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MESA COUNTY, AZ - At least a dozen mail ballots were stolen, fraudulently filled out and submitted in Mesa County for the Nov. 5 election in a scheme announced Thursday by Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold.
Authorities detected the scheme before most of the ballots were processed, she said. But three were successfully cast after clearing a signature-review process. A fourth ballot nearly made it through, but it was flagged after the legitimate voter received a notification that their ballot had been cast, Griswold said.
Election officials cannot retrieve the three fraudulent ballots, Griswold said, and they will be counted.
The ballots were all completed, including with a required signature on the back of the return envelope, and submitted via U.S. Postal Service boxes, rather than ballot drop-box locations.
Officials said the issue was identified via the signature verification process. Mesa County uses an electronic signature verification process, comparing it to signatures on file, and election judges also manually check the signatures on the back of the envelopes at times. Click here to read more.
SALINE, Mich - A Michigan educator blamed a new algorithm for a 10-point drop in math scores in 2024.
Participants at an Oct. 8, Saline Area Schools Board of Education meeting reviewed the district’s performance on a test from the Northwest Education Association. Math scores for the district’s fifth grade students dropped 10 points between the spring and fall tests of 2024.
Board member Jennifer Steben asked about the decline in Rasch units, which the evaluation association uses to measure a student’s achievement in each subject.
Caroline Stout, a teaching and learning team member with the district, blamed the 10-point drop in the test’s algorithm. The test result is “not a 10-point drop in what we think of as student achievement,” Stout told those assembled.
The district, not the evaluation association, performed the analysis that used the new algorithm. She added that the new algorithm contributed to the 10-point drop between the spring and fall test. Click here to read more.
LOS ANGELES, CALIF - The latest Trump accuser, who chose to fully roll out her accusations two weeks before the presidential election, is actually a Democrat activist.
An ex-model named Stacey Williams came forward with her story, alleging that former President Donald Trump touched her inappropriately 31 years ago.
Williams, who dated sexual abuser Jeffry Epstein, said the billionaire pedophile introduced her to Trump in 1992, and she claims the incident occurred at Trump Tower the following year, in 1993.
“It became very clear then that he and Donald were really, really good friends and spent a lot of time together,” Williams said, according to the Guardian, which reported this story on Wednesday.
According to her story, Epstein suggested that they go for a stroll and stop by Trump Tower. She then claimed that upon greeting her, Trump “pulled her toward him and started groping her.” Click here to read more.
NASHVILLE, TN - Tennessee’s top prosecutor on Wednesday said his office uncovered a scheme by the Biden-Harris administration to release a massive number of illegal migrants into the state, but the plan was ultimately derailed.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attempted to release illegal migrants into Tennessee, but those plans were scrapped following pushback from the governor and other lawmakers, according to documents obtained by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Federal immigration authorities had attempted to transport potentially thousands of single adult migrants from out-of-state detention facilities and release them into Tennessee in coordination with non-profit groups, Skrmetti alleged.
“The federal government’s single most important job is to keep dangerous people out of our country and instead it has let killers and rapists illegally cross our border and walk free on our streets,” Skrmetti stated in a press release.
“While the urgent work to fix our broken immigration system continues in Washington, my Office will keep fighting for transparency and accountability,” Skrmetti continued. Click here to read more.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Homeless voters have more options than in previous years this upcoming presidential election after a 2023 bill opened the possibility of using addresses for parks and intersections on voter registration forms.
November 5 will mark the first presidential election since a bill was passed in Utah last year allowing for several voting provisions. One change makes it possible for people without permanent housing to use a shelter, resource center, medical clinic, or even a park as their registered address.
Helen Moser, the director of voter services for the League of Women Voters of Utah, explained that this bill gives people experiencing homelessness options so they can still cast their ballot regardless of their living situation.
“We see the unhoused as a very important constituent group, and these are folks whose lives are greatly impacted by the decisions that are made by our elected officials,” Moser said. “So their voice needs to be heard, not just in this election, but every election.”
Moser said people experiencing homelessness can either register ahead of time or vote at a poll, options that each come with conveniences and challenges for people without housing. Click here to read more.
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