Carrie Levine

Mayes, Fontes warn county recorders to keep voter data confidential amid escalating federal probes of 2020 election The state’s top election officer and prosecutor warned local officials not to give sensitive voter information to federal officials, who are probing the exhaustively reviewed 2020 election in Arizona.

www.votebeat.org/arizona/2026...

Lots of newsy things in
@SashaHupka
's latest on the federal investigation into AZ's 2020 election.
* AG/SOS warn the federal government might go straight to counties for voter roll data
* Senate president confirms ballot images among the records he turned over to feds
and more!

If Pennsylvania’s top election official is bringing up Votebeat in legislative hearings, you should probably be reading us too. Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on election administration in Pennsylvania.

www.votebeat.org/pennsylvania...

Trump wants to ban mail ballots, but the SAVE America Act wouldn’t do that Nearly 47 million Americans cast mail ballots in 2024, and some Republican politicians don’t support getting rid of them.

www.votebeat.org/2026/02/27/s...

* taps the sign *

As I wrote a few days ago for @votebeat.org (link in next post), restrictions on mail-in ballots are not currently in the SAVE America Act.

(as far as I know, numbers four and five aren't, either, but I didn't write about that)

Good morning! The Pennsylvania Department of State will be before the state House this morning at 10 am for a budget hearing. Follow here for updates, and sign up for our newsletter for a full recap later today. t.co/AbSB3YXlZf

If you are following elections coverage for the midterms, Votebeat is an essential part of that news diet. Follow, share and support financially if you can.

Our reporter @nataliaecm.bsky.social is in Eastland County, TX, where Republicans insisted on hand-counting their primary ballots—and, as a result, are *still counting.* www.votebeat.org/texas/2026/0...

After grueling hand count in 2024, a Texas county tries again When Gillespie County Republicans hand-counted the 2024 primary, it took all night and led to several errors. That didn’t stop them from doing it again in 2026.

When Gillespie County Republicans hand-counted the 2024 primary, it took all night and led to several errors. That didn’t stop them from doing it again in 2026.

👀

Dallas County Republicans considered hand counting, but stopped short. They did force a return to precinct-based voting places for the primary, at least for Election Day. @nataliaecm.bsky.social was prescient months ago about what that could mean for the Democrats.

Voter confusion plagues Texas primary in key county Republicans’ decision to shake up polling locations led to mass confusion in the Texas primary election.

www.votebeat.org/texas/2026/0...

Confused voters at the wrong voting locations in Dallas and Eastland. Delayed primary results in Williamson. Conflicting court orders.

@jessicahuseman.bsky.social @nataliaecm.bsky.social and Dallas Free Press have you covered tonight, with more to come from @votebeat.org

www.votebeat.org/texas/2026/0...

Dallas and Williamson County voters: Remember to look up your assigned precinct before you go vote! Both counties have switched from countywide polling places to assigned precincts for this primary.

For more info from @nataliaecm.bsky.social, see next post:

Texas Republicans drive a big change to voting. Democrats will have to follow. The Dallas County GOP shifts away from countywide voting sites for the March 3 primary. Here’s how that affects all voters.

And finally, counties including Dallas and Williamson have switched to precinct voting sites from countywide this year for the primary. That can be confusing!

www.votebeat.org/texas/2026/0...

Why many Texans are still waiting for their voter registration cards Early voting begins Feb. 17, and people need to know what districts they’re in. But the mid-decade redistricting and problems with a state voter-registration system have delayed mailings in many count...

If you didn't get your voter registration card in Texas, this might be helpful: www.votebeat.org/texas/2026/0...

Gillespie Republicans scrap early hand count but plan Election Day tally After errors and no audit in 2024, Gillespie County Republicans will use machines for early voting but still plan to hand count ballots on Election Day.

Want to know more about planned hand counts in Eastland and Gillespie counties?

www.votebeat.org/texas/2026/0...

www.votebeat.org/texas/2026/0...

Here’s when Texas voters can expect to see 2026 primary election results Republicans’ decision to count ballots by hand in two Texas counties could delay unofficial primary election results.

Read more about when to expect Texas primary results here: www.votebeat.org/texas/2026/0...
2/

It's primary day in Texas! Follow @nataliaecm.bsky.social and @jessicahuseman.bsky.social.

When will we get results? Depends! Many counties are likely to post partial returns after the polls close, but two fairly populous counties are hand counting GOP results, and those could go late.

1/

In their clearest denial to date, DHS flatly promised election officials yesterday they would not send ICE to polling places this year: www.votebeat.org/2026/02/26/i...

How a Trump-maligned voting machine company is trying to find a path forward Scott Leiendecker, a former GOP election official, is suddenly one of the most important people in U.S. elections.

On a freezing December day in New Hampshire, officials tried to puzzle out why Scott Leiendecker bought Dominion Voting, now Liberty Vote. "You'll have to ask him," was the answer. So I did. www.votebeat.org/2026/02/12/d...

A federal judge has dismissed the Department of Justice's lawsuit aiming to compel Michigan to hand over its voter data. DOJ is now 0-for-3 in court. www.votebeat.org/michigan/202...

#67 in United States v. Benson (W.D. Mich., 1:25-cv-01148) – CourtListener.com OPINION; signed by Chief Judge Hala Y. Jarbou (mcp) (Entered: 02/10/2026)

A federal judge in Michigan has rejected DOJ's attempt to require the state to turn over its unredacted voter rolls. This is the third federal judge to rule against DOJ, which has sued two dozen states.

Story TK @votebeat.org

Here's the ruling:

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

👏read @sashahupka.bsky.social, folks.

BREAKING: The Supreme Court ALLOWS California to use a new, voter-approved congressional map in this year’s midterm elections. The map was drawn to give Democrats enough new U.S. House seats to offset Republican gains in Texas. #SCOTUS

As Trump calls for nationalizing voting, election officials draw on lessons of 2020 Those who lived through the threats and pressure campaigns say the president’s authority may be limited, but the guardrails that once held him back are weaker now.

www.votebeat.org/2026/02/03/e...

As Trump pushes to nationalize elections, @votebeat.org talked to the election officials who remember the lessons of 2020, especially Republicans. (link in next tweet)

Republicans propose major election-law changes ahead of 2026 midterms The GOP bills would be the biggest changes to federal election law in more than 20 years.

House Republicans are threatening to shut down the government over election legislation. Want to know more about it? Read @baseballot.bsky.social www.votebeat.org/2026/01/30/r...

Texas congressional runoff will run right into the next election cycle. Voters in Texas’ 18th Congressional District waited months for an election to fill a long-vacant seat. Now, they’ll have two elections within weeks of each other.

Yesterday was a special runoff for a Texas congressional seat. In two weeks, early voting begins for the March primary - and the district has changed.

Reupping this @nataliaecm.bsky.social on the muddle of long-delayed special elections and midcycle redistricting. www.votebeat.org/texas/2025/1...