Election Help Desk: 11/10/20
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Preheader text  Ballotpedia's 2020 Election Help deskNovember 10, 2020Welcome to Ballotpedia's Election Help Desk Newsletter. We're following results for over 9,000 elections held on Nov. 3. Today, we cover:
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up to receive your copy here. Days Since the Election: 7
Election Results ProgressClick here to read how Ballotpedia calls races. Click here for Ballotpedia's coverage scope. Ballotpedia is tracking results in 9,745 elections, including each state in the presidential election. Here's the status of these elections as of 5 p.m. on Nov. 10, subject to change as more results come in:
Presidential election updateAs of 5 p.m. on Nov. 10:
Noteworthy DisputesHere's the latest on noteworthy recounts, lawsuits, and other election disputes. RecountsFlorida: On Nov. 9, a recount began in Florida State Senate District 37. The preliminary totals show a 31-vote margin between Republican Ileana Garcia, with 104,616 votes, and Democratic incumbent Jose Javier Rodriguez, with 104,585 votes. The recount is scheduled to conclude by Nov. 11. Twenty of the 40 seats in the Florida State Senate were up for election. Media outlets projected Republicans will retain control of the chamber. LawsuitsWe are tracking 24 post-election lawsuits, 15 of which deal directly with the presidential election. For complete details on all of the lawsuits we're tracking, click here. Pennsylvania: On Nov. 9, the Trump campaign filed a federal lawsuit against Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar (D) and several county-level officials, alleging multiple violations of the state election code and the U.S. Constitution. The campaign is asking the court to delay certification of the results and invalidate absentee and mail-in ballots that "do not comply with the Election Code," including:
Other developmentsOn Nov. 9, U.S. Attorney General William Barr issued a memo authorizing U.S. attorneys "to pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities prior to the certification of elections." Barr also said he had "already [authorized investigations] in specific instances," although he did not provide details on those pending investigations.Barr said the Justice Department's "general practice has been to counsel that overt investigative steps ordinarily should not be taken until the election in question has been concluded, its results certified, and all recounts and election contests concluded." Barr said this approach could "result in situations in which election misconduct cannot realistically be rectified." He also said, "Any concerns that overt actions taken by the Department could inadvertently impact an election are greatly minimized, if they exist at all, once voting has concluded, even if election certification has not yet been completed." In response to the memo, Richard Pilger, director of the Justice Department's Election Crimes Branch, announced his resignation. In an email to Justice Department colleagues, Pilger said Barr's memo is "new policy abrogating the forty-year-old non-interference policy for ballot fraud investigations in the period prior to elections becoming certified and uncontested." He said, "Having familiarized myself with the new policy and its ramifications … I must regretfully resign from my role as Director of the Election Crimes Branch." Upcoming deadlinesUpcoming absentee/mail-in voting deadlines Thirteen states and the District of Columbia have upcoming secondary receipt deadlines for absentee/mail-in ballots. In these states, ballots generally must have been postmarked on or before Election Day, but they will be accepted if they are received within a certain number of days after Nov. 3. These secondary receipt deadlines are listed below in chronological order.
For coverage of all dates, deadlines, and requirements, click here. Upcoming certification deadlinesEight states are scheduled to certify their election results between Nov. 10 and Nov. 17.
One state (Delaware) has already certified its election results. And a Dose of Calm
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