Last week, a Federal District Court Judge held Donald Trump accountable for his habitual misuse of the justice system to threaten and punish his business competitors and political enemies. Judge Donald Middlebrooks, of the Southern District of Florida, presided over the former president’s suit against Hillary Clinton, James Comey, and the Democratic National Committee, among others, for conspiring to spread allegations that Trump had colluded with Russia in the 2016 campaign. 

On December 7^th, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Moore v. Harper, a case presenting one of the greatest threats to American democracy in the last 250 years. The Petitioners, North Carolina state legislators, are asking the Court, in effect, to interpret the U.S. Constitution in a way that would authorize partisan-controlled state legislatures to enact laws in their partisan self-interest, even if the laws violate their state’s constitution. 

In September, Lawyers Defending American Democracy reported on the unexpected and unprecedented actions of Florida District Court Judge Aileen Cannon for her rulings in a criminal investigation into former President Trump’s handling of presidential documents, including many designated as top secret. LDAD concluded that Judge Cannon’s ruling appointing a Special Master and effectively halting a criminal investigation was unprecedented and gave the appearance of partiality to the former President.  

Though it will not be the end of the election for the workers, Election Day finally arrived.

I returned to Reno on Sunday afternoon, after a recuperative weekend at home.  On Monday, I worked on “ballot cure,” a process that varies widely by state.  In Nevada, if a mailed ballot has a problem (e.g., the signature does not match the one on file), the voter is allowed to “cure” it by providing other identifying information or emailing a copy of an ID.  This must be done by close of business the following Tuesday.

This is my second blog posting about my election activities in Nevada, and I am writing after my third shift observing the counting of mailed ballots. Mostly, it's like watching grass grow.  

Unlike many states, Nevada allows processing of ballots while voting is ongoing.  Pennsylvania, on the other hand, is an example of a state where mailed ballots cannot be touched until the polls close on Election Day. In addition to slowing the process, this was a source of some (unjustified) suspicion in 2020. "What are they doing with all those ballots during all that time?”  “Tampering?  “Trashing" Duplicating?"  Many possibilities suggested; none accurate.