Absentee Minded
Plus: Highlights from the debate. 🗳️
Published September 13, 2024
The 2024 general election is underway. Election officials in Alabama mailed out absentee ballots this week to eligible voters who requested them. “We’re ready to go,” an Alabama deputy county clerk told The Associated Press.
Those ballots went out one day after what may be the last presidential debate of this cycle. At that debate, former President Donald Trump repeated some familiar lies about elections, both past and present.
So, here’s the truth: Voting in the 2024 election is safe and secure—no matter how or when you vote.
Soon, Americans will be taking advantage of those options in great numbers. Voting by mail will expand to more than a dozen other states in the next two weeks. A handful of states will offer in-person early voting this month, with many more to follow in October. (Check with your state and local election officials for details.) And tens of millions of Americans will vote in person on Election Day.
Each of these methods of voting enjoy broad trust among the public. That’s in large part because of dedicated election workers in communities across the country, and the time-tested processes that keep our elections free, fair, and secure.
As the election season begins, voters can be confident that this time will be no different.
This Week in Democracy
- At the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, Trump once again lied about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and refused to accept the results of the 2020 election. Trump later wrote on social media that he would not debate Harris again. JD Vance and Tim Walz, the nominees for vice president, are scheduled to debate on Oct. 1 on CBS News.
- Judge Scott McAfee denied former Trump lawyer John Eastman’s motion to dismiss the racketeering charge in the Georgia election interference case. McAfee also agreed to dismiss three other charges.
➡️ READ: The Georgia charges, explained
- A Delaware judge scheduled a trial to begin on Sept. 30 in Smartmatic’s defamation case against Newsmax. Smartmatic, which makes voting machines, is suing Newsmax over false claims the network aired that its machines rigged the 2020 election. Smartmatic settled a similar case in April with One America News Network.
- At a hearing held by the U.S. House Administration Committee, a bipartisan panel of six secretaries of state testified about how they are preparing to ensure the November election is secure. The secretaries also spoke about threats and disinformation that election workers are facing.
- The general election is officially underway. Officials in Alabama began mailing absentee ballots to voters on Wednesday. You can check your voter registration status and see what voting options are available to you at CanIVote.org.
➡️ VISIT: CanIVote.org
State of the States
In Michigan, the state supreme court ruled that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name will remain on general election ballots. “We’re grateful to the Michigan Supreme Court for their swift response,” Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said. “Clerks can now move forward with the ballot printing process to ensure absentee ballots will be delivered to voters by the federal deadlines.”
In North Carolina, the state supreme court ruled that Kennedy’s name must be removed from general election ballots. County boards of elections had prepared to begin mailing ballots to voters last week but delayed doing so until the supreme court issued a decision. Ballots are currently being reprinted, and North Carolina voters will only receive the revised ballots.