Election processes are witnessing significant changes across various states in the United States as Election Day approaches on November 5th. From hand-counting requirements to alterations in how absentee and early voting are handled, these changes aim to streamline the voting process but have also raised concerns and led to legal battles in some instances.
Georgia and Arizona have implemented new rules that mandate election workers to hand-count ballots at polling sites on Election Day. This process is designed to ensure the accuracy of paper ballots compared to electronic tallies recorded by scanners and voting machines. However, critics fear that this rule might delay result reporting on election night, potentially impacting public trust in the electoral process.
In North Carolina, the State Board of Elections allowed students and staff at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to use digital IDs on their smartphones to vote, marking the first approval of digital IDs for voting. This decision faced opposition from Republican groups, leading to ongoing legal challenges around the use of digital IDs.
States like Wisconsin have seen changes regarding ballot drop boxes, with some communities opting to use them after they were recently legalized. Ohio and Pennsylvania have tackled issues related to early and mailed ballots, including strict rules on who can drop off ballots and how provisional ballots are handled.
After the votes are cast, several states have introduced new post-election procedures. Georgia’s election board passed rules related to the certification of votes, requiring a “reasonable inquiry” before results are certified, a move facing legal challenges. In New Hampshire, post-election audits were introduced to verify the accuracy of electronic vote-counting equipment.
Additionally, debates and efforts to change how electoral votes are allocated in states like Nebraska have emerged, reflecting the ongoing flux in the electoral landscape. With various states adapting their election procedures, the focus remains on ensuring fair, transparent, and efficient voting processes leading up to the upcoming election.
