Here are some Election Day updates.

• The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) monitored elections in several counties in New Jersey, Rhode Island, Mississippi and Virginia to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act (VRA) and other federal voting laws.

  • The DOJ monitored an election in Union County, New Jersey as a result of an agreement reached earlier this year in a lawsuit over the state’s failure to provide adequate assistance, information and election materials to Spanish-speaking voters.

  • The DOJ also asked four Texas counties to alter their election websites to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act after determining that their current sites are not accessible for people with vision and manual disabilities.

• Similarly, following a lawsuit and an agreement between advocacy groups and officials, York County, Pennsylvania offered voting materials and election assistance in Spanish to reach more voters.

• Officials in Shasta County, California abandoned their plans to hand count ballots for its election, citing high turnout. The Republican county will comply with state law and electronically tabulate ballots following warnings from the secretary of state.

Here are some recent updates.

• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) signed a bill into law that repeals a statute from 1891 that criminalized hiring transportation to bring voters to the polls.

• The state of Washington was sued over a law that requires individuals to reside in the state for at least 30 days prior to an election in order to be eligible to vote. A local nonprofit argues the law violates the VRA and U.S. Constitution.

• Trial has ended in a lawsuit arguing that the right-wing group True the Vote illegally intimidated Georgia voters just before the 2021 U.S. Senate runoffs. A decision is now pending in this case.

• The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral argument in a redistricting case out of Galveston County, Texas. Officials are appealing a lower court’s decision to strike down the County Commissioners Court map for violating the VRA. 

• In Pennsylvania's 2023 primary elections, 30% of rejected mail-in ballots were thrown out for having an incorrect date or no date on the outer return envelope. There are currently two ongoing lawsuits challenging Pennsylvania's policy to not count undated or wrongly ballots from otherwise eligible voters.