going relentlessly .
With the autodialer , there are no breaks while phones ring , no waiting to see if someone answers .
The technology picks up automatically when someone says “ Hello ?
” Then the tone of the beep : It ’ s time to talk .
After an hour and a half of dialing , Julie said , “ I might just put it on ‘ not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ No , ” Mari interrupted forcefully .
She leaned over her mother , making sure she wouldn ’ t press the button to stop the calls .
Beep .
In all their hours of calls , no one has answered Mari ’ s question by saying they ’ re doing well .
A lot of people are just “ hanging in there.
” Once , a mom talked about her struggles to virtually school her child , who has a disability .
Mari jumped in to talk about how her mom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A few weeks ago , the autodialer connected Mari and Julie to a woman who had requested a mail-in ballot .
The woman was going to hang up on them , she told them , “ but then I heard this little baby ’ s voice.
” Mari asked how the woman was doing , the way she always does , and they started talking .
The woman talked about how she was active in her church , and told them about a relative who ’ d just gotten out of surgery .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ like , and the San Antonio River Walk .
“ If you ’ re ever in Texas , ” the woman told them , “ let me know.
” They talked long past the point when the two-hour phone-banking shift was supposed to end .
And they made sure she had mailed in her ballot .

When she hears the sound of the beep in her living room in Seattle, Mari is usually the one who leans forward over the laptop and starts to talk. On the other end of the line is someone she’s never met in a place she’s never been: Texas.
“My name is Mari and I’m here with my mom and I’m a volunteer with the Texas Democrats,” she says, making sure to enunciate every word.
Mari and her mom, Julie, are calling about voting: voting early, voting by mail, voting for Democrats up and down the ballot. But first, before they talk about any of that, Mari asks the person on the other end of the line something else: “How are you doing in these difficult times?”
Mari, 11, and her mom have never been to Texas. Like a lot of people, they haven’t really left their house much since the pandemic began, when Seattle was among the first cities to begin shutting down. Their world has been mostly limited to their small family: Mari’s dad, her sister, and their brown lab.
But in between the tones of the Democratic Party’s autodialer, they’ve talked to a lot of Texans. Texans really are friendlier, Julie said. She knows it’s a stereotype, but she thinks it’s true. In their conversations, Mari and her mother have learned about Texas geography and about how much harder it is to vote in Texas than in their home state of Washington. They learned that Texas has two time zones. Once, Mari asked her mom: “Why do they always call you ‘ma’am’?”
“You hear people’s voices and the hope and the civility, and I don’t think ‘healing’ is too strong a word,” Julie said.
“You get to know people better,” Mari said. “They tell you about their life and what’s happened to them.”
The last few months before a presidential election are supposed to be filled with canvassers crisscrossing neighborhoods in swing states, their arms stuffed with campaign literature — a so-called “ground game” of voter persuasion, registration, and turnout.
But all of that came to a halt with the coronavirus pandemic. And while Republicans in many states were back out canvassing within months, sending armies out to knock on what they say are millions of doors, for most Democratic campaigns, the last eight months of organizing has looked very, very different.
It has looked like Julie and Mari, huddled together over a laptop, making phone calls to a place they’ve never been. Texas Democrats say their organizers sometimes make more than 750,000 calls a day — they called more than 2 million voters in the state last weekend, as early voting was coming to a close. And 5,000 “active texters” send as many as a million texts a day.
In October, national Democrats started smaller-scale door-knocking programs. But no one knows, exactly, what the months of gaping differences between the two parties’ strategies will mean for the election. So far, it has sown Democratic panic, given Republicans an edge in voter registration in key states, and formed the basis of GOP arguments that the polls, once again, will turn out to be wrong.
For the Democratic Party and its leaders, it’s also been a point of pride — a model of how to behave during a pandemic in contrast to a president who has defied coronavirus guidelines, endangering his own health as well as that of voters. No one will know until Tuesday, at the earliest, who is right.
But for people like Mari and Julie, isolated by COVID-19 and anxious about the election, the digital campaign has turned out to be an unexpected source of connection. Maybe even a little hope.


buzzfeed--2020-11-01--Just Getting To The Polls Is A Huge Problem For Many Voters This Year

“ You can make a plan , you can register , but not having access to a car to be able to get to the polls is huge , and to be honest , it ’ s another form of voter suppression.
” With more than 20,000 Election Day polling places being shuttered nationwide , rampant online misinformation , mail delays , and of course , the coronavirus pandemic still raging , voting in the 2020 election is already hard enough .
But for many Americans , one of the biggest barriers to voting is a simple one : not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Access to transportation is not typically one of the first things people think of when it comes to forms of voter suppression , but advocates say it ’ s one of the top obstacles people face when trying to cast their vote .
In a Harvard study from 2016 , 14 % of nonvoters said transportation was a “ major factor ” in why they did not vote in that election .
“ You can make a plan , you can register , but not having access to a car to be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and to be honest , it ’ s another form of voter suppression , ” Crystal Carson , a spokesperson for the voting advocacy group When We All Vote , told BuzzFeed News .
While city dwellers are typically able to get to their polling place by public transit or on foot , this is less possible for those in rural and suburban areas .
And in those areas , the people who don ’ t own cars are by and large the ones most severely affected by the government ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are disproportionately Black , Latinx , Indigenous , immigrants , or LGBTQ .
The elderly and people with disabilities , who often have physical barriers to driving , and young people , who are less likely to own a car than older generations , also struggle to vote for this reason , advocates told BuzzFeed News .
For at least the past several years , activist groups and rideshare companies have helped alleviate this issue by offering free or discounted rides to the polls .
This year , Uber , Lyft , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offering deals to help get voters where they need to go .
But that will not be possible this year for Michigan residents , where a decades-old law makes it illegal to provide paid transportation for voters unless they are “ physically unable to walk.
” In January , liberal super PAC Priorities USA filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the state law , which allows for volunteers to drive voters to the polls , but prevents companies such as Uber and Lyft from offering discounts on rides there as they do in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month , a judge ruled to uphold the law .
Aneesa McMillan , a spokesperson for Priorities USA , told BuzzFeed News that she expects transportation issues to continue to be a major voting barrier this year .
“ With such robust voter suppression across the country , which is spearheaded by the RNC and the Trump campaign , it makes transportation all the more important because of the national efforts to limit and restrict access to the ballot , ” McMillan said .
A recent study of the 2018 midterm election found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access to a car voted , compared to 36 % of people who did not have access .
Boston University political science professor Maxwell Palmer , who co-authored the study , told BuzzFeed News this 30-point disparity even held up with people who live in very similar circumstances .
“ One thing we might wonder is , well , people who have cars might be different in other ways from people who don ’ t have cars .
Like , they might be wealthier , or be employed , or have more resources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting .
So , how do we know it ’ s the car itself that matters , and not other socioeconomic conditions that correlate with car ownership ?
” Palmer said .
“ So we looked at people who have the exact same street address , say within an apartment building .
The people who live in households with cars vote at higher rates than their immediate neighbors in the exact same building without cars.
” Though more people are voting early and by mail than ever this year , Palmer said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could affect voting , when people may be worried about taking public transit or cabs due to the risk of catching COVID-19 .
“ Lacking access to a car really does depress turnout , ” he said .
“ And we should really be concerned about that , especially in a situation where lots of other ways to get to a polling place might not be as safe or easy this year.
” Even with access to a car , some voters with physical disabilities may still face obstacles to casting their vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 21 made drive-up voting illegal in Alabama , and Texas Republicans are trying to shut it down in their state as well .
A substantial percentage of Americans are voting by mail this year , and that includes many who would have otherwise had challenges to make it to the polls in person .
But , many people are still choosing to vote in person to ensure their vote is received and counted .
If you have a news tip , we ’ d like to hear from you .
Reach out to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ channels .
Even for those who did opt to vote by absentee ballot , many people are hand-delivering their ballots to drop boxes to avoid mail delays .
But that ’ s still not an easy task depending how far you live from a ballot drop box .
In Texas , this is a particularly onerous issue , since the state ’ s Republican Gov .
Greg Abbott ordered that there would be only one ballot drop off location per county , meaning many Texans will have to travel long distances to cast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you could live just a few blocks from your voting location , which makes it feasible , or you could be quite a distance from it , ” community organizer Sarah Kovich told BuzzFeed News .
“ [ Texas is ] beginning to close down voting locations and moving to larger venues for voting .
Well , all of a sudden , what used to be a few blocks walk could now be several miles from your home.
” To combat this , Kovich founded Rideshare2Vote , which provides free rides to voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their county ballot box .
People in need of rides can call the organization or request a ride on their app , and a volunteer will pick them up and take them there and back .
While the organization supports Democrats , anyone is eligible for a free ride , regardless of what party they support .
A wide range of people have used Rideshare2Vote ’ s services , Kovich said , including younger voters , people who can ’ t afford a car or gas , visually impaired people , people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with cars who just couldn ’ t lose their parking spot by going to vote on their lunch break .
The majority of people whom they shuttle to the polls , though , are the elderly .
“ We ’ ve driven a voter one block because she couldn ’ t walk to her polling location anymore , ” Kovich said .
It hasn ’ t been easy running a volunteer rideshare-to-the-polls operation in the middle of a pandemic , Kovich said .
They ’ ve had to ensure everyone has masks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ car at a time , the windows are down , the AC is on , and at the end , the driver has to disinfect the car before picking up another voter .
Kovich hopes these rides are a way people can feel welcomed into the process of voting , she said .
“ Whoever wants to vote , we want them to know they ’ re invited , ” she said , “ And we ’ ll get them there.
” ●

A recent study of the 2018 midterm election found that 66% percent of people with access to a car voted, compared to 36% of people who did not have access.
Boston University political science professor Maxwell Palmer, who coauthored the study, told BuzzFeed News this 30-point disparity even held up with people who live in very similar circumstances. “One thing we might wonder is, well, people who have cars might be different in other ways from people who don’t have cars. Like, they might be wealthier, or be employed, or have more resources, things we also know correlate with voting. So how do we know it’s the car itself that matters, and not other socioeconomic conditions that correlate with car ownership?” Palmer said. “So we looked at people who have the exact same street address, say within an apartment building. The people who live in households with cars vote at higher rates than their immediate neighbors in the exact same building without cars.”
Though more people are voting early and by mail than ever this year, Palmer said he remains concerned about how much car access could affect voting, when people may be worried about taking public transit or cabs due to the risk of catching COVID-19.
“Lacking access to a car really does depress turnout,” he said. “And we should really be concerned about that, especially in a situation where lots of other ways to get to a polling place might not be as safe or easy this year.”
Even with access to a car, some voters with physical disabilities may still face obstacles to casting their vote. A Supreme Court ruling on Oct. 21 made drive-up voting illegal in Alabama, and Texas Republicans are trying to shut it down in their state as well.
A substantial percentage of Americans are voting by mail this year, and that includes many who would have otherwise had challenges to make it to the polls in person. But, many people are still choosing to vote in person to ensure their vote is received and counted.
If you have a news tip, we’d like to hear from you. Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels.
Even for those who did opt to vote by absentee ballot, many people are hand-delivering their ballots to drop boxes to avoid mail delays. But that’s still not an easy task depending on how far you live from a ballot drop box.
In Texas, this is a particularly onerous issue, since the state’s Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered that there would be only one ballot drop off location per county, meaning many Texans will have to travel long distances to cast their vote.
“In Texas, you could live just a few blocks from your voting location, which makes it feasible, or you could be quite a distance from it,” community organizer Sarah Kovich told BuzzFeed News. “[Texas is] beginning to close down voting locations and moving to larger venues for voting. Well, all of a sudden, what used to be a few blocks walk could now be several miles from your home.”
To combat this, Kovich founded Rideshare2Vote, which provides free rides to voters, both to the polls and to their county ballot box. People in need of rides can call the organization or request a ride on their app, and a volunteer will pick them up and take them there and back.
While the organization supports Democrats, anyone is eligible for a free ride, regardless of what party they support.


buzzfeed--2020-11-02--Trump Made It Clear He Wants The Supreme Court To Shut Down Vote Counting After Election Day

President Donald Trump , in his last sprint of rallies before Election Day , is aggressively accelerating his campaign to spread distrust in the US election and legal systems , laying the groundwork for a potential effort to stop counting votes after Nov. 3 .
“ The whole world , and our nation , is going to be waiting , and waiting , and waiting to hear who won ?
You ’ re going to be waiting for weeks ?
, ” Trump asked a crowd of supporters Saturday morning in Bucks County , Pennsylvania .
There has been a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nationwide because of the coronavirus pandemic , particularly — polls suggest , among Democrats .
Because of how some key states like Pennsylvania count votes , that might mean that the election winner is not determined on election night , and it could mean that some states that count absentee ballots late may show initial results that have Trump winning , only for Joe Biden to overtake him as more votes come in .
There ’ s nothing about that that would suggest fraud or illegality , and it ’ s not unusual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finalize a vote count .
Trump , though , is now loudly insisting otherwise .
He repeatedly blamed the Supreme Court , which earlier this week denied Pennsylvania Republicans ’ request to issue a decision on mail-in ballots before the election , punting the issue .
That denial means that Pennsylvania can still count ballots that are postmarked by Election Day as long as they arrive by Nov. 6 ; Republicans had sued to stop them from counting anything that arrives after Nov. 3 .
“ This is a terrible thing they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s the United States Supreme Court I ’ m talking about .
That is a terrible , political , horrible decision that they made .
We ’ re going to be waiting , Nov. 3 is going to come and go and we ’ re not going to know , ” Trump said .
“ And you ’ re going to have bedlam in our country , and you ’ re going to have this period of nine days or seven days or whatever it is , and many bad things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ oh we just found ten thousand ballots , oh that ’ s good , we just found another ten thousand.
’ This is a horrible thing the United States Supreme Court has done to our country .
And I say it , and I say it loud and I say it proud.
” '' We have to know who won , '' he said .
`` We have to know who won . ''

President Donald Trump, in his last sprint of rallies before Election Day, is aggressively accelerating his campaign to spread distrust in the US election and legal systems, laying the groundwork for a potential effort to stop counting votes after Nov. 3.
“The whole world, and our nation, is going to be waiting, and waiting, and waiting to hear who won? You’re going to be waiting for weeks?” Trump asked a crowd of supporters Saturday morning in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
There has been a giant spike in early and mail-in voting nationwide because of the coronavirus pandemic, particularly — polls suggest, among Democrats. Because of how some key states like Pennsylvania count votes, that might mean that the election winner is not determined on election night, and it could mean that some states that count absentee ballots late may show initial results that have Trump winning, only for Joe Biden to overtake him as more votes come in. There’s nothing about that that would suggest fraud or illegality, and it’s not unusual for some states to take days to finalize a vote count. Trump, though, is now loudly insisting otherwise.
He repeatedly blamed the Supreme Court, which earlier this week denied Pennsylvania Republicans’ request to issue a decision on mail-in ballots before the election, punting the issue. That denial means that Pennsylvania can still count ballots that are postmarked by Election Day as long as they arrive by Nov. 6; Republicans had sued to stop them from counting anything that arrives after Nov. 3.
“This is a terrible thing they’ve done to our country. And that’s the United States Supreme Court I’m talking about. That is a terrible, political, horrible decision that they made. We’re going to be waiting, Nov. 3 is going to come and go and we’re not going to know,” Trump said. “And you’re going to have bedlam in our country, and you’re going to have this period of nine days or seven days or whatever it is, and many bad things — ballots are going to be, ‘Oh, we just found 10,000 ballots. Oh, that’s good, we just found another 10,000.’ This is a horrible thing the United States Supreme Court has done to our country. And I say it, and I say it loud and I say it proud.”
"We have to know who won," he said. "We have to know who won."


buzzfeed--2020-11-01--They Marched In A Black Lives Matter Protest And It Changed Their Politics

“ You could see which side cared about the Black Lives Matter movement , ” said one first-time protester , “ and which side could n't embrace it.
” In the lead-up to Tuesday ’ s presidential election , 17-year-old Abby Wright has been pleading with everyone she knows in her conservative hometown of Dalton , Georgia , not to vote for Donald Trump .
Too young to vote herself , she ’ s instead doing her part by running a mock election at school and making political TikToks to counter misinformation .
But Abby wasn ’ t always so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US , she found herself protesting for the first time in her life during this summer ’ s Black Lives Matter demonstrations and they profoundly transformed her .
Her political reawakening is now the subject of her college application essay .
“ Before this summer , I saw myself as a middle of the road conservative , just like my parents , ” she wrote .
“ However , after seeing the lack of a reaction towards the injustice from one side of the country , I knew it was my time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dismay of my family.
” In this election year , the US has found itself grappling with two pandemics : the coronavirus and institutional racism .
Much has been written about how the president ’ s handling of COVID-19 has influenced voters , but many others have also been swayed by the Black Lives Matter movement .
Reignited again this year by the killings of George Floyd , Breonna Taylor , and Ahmaud Arbery , BLM has emerged as the civil rights movement of the 21st century .
On June 6 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out to have their voices heard at 550 demonstrations across the US , according to data published by the New York Times .
Somewhere between 15 million and 26 million people have attended at least one BLM protest this year across the country , making it the biggest social movement in history .
Swept up in this movement were people like Abby who found themselves compelled to protest for the very first time .
Many are now casting their ballots for president , still energized by their experience .
Not all those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to vote , though , so some are finding other ways to be politically active .
“ Because I ca n't vote , that ’ s even more of a reason to try and convince others to vote and tell my friends who are 18 to get registered , ” said Anna Villard , a 17-year-old rising senior from Surprise , Arizona .
After attending half a dozen BLM protests in Mesa and Phoenix in recent months , Anna has been registering people to vote at her high school , making designs and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her Instagram bio daily with the number of days left to register to vote and until Election Day .
She has even been searching voter registration records for her teachers and quizzing them about it .
“ I ’ ve been asking my teachers , ‘ Are you registered to vote ?
Have you turned your ballot in yet ?
’ I think it ’ s caught them off guard , too.
” Anna , who is Black , said the movement has given her more courage to call out racism .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ online , she reported them to a volleyball coach and the principal .
She ’ s also unfollowed people she knows on social media who follow the president and no longer feigns politeness to her Trump-supporting neighbors .
“ I ’ m not going to associate with someone who has Confederate flags in their garage , ” she said , “ and if that ’ s a problem , I 'm sorry.
” Trump repeatedly complains that the media focuses on “ COVID , COVID , COVID ” this election , but Paige @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carlsbad , California , sees a link between the treatment of Black Americans and people wearing masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus , which has disproportionately affected Black and brown communities .
“ There ’ s a good case study that could be done comparing the way people are reacting to COVID and people are reacting to the Black Lives Matter movement , ” said Dominguez .
” It just comes down to caring about your neighbor.
” Dominguez is frustrated that churches in her area are hosting events for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support BLM , especially because she believes churches should fight for the oppressed .
She found attending a BLM protest for the first time a deeply moving , almost spiritual experience .
“ I could feel the leaders of the chants , feel their passion , it really resonated with me , ” said Dominguez , who is white and attended because her teenage daughter begged to go .
At first she feared chanting but soon felt compelled to join in the protest chorus .
“ I had to rise up with them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If I had n't been part of the march , I would n't have been affected as much.
” Hazim , the upstate New Yorker , says her newfound activism has changed her profoundly .
After attending a BLM protest and changing her Facebook profile photo to read “ Black Lives Matter , ” she now quizzes men on dating apps about their support of the movement and which presidential candidate they support .
But perhaps her most personal change has been how the protests made her rethink one of the most monumental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a child , Hazim grew up in the Bronx and the Dominican Republic .
When she was 6 , her father , Jorgiris Hazim , was shot and killed by NYPD narcotics cops during a raid related to drug dealing .
Her stepmother had always told her that her dad was asleep when police busted in .
A Daily News story a month after her father ’ s November 1995 death reported that the two officers involved were under investigation for the shooting and that “ investigators reportedly found no weapon or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were never prosecuted .
For years , Hazim , who is Black and Latino , had avoided telling people about her father ’ s death , ashamed of his actions and convinced that he was a “ bad guy ” who must have deserved it .
But after participating in protests for the first time , she now wonders how an unarmed man could be killed in his home with his family nearby in the middle of the night .
“ After the George Floyd incident is really when it all hit me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knowing how my dad was n't given the fair proper channels to plead his case , maybe pay for his crimes in a different way , because of the color of his skin.
” “ All these years I 've had a first-hand experience of how cops treat people of color , ” she said , “ and I did n't even realize it.
” ●

Not all those who participated in the protests are old enough to vote, though, so some are finding other ways to be politically active. “Because I can't vote, that’s even more of a reason to try and convince others to vote and tell my friends who are 18 to get registered,” said Anna Villard, a 17-year-old rising senior from Surprise, Arizona.
After attending half a dozen BLM protests in Mesa and Phoenix in recent months, Anna has been registering people to vote at her high school, making designs and posters for ballot boxes, and updating her Instagram bio daily with the number of days left to register to vote and until Election Day. She has even been searching voter registration records for her teachers and quizzing them about it. “I’ve been asking my teachers, ‘Are you registered to vote? Have you turned your ballot in yet?’ I think it’s caught them off guard, too.”
Anna, who is Black, said the movement has given her more courage to call out racism. When girls from her school used the n-word online, she reported them to a volleyball coach and the principal. She’s also unfollowed people she knows on social media who follow the president and no longer feigns politeness to her Trump-supporting neighbors. “I’m not going to associate with someone who has Confederate flags in their garage,” she said, “and if that’s a problem, I'm sorry.”
Trump repeatedly complains that the media focuses on “COVID, COVID, COVID” this election, but Paige Dominguez, a 43-year-old preschool teacher from Carlsbad, California, sees a link between the treatment of Black Americans and people wearing masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which has disproportionately affected Black and brown communities. “There’s a good case study that could be done comparing the way people are reacting to COVID and people are reacting to the Black Lives Matter movement,” said Dominguez. ”It just comes down to caring about your neighbor.”
Dominguez is frustrated that churches in her area are hosting events for Republicans and not doing more to vocally support BLM, especially because she believes churches should fight for the oppressed. She found attending a BLM protest for the first time a deeply moving, almost spiritual experience.
“I could feel the leaders of the chants, feel their passion, it really resonated with me,” said Dominguez, who is white and attended because her teenage daughter begged to go. At first she feared chanting but soon felt compelled to join in the protest chorus. “I had to rise up with them too,” she said. “If I hadn't been part of the march, I wouldn't have been affected as much.”


buzzfeed--2020-11-02--Selena Gomez Got "Brutally Honest" About Why She Didn't Vote In The Last Election, And Called It A "

Selena Gomez Got "Brutally Honest" About Why She Didn't Vote In The Last Election, And Called It A "Huge Lesson"

`` That was really difficult for me , '' she went on .
`` But that actually put a fire @ @ @ @ @ active than I 've ever been , and to never miss a beat , and @ @ @ @ @ take time to do that . ''

"That was really difficult for me," she went on. "But that actually put a fire under me to be more active than I've ever been, and to never miss a beat, and to make sure that I take time to do that."


buzzfeed--2020-11-03--Plunging Morale And Self Congratulations: Inside Facebook The Day Before The Presidential Election

Less than 24 hours before a historic US presidential election day , Nick Clegg , Facebook ’ s vice president of global affairs and communications and the former United Kingdom deputy prime minister , tried to rally employees at the embattled social networking corporation .
Noting that the world would be watching the results , Clegg published a post on an internal message board about the work Facebook employees had done to prepare for the vote .
Many things had changed since 2016 , he said , alluding to an election in which Russian state actors used Facebook to sow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mark Zuckerberg stood by oblivious “ We have transformed the way we approach elections since the U.S. presidential election four years ago , ” Clegg wrote in the note titled “ READY FOR ELECTION DAY.
” “ Thanks to the efforts of far , far too many of you to mention by name , Facebook is a very different company today.
” It is indeed .
Roiled by months of internal scandals and high-profile failures , the social network giant heads into Election Day with employee morale cratering and internal political discussion muzzled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took an optimistic tone in his post , Facebook released results of an internal survey on Monday that revealed a stark decline in employee confidence over the past six months .
Its semi-annual “ Pulse Survey , ” taken by more than 49,000 employees over two weeks in October , showed workers felt strained by office shutdowns and were continuing to lose faith that the company was improving the world .
Only 51 % of respondents said they believed that Facebook was having a positive impact on the world , down 23 percentage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in May and down 5.5 percentage points from the same period last year .
In response to a question about the company ’ s leadership , only 56 % of employees had a favorable response , compared to 76 % in May and more than 60 % last year .
( A Facebook employee acknowledged in the announcement that the uptick in May ’ s Pulse results were “ likely driven by our response to COVID-19 , ” which was widely praised . )
Do you work at Facebook or another technology company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you .
Reach out at ryan.mac @ buzzfeed.com , craig.silverman @ buzzfeed.com , or via one of our tip line channels .
The external criticism leveled against Facebook for failing to completely stem hate and misleading information is weighing on employees .
“ Top constructive themes from comments mention decision-making related to hate speech and misinformation on our platforms , and concerns that leadership is focusing on the wrong metrics , ” wrote a human resources leader in explaining the results .
Employee performance at Facebook is often evaluated based on audience growth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a new feature .
While some employees have departed or been fired for disagreeing with the direction of the company , the growing negative sentiment doesn ’ t appear to have weighed on respondents ’ plans to stay at Facebook .
A majority , 69 % , said the company was a favorable place to work — down only half a percentage point from the year before .
The average employee surveyed intended to stay at the company for 4.3 years , up about half a year from the average response last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook ’ s internal message board and the host of contentious discussions over the summer , things have settled down .
Current workers , who spoke to BuzzFeed News anonymously because they feared reprisal , said the company ’ s crackdown on political speech earlier this year has silenced discussion of the US election in open groups .
In September , following months of internal debate over the state of politics and race relations in the US , Facebook implemented rules that prevented employees from discussing social issues unless they did so within @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new rules are an attempt to prevent criticism of the company , which has the ability to affect society ’ s political sentiments like few others .
`` The public rationale was that employees were uncomfortable not being able to log on and 'just do their job , ' ” one current Facebook worker told BuzzFeed News .
“ It ’ s now very easy to log in and do your job without seeing anything vaguely political beyond corporate announcements , so they succeeded . ''
Others noted that it was ironic that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a defender of “ free expression ” prevented political discussion and disagreement from permeating its ranks .
The new restrictions were reinforced on Thursday , when Facebook ’ s Vice President of People Lori Goler reminded employees of what was appropriate to post about the election and what wasn ’ t .

Less than 24 hours before a historic US presidential election day, Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice president of global affairs and communications and the former United Kingdom deputy prime minister, tried to rally employees at the embattled social networking corporation.
Noting that the world would be watching the results, Clegg published a post on an internal message board about the work Facebook employees had done to prepare for the vote. Many things had changed since 2016, he said, alluding to an election in which Russian state actors used Facebook to sow discord, while the company and CEO Mark Zuckerberg stood by oblivious
“We have transformed the way we approach elections since the U.S. presidential election four years ago,” Clegg wrote in the note titled “READY FOR ELECTION DAY.” “Thanks to the efforts of far, far too many of you to mention by name, Facebook is a very different company today.”
It is indeed. Roiled by months of internal scandals and high-profile failures, the social network giant heads into Election Day with employee morale cratering and internal political discussion muzzled on internal message boards.
While Clegg took an optimistic tone in his post, Facebook released results of an internal survey on Monday that revealed a stark decline in employee confidence over the past six months. Its semi-annual “Pulse Survey,” taken by more than 49,000 employees over two weeks in October, showed workers felt strained by office shutdowns and were continuing to lose faith that the company was improving the world.
Only 51% of respondents said they believed that Facebook was having a positive impact on the world, down 23 percentage points from the company's last survey in May and down 5.5 percentage points from the same period last year. In response to a question about the company’s leadership, only 56% of employees had a favorable response, compared to 76% in May and more than 60% last year. (A Facebook employee acknowledged in the announcement that the uptick in May’s Pulse results were “likely driven by our response to COVID-19,” which was widely praised.)
Do you work at Facebook or another technology company? We'd love to hear from you. Reach out at ryan.mac@buzzfeed.com, craig.silverman@buzzfeed.com, or via one of our tip line channels.
The external criticism leveled against Facebook for failing to completely stem hate and misleading information is weighing on employees.
“Top constructive themes from comments mention decision-making related to hate speech and misinformation on our platforms, and concerns that leadership is focusing on the wrong metrics,” wrote a human resources leader in explaining the results. Employee performance at Facebook is often evaluated based on audience growth metrics, such as increasing the use of a new feature.
While some employees have departed or been fired for disagreeing with the direction of the company, the growing negative sentiment doesn’t appear to have weighed on respondents’ plans to stay at Facebook. A majority, 69%, said the company was a favorable place to work — down only half a percentage point from the year before. The average employee surveyed intended to stay at the company for 4.3 years, up about half a year from the average response last year.
Meanwhile, on Workplace, Facebook’s internal message board and the host of contentious discussions over the summer, things have settled down. Current workers, who spoke to BuzzFeed News anonymously because they feared reprisal, said the company’s crackdown on political speech earlier this year has silenced discussion of the US election in open groups.
Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois declined to comment.
In September, following months of internal debate over the state of politics and race relations in the US, Facebook implemented rules that prevented employees from discussing social issues unless they did so within designated groups. Internal critics claim the new rules are an attempt to prevent criticism of the company, which has the ability to affect society’s political sentiments like few others.
"The public rationale was that employees were uncomfortable not being able to log on and 'just do their job,'” one current Facebook worker told BuzzFeed News. “It’s now very easy to log in and do your job without seeing anything vaguely political beyond corporate announcements, so they succeeded."
Others noted that it was ironic that a company that often touts itself as a defender of “free expression” prevented political discussion and disagreement from permeating its ranks. The new restrictions were reinforced on Thursday, when Facebook’s Vice President of People Lori Goler reminded employees of what was appropriate to post about the election and what wasn’t.


buzzfeed--2020-11-03--Cuban Asylum-Seekers Stranded At The US–Mexico Border Are Drumming Up Support For Biden

`` We have no human rights here and the Mexican government has n't offered us any protection . ''
On the eve of the presidential election , thousands of Cubans stuck in dangerous Mexican border cities have a message for their US compatriots : Remember we 're still stranded here .
The Trump administration 's Migrant Protection Protocols ( MPP ) has made more than 67,000 immigrants and asylum-seekers wait in Mexico while their cases are completed in the US .
Of those , according to data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse from Syracuse University , 10,027 are from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ living in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez , is one of them .
In the time since she was sent back across the border by the US , she has been attacked twice , the second time shortly after she found out she was pregnant .
`` We 're very vulnerable here , '' Dailín told BuzzFeed News .
`` We have no human rights here and the Mexican government has n't offered us any protection . ''
She ca n't vote , but that has n't stopped her from reaching @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and encouraging them to vote for former vice president Joe Biden because he 's promised to end MPP within the first 100 days of taking office .
On Feb. 28 , Dailín was walking to work when she noticed she was being followed by a man .
She tried to outrun him , but was n't fast enough .
Her attacker , Dailín said , grabbed her and tried to drag her into an abandoned house .
Dailín punched and kicked him until she could escape his grasp , but in the struggle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Dailín and her husband filed a police report , but Mexican police told them there was n't much else to do .
Dailín 's experience is not unique .
A Human Rights First database has tracked more than 1,100 public reports of rape , torture , kidnapping , and other violence against immigrants sent back to Mexico under MPP .
It is n't hard to convince her family to vote for Biden , Dailín said , because they hear directly from her about what she has experienced since being sent back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reach and convince voters who do n't have a direct connection to someone in the MPP program , Dailín said .
`` They think they are superior to Cubans at the border .
On Facebook they post comments saying we are economic migrants and not fleeing political persecution , that we 're in favor of the regime , '' Dailín said .
`` That is not true , no one endures what we 're enduring if we could live in Cuba . ''
In a Facebook post , Dailín warned Cuban Americans to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his anti-immigrant policies and hoping he does n't start taking away people 's US residency .
`` When you see your neighbor 's beard burn , soak yours , '' Dailín wrote .
`` I want to see how many will be screaming Trump if he does that . ''
Cuban Americans tend to lean Republican , but they are not a monolithic voting group and have diverse political beliefs .
Despite being a small percentage of the US population , Cuban American voters have received a lot of attention in presidential elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a swing state .
Florida International University 's 2020 Cuba poll found that 53 % of Cuban American registered voters were Republican , and the GOP is replenishing itself with the support of new arrivals .
Among Cubans who arrived between 1995 and 2009 , 49 % were Republicans , a lower percentage than most recent arrivals from 2010 to 2015 , of which 76 % support the GOP .
When it comes to immigration , the poll found that 64 % of Cuban Americans support the way President Trump has handled the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Cuba and registered Democrats were the only two categories of respondents who significantly opposed Trump 's handling of immigration , at 50 % and 78 % opposition , respectively .
The Cuban immigrant experience is a unique one in the US .
Previously , Cuban immigrants benefited from the “ wet-foot , dry-foot ” policy , which since 1995 allowed Cubans who touched US soil without a visa to be admitted into the country with a path to citizenship .
Former president Barack Obama ended the preferential treatment on Jan. 12 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his administration in his efforts to reestablish relations with Cuba .
Now Cubans who arrive at the US border are treated just like any other immigrant ; having to wait months and sometimes more than a year on the Mexican side of the border because of the MPP policy is an experience foreign to their compatriots already in the US .
MPP , also known as Remain in Mexico , was announced by the Department of Homeland Security in 2019 .
It was launched in Tijuana with the return of a single man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most immigrants , though there were categories of exemptions .
Yamil Ricardo Velez , an assistant professor of political science at Columbia University , believes part of the reason the Cuban American community does n't know about a policy that has forced thousands of their people to wait in Mexico is due in part to a lack of news coverage of its impact , especially on networks like Univision .
Plus , Velez said , if the baseline among Cuban Republicans is to support Trump , including his handling of immigration policies , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justifications for their approval .
`` Even if this is an objectively horrible policy and people are suffering , sadly , I think people 's faith in Trump ... is gon na offset that , '' Velez told BuzzFeed News .
`` They 're gon na to try to reconcile whatever is going on at the border and they 're not gon na attribute it to Trump . ''
It 's going to be very difficult to convince a Trump supporter to vote for Biden , Velez added .
What is more likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cuban Americans who may not have been planning to vote will learn about Remain in Mexico and will now cast their ballot because of it .
In general , advocates in the US have a hard time explaining Remain in Mexico because it is more technical than some of the other policies the Trump administration has rolled out — and immigrants are out of sight , out of mind on the south side of the border .
`` How many people actually have a direct connection to those folks at the border ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alex Otaola , a Cuban immigrant and influencer who hosts a popular live daily YouTube show , has become a prominent voice for Cuban Republicans who support Trump and was recently awarded an interview with the president .
In May , during one of his live Facebook shows , viewers jumped into the comments section and wrote `` SOS Frontera , '' or `` SOS Border , '' in an attempt to get him to speak out against MPP and the Cubans stranded at the border .
The social media campaign was launched @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Concepcion said Cuban immigrants in the US believe Trump will liberate Cuba from the Castro regime , but that 's a pipe dream .
`` They support him and leave all the Cubans stranded at the border , '' Concepcion told BuzzFeed News .
`` The Cuban is a migrant who fights against himself . ''
When the Trump administration launched MPP , it promised that returned immigrants would receive protection while they waited in Mexico for their court dates , Concepcion said .
But how can immigrants and asylum-seekers be safe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an area controlled by cartels where they 're targeted for extortion ?
he asked .
`` They 've been forgotten , killed , kidnapped , and no one seems to care , ” Concepcion told BuzzFeed News .
Otaola said his program will not be used for this campaign in part because Cuban immigrants should be processed by current policies , even if it means waiting in Mexico .
`` They 're advocating for Biden to come to power because they believe that 's how they will be able to enter the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t believe all the Cubans at the southern border are fleeing political persecution back home .
`` They never took to the streets to protest the system , at least not a majority of them , because we would 've found out , '' Otaola said .
Ray Rodriguez , a Cuban asylum-seeker previously in MPP who won his immigration case , took issue with Otaola 's comments about them not fleeing political persecution .
`` There 's this notion that people who have come to the border do n't deserve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Cuba , they did not fight for the freedom of Cuba , '' Rodriguez said .
But you do n't need to be out protesting against the government to be persecuted by the Cuban government , Rodriguez said .
Voicing his disagreement with the Cuban government at his job as a university English teacher resulted in him being fired and eventually arrested and mistreated by police .
Rodriguez said he was also harassed for being gay .
`` But my dissent was never to the point where I decided to just grab @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the government and start yelling , '' he said .
Still , an immigration judge ruled that Rodriguez deserved asylum , a rare victory for those in MPP .
`` According to the law , I qualify for this .
It does n't say I have to go in front of the government and start yelling every day until they beat me to death and then I sneak out of the country in a boat , '' Rodriguez said .
Evian , a Cuban immigrant living in Ciudad Juarez , said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US when he tells them to vote for Biden .
The 35-year-old , who asked not to be identified by his full name fearing retaliation if he 's deported to Cuba , said his friends do n't understand how he can support Biden if Obama was the one who ended the “ wet-foot , dry-foot ” policy .
Even after Obama ended that policy , Evian told them , Cubans were still allowed to seek asylum in the US and that is no longer the case under Trump .
`` I convinced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't believe in Biden or Trump so they wo n't be voting for either , '' Evian told BuzzFeed News .
`` This conversation has created a lot of problems for me with my compatriots , even with close friends of mine . ''
Evian has been in Mexico for two years now and has n't even tried to request asylum from the US because he 's seen other people from Cuba with more proof of political persecution than him be denied refuge .
Only 1 % of immigrants in MPP who have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other form of relief , according to TRAC at Syracuse University .
Because he was also denied asylum by Mexico , Evian is watching this election closely .
`` If Donald Trump wins I do n't know what I 'm going to do , '' Evian said .
“ Trump just keeps putting up obstacle after obstacle for us.
” Dailín , the Cuban doctor , hopes that Cuban American voters remember that at some point they immigrated to the US because they were in a vulnerable situation back home .
`` They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and more than anything they should n't want a president who has divided and increased the racism that already existed in the US , '' Dailín said .

On the eve of the presidential election, thousands of Cubans stuck in dangerous Mexican border cities have a message for their US compatriots: Remember we're still stranded here.
The Trump administration's Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) has made more than 67,000 immigrants and asylum-seekers wait in Mexico while their cases are completed in the US. Of those, according to data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse from Syracuse University, 10,027 are from Cuba.
Dailín, a 26-year-old doctor living in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez, is one of them. In the time since she was sent back across the border by the US, she has been attacked twice, the second time shortly after she found out she was pregnant.
"We're very vulnerable here," Dailín told BuzzFeed News. "We have no human rights here and the Mexican government hasn't offered us any protection."
She can't vote, but that hasn't stopped her from reaching out to her family in the US and encouraging them to vote for former vice president Joe Biden because he's promised to end MPP within the first 100 days of taking office.
On Feb. 28, Dailín was walking to work when she noticed she was being followed by a man. She tried to outrun him, but wasn't fast enough. Her attacker, Dailín said, grabbed her and tried to drag her into an abandoned house. Dailín punched and kicked him until she could escape his grasp, but in the struggle the man punched her in the stomach. Dailín and her husband filed a police report, but Mexican police told them there wasn't much else to do.
Dailín's experience is not unique. A Human Rights First database has tracked more than 1,100 public reports of rape, torture, kidnapping, and other violence against immigrants sent back to Mexico under MPP.
It isn't hard to convince her family to vote for Biden, Dailín said, because they hear directly from her about what she has experienced since being sent back to Mexico. It is much harder to reach and convince voters who don't have a direct connection to someone in the MPP program, Dailín said.
"They think they are superior to Cubans at the border. On Facebook they post comments saying we are economic migrants and not fleeing political persecution, that we're in favor of the regime," Dailín said. "That is not true, no one endures what we're enduring if we could live in Cuba."
In a Facebook post, Dailín warned Cuban Americans to be careful when voting for Trump considering his anti-immigrant policies and hoping he doesn't start taking away people's US residency.
"When you see your neighbor's beard burn, soak yours," Dailín wrote. "I want to see how many will be screaming Trump if he does that."


buzzfeed--2020-11-03--She Voted By Mail In Alabama. A Messy Court Fight Forced Her To Go In Person To Make Sure It Will Co

She Voted By Mail In Alabama. A Messy Court Fight Forced Her To Go In Person To Make Sure It Will Count.

The issue in Jefferson County stems from a state law that requires absentee voters to have a notary or two witnesses sign their ballots .
A federal judge on Sept. 30 lifted that rule during the pandemic for voters with medical conditions , and Jefferson County sent out waiver forms that voters could sign to take advantage of the judge ’ s order .
Canfield said that by the time she and her family left the courthouse at around 8:30 a.m. , she had counted approximately 75 people waiting in line .
The Canfields are among an as-yet-unconfirmed number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most populous county in Alabama — who relied on special ballot instructions from county officials that a federal appeals court later invalidated .
Jefferson County election officials haven ’ t responded to questions from BuzzFeed News over the past week about how many voters might be at risk of having their ballots rejected , and Jackie Anderson-Smith , the official in charge of absentee voting in Jefferson County , did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Monday about the process that the Canfields went through .
The Canfields are among an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County — the most populous county in Alabama — who relied on special ballot instructions from county officials that a federal appeals court later invalidated .
Jefferson County election officials haven ’ t responded to questions from BuzzFeed News over the past week about how many voters might be at risk of having their ballots rejected , and Jackie Anderson-Smith , the official in charge of absentee voting in Jefferson County , did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Monday about the process that the Canfields went through .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There ’ s ] this frustration of , we ’ re going to have to go up there , there ’ s no way around it , ” Canfield said .
“ Everything we ’ ve done , it feels like it doesn ’ t even matter .
Everything we were trying to avoid , we were forced to face today.
” Standing indoors in close proximity to other people was exactly the scenario they wanted to avoid and why they ’ d applied for absentee ballots this year , Canfield told BuzzFeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said she and her husband have underlying medical conditions that put them at higher risk if they contract COVID-19 ; they brought their daughter to the courthouse because they ’ ve been keeping her home from school during the pandemic to avoid further exposure .
Canfield and her husband , Brandon , were there to make sure the absentee ballots they ’ d put in the mail two weeks ago were counted .
A federal court had invalidated special instructions that they received from county officials for voting by mail , and they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk of being rejected from a BuzzFeed News report .
Over the weekend , they learned from the county that they needed to go in person to save their votes .
WASHINGTON — Kristina Canfield arrived at the Jefferson County courthouse in Birmingham , Alabama , at around 7:30 a.m. on Monday .
She sat in the car with her husband and 5-year-old daughter for about 15 minutes to stay warm — the temperature was in the 30s , she said — until the court began letting people inside .
The waiver didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of State John Merrill had immediately appealed the judge ’ s September order .
On Oct. 13 , the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit reversed the judge and reinstated the witness rule ; ballots postmarked on or after Oct. 14 wouldn ’ t count if they failed to comply with state law , regardless of what instructions voters received from Jefferson County .
Canfield , a 37-year-old program coordinator at a local university , told BuzzFeed News that she and her husband received their absentee ballot materials on Oct. 13 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and put their ballots in the mail on Oct. 14 ; they both voted for former vice president Joe Biden , she said .
She said she didn ’ t know about the 11th Circuit ruling at the time .
Jefferson County had posted a press release on its website about the appeals court order but didn ’ t also notify voters who had received the waiver with their absentee ballot materials that they could no longer use it .
On Oct. 21 , voting rights groups that had sued Alabama over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic sent a letter to Jefferson County election officials expressing concern that the county hadn ’ t taken steps to notify voters who sent in the waiver after Oct. 13 that their votes might be rejected , and asked that those voters be given a way to save their ballots .
On Oct. 24 , BuzzFeed News published a report about the waiver issue in Jefferson County .
Canfield said that story was the first she learned that the ballots that she and her husband had already mailed in might be in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county published a press release on its website and across several social media platforms alerting voters who had mailed in the waiver on or after Oct. 14 to contact the election office .
Canfield said she began calling that day , and when she finally got a county employee on the phone two days later , she was told that she only needed to verify her identity over the phone to preserve her ballot .
Canfield said she was surprised to get a phone call on Oct. 31 from a county employee saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in fact , need to satisfy the witness requirement and would need to come in person to the courthouse on Monday to do that .
She said they learned that the only other option to vote would be to go to their polling place on Election Day to cast a provisional ballot .
“ My immediate reaction was , ‘ Seriously ?
’ Especially since we had done what we were asked to do before , ” Canfield said .
“ Before we got the phone call Saturday , we were thinking , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care of , it ’ s not a big deal.
’ And then just frustration .
And not just for myself , but for everyone.
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Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels .
Grace Newcombe , a spokesperson for Merrill ’ s office , said the secretary of state hadn ’ t received information from Jefferson County about how many voters might be affected .
Newcombe provided a copy of a letter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Naftel II , sent to Merrill on Oct. 27 asking for guidance about how the county should handle ballots that had arrived after Oct. 13 with the witness waiver , a sign that the county was still trying to figure out a plan after it had posted the notice to voters on its website .
Naftel ’ s letter raised another concern about the waivers , which is that it might not be clear to county officials if some absentee ballots contained a waiver at all .
Absentee voters in the state return @ @ @ @ @ @ @ envelope that contains their ballot , which goes inside a second envelope that gets the witness signature , which goes inside the final envelope that gets put in the mail .
If the waiver wasn ’ t included outside of the second envelope , Merrill ’ s office told Naftel that the county couldn ’ t open the two internal envelopes in the off chance that a waiver might be in there ; Alabama is one of several states that does not start going through and counting mail-in votes until Election Day .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday to Smith .
Canfield said that everyone she saw waiting to take care of their absentee ballots at the courthouse on Monday morning was wearing a mask , but it was difficult to maintain social distancing inside .
She said some voters were also showing up to drop off their ballots , and there was confusion about where people were supposed to go .
“ Someone was trying to control traffic , people were upset , they didn ’ t want to be there , you could feel that tension .
People @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canfield said she thought county employees “ were doing the best they could with the mess they were handed , ” but when she left she wasn ’ t fully convinced that her vote would be counted in the end .
“ It ’ s just hard to have confidence in the system , and I hate that because I ’ ve never felt that before , ” she said .

The waiver didn’t alert voters that Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill had immediately appealed the judge’s September order. On Oct. 13, the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit reversed the judge and reinstated the witness rule; ballots postmarked on or after Oct. 14 wouldn’t count if they failed to comply with state law, regardless of what instructions voters received from Jefferson County.
Canfield, a 37-year-old program coordinator at a local university, told BuzzFeed News that she and her husband received their absentee ballot materials on Oct. 13. They signed the witness waiver forms and put their ballots in the mail on Oct. 14; they both voted for former vice president Joe Biden, she said. She said she didn’t know about the 11th Circuit ruling at the time. Jefferson County had posted a press release on its website about the appeals court order but didn’t also notify voters who had received the waiver with their absentee ballot materials that they could no longer use it.
On Oct. 21, voting rights groups that had sued Alabama over the witness rule and other voting restrictions during the pandemic sent a letter to Jefferson County election officials expressing concern that the county hadn’t taken steps to notify voters who sent in the waiver after Oct. 13 that their votes might be rejected, and asked that those voters be given a way to save their ballots.
On Oct. 24, BuzzFeed News published a report about the waiver issue in Jefferson County. Canfield said that story was the first she learned that the ballots that she and her husband had already mailed in might be in trouble.
On Oct. 26, the county published a press release on its website and across several social media platforms alerting voters who had mailed in the waiver on or after Oct. 14 to contact the election office. Canfield said she began calling that day, and when she finally got a county employee on the phone two days later, she was told that she only needed to verify her identity over the phone to preserve her ballot.
Canfield said she was surprised to get a phone call on Oct. 31 from a county employee saying that she and her husband did, in fact, need to satisfy the witness requirement and would need to come in person to the courthouse on Monday to do that. She said they learned that the only other option to vote would be to go to their polling place on Election Day to cast a provisional ballot.
“My immediate reaction was, ‘Seriously?’ Especially since we had done what we were asked to do before,” Canfield said. “Before we got the phone call Saturday, we were thinking, ‘OK, it’s taken care of, it’s not a big deal.’ And then just frustration. And not just for myself, but for everyone.”
If you have a news tip, we’d like to hear from you. Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels.
Grace Newcombe, a spokesperson for Merrill’s office, said the secretary of state hadn’t received information from Jefferson County about how many voters might be affected. Newcombe provided a copy of a letter that a county probate judge, James Naftel II, sent to Merrill on Oct. 27 asking for guidance about how the county should handle ballots that had arrived after Oct. 13 with the witness waiver, a sign that the county was still trying to figure out a plan after it had posted the notice to voters on its website.
Naftel’s letter raised another concern about the waivers, which is that it might not be clear to county officials if some absentee ballots contained a waiver at all. Absentee voters in the state return three envelopes — one is a secrecy envelope that contains their ballot, which goes inside a second envelope that gets the witness signature, which goes inside the final envelope that gets put in the mail. If the waiver wasn’t included outside of the second envelope, Merrill’s office told Naftel that the county couldn’t open the two internal envelopes in the off chance that a waiver might be in there; Alabama is one of several states that does not start going through and counting mail-in votes until Election Day. Naftel referred a request for comment on Monday to Smith.
Canfield said that everyone she saw waiting to take care of their absentee ballots at the courthouse on Monday morning was wearing a mask, but it was difficult to maintain social distancing inside. She said some voters were also showing up to drop off their ballots, and there was confusion about where people were supposed to go.
“Someone was trying to control traffic, people were upset, they didn’t want to be there, you could feel that tension. People were mad,” she said.
Canfield said she thought county employees “were doing the best they could with the mess they were handed,” but when she left she wasn’t fully convinced that her vote would be counted in the end.
“It’s just hard to have confidence in the system, and I hate that because I’ve never felt that before,” she said.


buzzfeed--2020-11-02--Essential Workers Fed Up With Trump’s Coronavirus Response Have Spent Months Organizing For Election

Essential Workers Fed Up With Trump’s Coronavirus Response Have Spent Months Organizing For Election Day

`` We ’ re looking to have elected officials in positions of government who take our plight seriously . ''
Hillary Rothrock , a home healthcare worker in Harrisburg , Pennsylvania , has been isolating at home with family since the coronavirus pandemic began .
And she 's been organizing .
She ’ s spent the past eight months pushing for more personal protective equipment , better wages , and renewed political leadership to fight the pandemic through her local union , SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania .
The months of work culminate on Election Day , where her state is one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country .
“ COVID has impacted every part of our lives , even down to how we get our groceries and drinking water , ” Rothrock told BuzzFeed News .
“ This election is a decision based upon our lives .
We ’ re concerned with the way things have been going.
” The Service Employees International Union , which represents millions of frontline workers who have been hit hard by all aspects of the pandemic , has been making a large push to mobilize votes , particularly in key swing states like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Florida .
“ We ’ re looking to have elected officials in positions of government who take our plight seriously and who care about the lives of vulnerable Pennsylvanians like we do , ” Rothrock said .
Since the pandemic began , she ’ s spent hours having conversations with over 3,500 other home healthcare workers in Pennsylvania about PPE shortages , the president ’ s response to the pandemic , and the circumstances of their own lives .
She said the shared struggles that healthcare workers are facing have created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s pushed them to call voters and make sure that people across their state take the election seriously .
Those efforts are part of a $ 150 million investment the union made in February in a nationwide campaign to defeat President Donald Trump .
That was before a majority of the union — which represents healthcare workers , janitors , and food service workers — would have their lives changed by the pandemic .
Mary Kay Henry , the president of SEIU , told BuzzFeed News that the pandemic shifted the union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ door-knocking programs to get out the vote .
It quickly revamped its program to focus on phone-banking , with members organizing and speaking about the election in their workplaces and door-knocking in communities in Michigan , Wisconsin , and Florida .
“ Our grief turned into righteous indignation about how our government and corporations were failing the vast majority of essential workers , ” Henry told BuzzFeed News .
“ There was this irony to the idea that these workers were being held up as heroes and applauded every night and many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they need to look after themselves or paid two weeks of sick leave as a condition of work.
” Henry added that because half of the union ’ s membership is composed of people of color and women that it was important for them to speak to those communities and highlight the issues they ’ re facing .
They ’ ve been focusing their voter turnout operations on healthcare , a $ 15 minimum wage , and the racial justice movement that surged across the country over the summer .
“ We know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that workers of color and their families showing up in this election are decisive to issues that matter to all working people , ” she said .
“ This election is about forcing the nation ’ s reckoning with economic and racial inequality , ” Henry said .
“ Our program is rooted in the unnecessary loss of life from our members , and then got connected to the Movement for Black Lives ’ strong set of demands to improve the lives of Black and brown people during the uprising over the summer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organizers that have been in the streets for seven years.
” Trece Andrews , a nursing home worker and union organizer with SEIU Healthcare Michigan in Detroit , faced similar situations at the start of the pandemic , when workers at her facility experienced shortages of masks and gloves that they needed to protect themselves and their patients .
“ I knew that our country wasn ’ t prepared for the pandemic and it sent me into panic mode , ” she said .
Andrews has also spent the past few months organizing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers and her community about the issues and to push them to turn out and vote .
“ We want leadership that actually cares about us , ” Andrews said .
“ We want people to know that healthcare , wages , racism , compassion , democracy , justice , and economics are on the ballot .
We want to be able to afford to take care of our families.
” The push from SEIU in the final weeks of the election came during a critical time in the country ’ s response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called the pandemic a “ Fake News Media Conspiracy Theory ” and downplayed surges in positive test rates , more than 230,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and cases have continued to rise .
The economy has been hit hard as industries have fired and furloughed workers throughout the pandemic .
An early October poll from Pew Research found that 74 % of registered voters said that the economy was an important issue for their vote and 55 % rated the coronavirus pandemic as an important issue .
Troy Brewer , who lost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working in Milwaukee , has been organizing in Wisconsin around fair wages and better unemployment protections , which he and others like him say have impacted frontline workers who have no safety funds in the event they contract COVID-19 .
Brewer , a 50-year-old father of three and a MASH union member , has been without work since the sports stadiums where he ran restaurants shuttered .
“ Things are worse now than when the pandemic first started , ” he said .
“ It took me more than two and a half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out , and when we got laid off we thought , Maybe it ’ ll be two weeks.
’ It ’ s been nine months , and this administration hasn ’ t figured out how to get things under control at all .
They even had an outbreak at the White House , so that ’ s telling you a lot.
” Brewer said that he ’ s been organizing in his community because of the botched response and the back-and-forth over extra unemployment insurance benefits in a new stimulus package after benefits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We ’ re just disgusted with the last four years .
A lot of the people that we ’ re talking to in our communities are coming in to vote for the first time because of what they ’ ve seen happen over the last few months , ” Brewer said .
“ I ’ ve never seen so many calls , flyers , people knocking on doors .
I ’ ve been voting for a long time — this is maybe the biggest election of my lifetime .
People are @ @ @ @

“We’re looking to have elected officials in positions of government who take our plight seriously and who care about the lives of vulnerable Pennsylvanians like we do,” Rothrock said.
Since the pandemic began, she’s spent hours having conversations with over 3,500 other home healthcare workers in Pennsylvania about PPE shortages, the president’s response to the pandemic, and the circumstances of their own lives. She said the shared struggles that healthcare workers are facing have created a grassroots movement in their community that’s pushed them to call voters and make sure that people across their state take the election seriously.
Those efforts are part of a $150 million investment the union made in February in a nationwide campaign to defeat President Donald Trump. That was before a majority of the union — which represents healthcare workers, janitors, and food service workers — would have their lives changed by the pandemic.
Mary Kay Henry, the president of SEIU, told BuzzFeed News that the pandemic shifted the union’s focus away from traditional large-scale door-knocking programs to get out the vote. It quickly revamped its program to focus on phone-banking, with members organizing and speaking about the election in their workplaces and door-knocking in communities in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Florida.
“Our grief turned into righteous indignation about how our government and corporations were failing the vast majority of essential workers,” Henry told BuzzFeed News. “There was this irony to the idea that these workers were being held up as heroes and applauded every night and many of them don’t have the healthcare they need to look after themselves or paid two weeks of sick leave as a condition of work.”
Henry added that because half of the union’s membership is composed of people of color and women that it was important for them to speak to those communities and highlight the issues they’re facing. They’ve been focusing their voter turnout operations on healthcare, a $15 minimum wage, and the racial justice movement that surged across the country over the summer. “We know that essential workers are essential voters and that workers of color and their families showing up in this election are decisive to issues that matter to all working people,” she said.


buzzfeed--2020-11-02--A Federal Judge Won’t Invalidate Nearly 127,000 Votes Cast At Drive-Thru Voting Sites In Texas’s Mos

A Federal Judge Won’t Invalidate Nearly 127,000 Votes Cast At Drive-Thru Voting Sites In Texas’s Most Populous County

Hanen warned , however , that if the 5th Circuit revived the case in the coming hours , he was prepared to potentially block drive-thru voting tomorrow , while leaving the votes that have already been cast intact .
A lawyer for the plaintiffs did not immediately return a request for comment .
US District Judge Andrew Hanen announced his decision from the bench immediately after hearing arguments on Monday , saying he thought there was a good chance the losing side would race to the US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit to challenge his decision .
Barring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his order means Harris County can not only count the ballots cast during early voting , but also operate drive-thru voting locations on Election Day .
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Texas on Monday rejected the latest legal challenge to nearly 127,000 ballots cast at drive-thru voting sites in Harris County , the most populous county in the state .
The judge tossed the case Monday after finding that the challengers — a group that included a Republican congressional candidate and registered Republican voters — lacked standing to sue Harris County over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He indicated that it was a close call for one of the plaintiffs , the congressional candidate , but that in the end , the challengers failed to show a specific enough harm to their interests .
“ I ’ m not necessarily happy with that finding , ” said Hanen , a conservative-leaning member of the court , explaining that he thought standing was a closer call for Wendell Champion , the congressional candidate who joined the lawsuit .
Even if the 5th Circuit reversed Hanen and found the plaintiffs had standing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he would still deny a request to invalidate ballots cast at drive-thru sites during the state ’ s early voting period , finding the sites complied with state election law for early voting .
But he said the election code had different rules about what qualified as a polling location on Election Day , and he didn ’ t think the drive-through tents that Harris County set up would satisfy those requirements .
Hanen ordered the county to preserve voting records from the drive-thru voting locations just in case there was more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The hearing took place one day after the Texas Supreme Court rejected an effort by the same Texas Republicans to invalidate the nearly 127,000 votes cast at drive-thru locations throughout the county .
The state court didn ’ t release a written opinion explaining its decision to leave the votes intact but had rejected another challenge to drive-thru voting in Harris County earlier this month .
If you have a news tip , we ’ d like to hear from you .
Reach out to us via one of our tip line @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sites during the early voting period in Harris County , which covers Houston , and each was next to a standard indoor polling location , according to the county 's court papers .
Early voting began on Oct. 13 , and by the time it ended on Oct. 30 , lawyers for county clerk Chris Hollins reported to the court that 126,912 people had cast ballots at a drive-thru site .
The county had argued that state law explicitly allowed polling sites to be located `` in a movable structure , '' and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was using to accommodate voters in their cars to vote satisfied the law 's requirements .
Jared Woodfill , the lawyer for the challengers , argued on Monday that Harris County clerk Chris Hollins had usurped the power of Texas lawmakers in setting up the drive-thru sites — if the state legislature wanted to allow drive-thru voting , lawmakers could have passed a law and laid out statewide processes for it .
Benjamin Chou , the director of innovation for the Harris County clerk ’ s office , told BuzzFeed News this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans had sued over the drive-thru voting sites because the party had been involved in their design and conception .
Chou added that the sites had been particularly helpful for parents with young children , who could vote while their kids were buckled up in the backseat , as well as for older voters and people with disabilities who couldn ’ t walk well and still wanted to vote in person .

The judge tossed the case Monday after finding that the challengers — a group that included a Republican congressional candidate and registered Republican voters — lacked standing to sue Harris County over how officials were handling the election. He indicated that it was a close call for one of the plaintiffs, the congressional candidate, but that in the end, the challengers failed to show a specific enough harm to their interests.
“I’m not necessarily happy with that finding,” said Hanen, a conservative-leaning member of the court, explaining that he thought standing was a closer call for Wendell Champion, the congressional candidate who joined the lawsuit.
Even if the 5th Circuit reversed Hanen and found the plaintiffs had standing to bring the case, the judge said he would still deny a request to invalidate ballots cast at drive-thru sites during the state’s early voting period, finding the sites complied with state election law for early voting. But he said the election code had different rules about what qualified as a polling location on Election Day, and he didn’t think the drive-through tents that Harris County set up would satisfy those requirements.
Hanen ordered the county to preserve voting records from the drive-thru voting locations just in case there was more litigation over those ballots in the future.
The hearing took place one day after the Texas Supreme Court rejected an effort by the same Texas Republicans to invalidate the nearly 127,000 votes cast at drive-thru locations throughout the county. The state court didn’t release a written opinion explaining its decision to leave the votes intact but had rejected another challenge to drive-thru voting in Harris County earlier this month.
If you have a news tip, we’d like to hear from you. Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels.
There were 10 drive-thru voting sites during the early voting period in Harris County, which covers Houston, and each was next to a standard indoor polling location, according to the county's court papers. Early voting began on Oct. 13, and by the time it ended on Oct. 30, lawyers for county clerk Chris Hollins reported to the court that 126,912 people had cast ballots at a drive-thru site.
The county had argued that state law explicitly allowed polling sites to be located "in a movable structure," and that the metal-framed tents that the county was using to accommodate voters in their cars to vote satisfied the law's requirements. Jared Woodfill, the lawyer for the challengers, argued on Monday that Harris County clerk Chris Hollins had usurped the power of Texas lawmakers in setting up the drive-thru sites — if the state legislature wanted to allow drive-thru voting, lawmakers could have passed a law and laid out statewide processes for it.
Benjamin Chou, the director of innovation for the Harris County clerk’s office, told BuzzFeed News this week that they were “surprised” that Republicans had sued over the drive-thru voting sites because the party had been involved in their design and conception. Chou added that the sites had been particularly helpful for parents with young children, who could vote while their kids were buckled up in the backseat, as well as for older voters and people with disabilities who couldn’t walk well and still wanted to vote in person.