Voting/Elections

CHESTERTOWN — The League of Women Voters of Kent County will sponsor a virtual lecture “Securing Maryland’s Voting Processes” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10.

Sheldon Jacobson writes in his column Sunday that the Princeton Gerrymandering Project has given the new Illinois congressional map a grade of F, and he uses that metric to conclude that Illinois needs an independent redistricting commission. However, there is more to the story.

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released data required by states to draw their new congressional district maps. This will begin the decennial effort of congressional mapping when state legislative or independent redistricting committees draw maps in anticipation of the midterm elections in 2022. The high stakes involved in drawing such maps typically lead to partisanship divides, making the entire process highly contentious and controversial.    

Determining who is eligible to vote has become a political lightning rod. Several states have enacted new laws related to voting rights, some more restrictive and some more expansive. Are these actions creating appropriate protections, egregious barriers, or reasonable accommodations? News of such activities exacerbates ongoing conflicts between Republican and Democratic lawmakers as they set the stage for the 2022 midterm elections, with control of the Senate and the House up for grabs. 

Two threats to our democracy that draw widespread attention are gerrymandering and restricting voting rights. Though rarely discussed together, they represent the flip sides of the same democracy-threatening coin. 

Joe Biden will be the 46th president and that the Democrats have held onto the House. With the Election Day dust now settled, let’s take a look at the winners and losers, courtesy of the data. 

Video featuring Natalie Scala

Cybersecurity became part of the national election conversation in 2016, as Russia targeted government networks with cyberattacks and an influence campaign that sought to spread disinformation and sow discord in the democratic process. Four years later, the specter of this threat appeared again in the 2020 race, as officials said on Oct. 22 that Russian attackers broke into government systems.

Cybersecurity became part of the national election conversation in 2016, as Russia targeted government networks with cyberattacks and an influence campaign that sought to spread disinformation and sow discord in the democratic process. Four years later, the specter of this threat appeared again in the 2020 race, as officials said on Oct. 22 that Russian attackers broke into government systems.

It’s not even Election Day yet, but tens of millions of Americans have already gone through the process of waiting in line to cast a vote. Even for those with the options of mail-in and drop-off ballots, early voting lines have stretched for blocks in multiple states. Theoretically, more early voting means fewer people will try to pack into the polls on Election Day proper — a good thing during a pandemic. But when early voting, itself, results in big crowds — and the voters just keep on coming — it’s worth wondering whether we’re really avoiding as much viral transmission as we’d hoped.