Tag: voting

Corporations Can Vote in Some Delaware Elections, Judge Says

Corporations, partnerships, trusts, limited liability companies, and other “artificial entities” have the right to vote in Delaware elections under some circumstances, a judge said in a novel ruling Tuesday.

Judge Craig A. Karsnitz rejected an ACLU challenge to a charter permitting voting in local elections by the entities that own most of the property in the Town of Fenwick Island, one of several municipalities in the state with similar provisions. Karsnitz dismissed the lawsuit from Delaware’s Superior Court, citing “the principle of one person/entity/one vote.”

“Visions of faceless large corporations or even HAL controlling a small town are frightening and the stuff of science fiction,” but “trusts, partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations are expressly recognized as ‘persons’ in the Delaware Code,” the judge said.

The dispute over municipal voting in a tiny coastal community represents an unusual flashpoint in the decades-long fight over the free speech rights of corporations and the dark money flooding the American electoral system. The US Supreme Court held in 2010’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that political spending counts as constitutionally protected speech.

Ever since that ruling effectively ended corporate campaign finance regulation, the prospect of outright voting by business entities has served as fodder for both critics and comedians.

Delaware, home to more corporations than people, is a fitting place for reality to outpace satire. The state constitutional provisions expressly enshrining corporate personhood reflect Delaware’s budgetary reliance on the billions in fees it raises annually from the more than 2 million business entities chartered there.

Karsnitz, writing in a 19-page opinion Tuesday, rejected an array of constitutional arguments advanced by the ACLU, including the claim that entity voting dilutes the political power of living people.

The lawsuit “does not allege discrimination based on race or political partisanship,” show “that entity property owners vote sufficiently as a bloc to usually defeat the preferred candidates of natural persons,” or assert “that Fenwick’s charter distinguishes between natural persons and entity property owners with the discriminatory intent to fence out natural persons,” the judge said.

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Newsom signs bill restricting law enforcement access to California ballots

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Wednesday aimed at tightening California’s election security rules ahead of the June 2 statewide primary.

Senate Bill 73 takes effect immediately. It limits when law enforcement can access ballots, voter lists, rosters or certified voting technology.

The bill comes after Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco seized more than 650,000 ballots from last fall’s Proposition 50 Special Election. The investigation was later halted amid legal challenges from California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

“We have to clarify the rules of engagement. That’s why this legislation is important. There are fines associated with it, criminal fines, and jail time, three years,” Newsom said at Wednesday’s signing ceremony.

The bill prohibits peace officers from interfering with election administration, except in urgent public health or safety situations. It also requires a court order before law enforcement can take possession of key election materials. Removing packages containing voted ballots from the custody of elections officials would also be a crime. The law allows civil penalties of up to $50,000 for ballot custody violations.

The measure also directs the attorney general to issue guidance to local election workers on how to respond to law enforcement requests.

“SB73 puts in protections to ensure that ballots will be secured and that voters have confidence in our election system that their voices will be heard at the ballot box,” said California State Senator Sabrina Cervantes, one of the primary authors of the law.

Bianco, who is running as a Republican candidate for California governor, said he seized the ballots as part of an investigation into claims of voting discrepancies. Election officials disputed those claims.

Bianco later called the effort to halt his investigation “politically motivated.”

The bill signing came on the same day Assembly Democrats brought 23 separate U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-related bills to a floor vote.

That legislation includes restricting federal law enforcement presence near polling places, stopping ICE officers from becoming California peace officers, requiring hotels to notify workers and guests when ICE has a reservation on site and withholding state tax breaks from companies that contract with the Department of Homeland Security.

“Don’t do that, man,” Republican Assemblymember James Gallagher said. “There’s several people on that side of the aisle I’m looking at. You know that’s wrong.”

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Canadian citizen charged after allegedly voting in multiple U.S. elections

A Canadian citizen living in the United States has been charged after allegedly voting illegally in multiple American federal and state elections over a span of nearly two decades.

According to U.S. federal prosecutors, 40-year-old Sunny Manhertz, a Canadian permanent resident living in Massachusetts, is accused of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote and cast ballots in several elections dating back to 2008, reported Fox News.

Court documents allege Manhertz filled out a Massachusetts voter registration form in 2016 and checked “yes” when asked whether he was a U.S. citizen, despite allegedly never obtaining citizenship status.

Prosecutors say he subsequently voted in multiple local, state and federal elections, including the 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024 U.S. elections.

Federal investigators also allege Manhertz continued presenting himself as a qualified voter by signing nomination papers for political candidates as recently as 2026. Prosecutors say cellphone location records placed him near his assigned polling station during the 2024 election. 

He now faces charges related to unlawful voting by a non-citizen and allegedly casting fraudulent ballots. If convicted, he could face up to six years in prison and fines ranging from $100,000 to $250,000.

Earlier this year, another Canadian national, Denis Bouchard, pleaded guilty in North Carolina after prosecutors said he falsely claimed U.S. citizenship in order to vote in the 2022 and 2024 elections.

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THEY’RE NOT HIDING IT ANYMORE: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Comes Out and Says She’s Open to Letting NON-CITIZENS Vote in City Elections – “We Need to Explore It!”

Radical Democrat Mayor Karen Bass just admitted on camera that she’s willing to hand voting rights to non-citizens in Los Angeles.

Bass responded to a question about far-left Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez’s push to let non-citizens vote in local elections by declaring: “Well, I think we need to explore it.”

The exchange, which took place during a Politico California Playbook discussion, laid bare the Democrats’ desperate endgame.

Soto-Martínez, who has endorsed Bass, wants to rewrite the city charter to allow non-citizens – including those here illegally – to cast ballots in city council and school board races. Bass didn’t shut it down. She didn’t call it unconstitutional. She didn’t say it would destroy election integrity.

Instead, she leaned in.

Bass tried to soften the blow by claiming some cities only let “legal” non-citizens who pay taxes vote, but she quickly pivoted to defending sanctuary city policies she rammed through even after Trump’s first election.

California Bureau Chief Melanie Mason:
Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, who has endorsed you, wants to explore ways to let non-citizens vote in city elections. I know that some cities already do this, but, you know, politics is all about timing. With Donald Trump in the White House, is this the right time for Los Angeles to go down this path?

Karen Bass:
Well, I think we need to explore it. Now, I’ve not seen exactly what he’s calling for. I have a little familiarity with what happens in other cities. For example, some cities will allow people to vote in city council and school board elections because they pay local taxes. But they are not necessarily undocumented. They might be here completely legally but have not finished the citizenship process. So, we’ll wait and see.

But, you know, I mean, some questioned that around sanctuary cities too. But we made that into law even though Trump had been elected. And it was because our population of vulnerable immigrants were terrified. That provided a measure of security for a minute. And no one anticipated we’d have the military roll up on us.

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HOW CURIOUS: Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger Signing Executive Order to Keep ICE Away From Polling Places 

Virginia’s new Democrat Governor Abigail Spanberger has just announced that she is signing an executive order to keep ICE agents away from polling places.

Why do you suppose such a thing would be necessary?

Democrats assure us that illegal aliens are not voting because they are forbidden from doing so by law. So why would they be worried about ICE showing up at polling places? It just doesn’t make any sense.

NBC News reported:

Virginia Gov. Spanberger to sign order on dealing with federal agents at polling places

Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger said Tuesday that she plans to issue an executive order on Wednesday to help election workers respond if federal agents show up at polling sites in Virginia.

Speaking at a conference hosted by the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank, Spanberger said the order would include details on “how Virginia state employees or people working in support of Virginia’s state-run elections can react to, in this particular case, federal agents who might be appearing at a location where the worry is that they’re principally there to intimidate or scare people.”

Some election officials and Democratic politicians have worried that President Donald Trump — who routinely makes false claims of widespread voter fraud — might interference in this year’s midterm elections, which are run by the state and local officials across the country.

“Throughout history, we have seen efforts at intimidating voters. My worry is that we will continue to see those heightened,” Spanberger said. “The reality is that the challenges and the fear that people might have when going to the polling place is real.”

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Lamont Signs Legislation To Provide No-Excuse Absentee Voting For All, Restrict Federal Law Enforcement At Polling Locations

Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has signed into law legislation providing no-excuse absentee ballots for all.

The legislation, Public Act 26-42, revises previously enacted state statutes that limited this option to voters who were unable to appear in-person at their polling place on election day for several specific reasons, which they were required to confirm when applying for an absentee ballot, including due to active service in the U.S. Armed Forces, absence from their town, sickness, physical disability, religious conflicts, or their service as an elections worker.

The change became effective immediately upon receiving Governor Lamont’s signature.

“This change puts us in line with the overwhelming majority of states that have allowed all voters to cast absentee ballots for many years,” Governor Lamont said. “We should be doing everything we can to encourage qualified voters to participate in elections and have their voices heard, and this is a responsible step forward in that direction. I appreciate Senator Mae Flexer and Representative Matt Blumenthal for leading this effort to get this bill passed so that I could sign it into law.”

“Ensuring that every eligible voter can cast their ballot to elect their representation is fundamental to a healthy democracy,” Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz said. “By expanding access to absentee ballots, we are removing unnecessary barriers and making it easier for people to participate in the process that shapes their communities. Thank you to the partnership of legislative leaders who worked to make this long overdue reform a reality.”

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Supreme Court Directs Lower Courts To Reexamine Decisions In Voting Rights Act Cases

The U.S. Supreme Court on May 18 ordered lower courts to reconsider rulings in two redistricting cases that concern whether private individuals may sue to enforce a federal law that bans discriminatory voting practices.

The court directed the lower courts to take another look at the cases from Mississippi and North Dakota in light of its recent landmark ruling limiting the use of race in redistricting efforts.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from both new rulings.

In Louisiana v. Callais, a majority of the court had said April 29 that race may not be the predominant, overriding reason for how congressional district lines are drawn. The case focused on the Pelican State’s decision to add a majority-black district after a lower court said omitting the district would violate the Section 2 nondiscrimination provisions of the federal Voting Rights Act.

On Monday, the nation’s highest court summarily disposed of the two cases, State Board of Election Commissioners v. Mississippi State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians v. Howe, in unsigned orders. The court did not explain its decisions.

Lawyers call this process, which disposes of cases without holding an oral argument, GVR, which stands for grant, vacate, and remand.

The Supreme Court follows this procedure when it wants lower courts to reconsider their rulings using a new legal framework from a recent decision without delving deeply into the specifics of the cases.

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Trump Asks DOJ to Launch Investigation Into Maryland After 500,000 Mail-In Ballots Were Sent Out in “Error”

President Trump on Monday afternoon asked the Justice Department to investigate Maryland officials for sending out “500,000 illegal mail-in ballots.”

Last Friday, Maryland election officials said they will be issuing 500,000 new ballots after a vendor made an error in sending out the first batch of ballots for the state’s gubernatorial primary election.

Statement from the Maryland State Board of Elections:

In order to maintain the highest level of confidence and accuracy in mail-in voting, SBE is working with the vendor to send replacement mail-in ballots. While it is possible only a small number of voters received the wrong ballot, and most voters received the correct ballot, all voters must be issued a replacement ballot. This action of resending ballots maintains the integrity and security of mail-in voting.

This error affects only voters who were mailed a ballot before May 14, 2026. If a voter requested and received their mail-in ballot by web delivery (Print at Home ballot), their ballot will not be affected. All affected voters will be notified.

“We are diligently working to address this error and provide clear instructions to those affected as quickly as possible,” said Maryland State Administrator of Elections, Jared DeMarinis. “The State and Local Boards of Elections remain committed to running an election that is verified, secure and accurate. Mail-in voting is an integral facet of the electoral process. With over
500,000 voters requesting mail-in ballots, we want to eliminate any doubt in its integrity or accuracy that is why I have arranged the sending of replacement ballots.”

On Monday, Maryland election officials insisted the first batch of ballots would be sequestered and voided.

President Trump said Maryland sent out illegal ballots.

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Woman Caught on O’Keefe Undercover Camera Illegally Paying People to Register to Vote on Skid Row Federally Charged

A woman who was caught on O’Keefe Media Group’s undercover camera illegally paying people to register to vote on Skid Row in Los Angeles, California, has been federally charged.

The Justice Department on Monday announced that Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong was charged with one felony count of paying another person to register to vote. She is facing a max of five years in federal prison.

“False registrations undermine Americans’ faith in elections – even more so when payoffs are involved,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

“This Justice Department is committed to ensuring that all U.S. elections are fair and free from illegal meddling – so that all Americans can accept the results with confidence,” she said.

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Chicago Resident Goes Off-Delivers Powerful Rebuke of Democrats Using ‘Voting Rights Act of 1965 Propaganda’: “You sick in the head and more sicker in your spirit”

Chicago resident Jessica Jackson called out Chicago Cook County Commissioners Tara Stamps and Dr. Kisha McCaskill for claiming Black voting rights are under attack by using “Voting Rights Act of 1965 propaganda” to fearmonger voters, all while ignoring the crisis impacting Black communities in the county.

The grassroots organization “Chicago Flips Red” shared her powerful remarks and noted on X, “Since 2020, nearly 2,500 homeowners have lost their properties and the equity tied to those homes through delinquent property tax sales. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the practice unconstitutional years ago, yet families are still fighting for accountability, transparency, and relief.”

“Jackson also raises concerns about property theft tied to Cook County probate court practices, unlawful demolitions without due process, and generational wealth being stripped from longtime residents under the watch of local government.”

“Our argument: politicians continue using historic civil rights language during election season, but stay silent when Black families lose homes, land, inheritance, and wealth through government systems operating in their own backyard.”

Ms. Jackson said during her remarks, “The reality is this: Black people’s voting is not in danger, and you know it’s not, and you know it’s not. I’m 63 years old. I’ve been voting since I was 18. I have never had a problem voting.”

“Now, that may apply to my mother and father. It applies to my grandparents. Surely it does. And in fact, because it does, every single person in this room, including that Jewish lady that just got up and talked, need to really be thanking us. Really need to be thanking us for giving y’all the right to vote, for giving y’all the right to be here instead of sitting up here manipulating the Voting Rights Act like something’s getting ready to happen to our right to vote when you know that’s not true.”

“So now you all going to drag Black people in here, definitely some senior citizens, and going to have them come up here and talk about how they ‘scared to vote’.”

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