Weeden, who said he helped coordinate legal assistance for some of the defendants, said he was not aware of any of the 20 cases that have been fully decided. Some legal experts consider the verdict to be confusing and exaggerated. „For what?“ Mr. Patterson asked officials, who said that as a convicted sex offender, he was not allowed to vote and would be charged with two crimes for voting illegally. Texas Republicans promised that the new election rules would „make voting easier and harder to cheat.“ But as the dust settled Wednesday in the nation`s first primary, voters in both countries [San Marcos, TX] [Hays County News] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State] At a news conference Wednesday, the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, a group advocating for ex-offenders, called for an overhaul of the state`s criminal records. to make it easy for ex-offenders to see if they are eligible to vote. Some defendants said they only registered to vote after being falsely assured that they could vote under the constitutional amendment that restored the right to vote for many former offenders. In fact, the amendment excluded people who have been convicted of murder or sexual offences and who must separately apply for their rights to be restored. Television stations include electoral law experts on their reporting crews on election night. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, file) NEW YORK – TV networks include election law experts on their election night reporting crews so they`re ready to explain legal challenges or irregularities that may arise during voting. ABC and NBC have similar deals, though some of these experts will have more off-screen roles.

„I think everyone recognizes that.“ NBC News has hired an election law firm to advise and provide lawyers who can come on air when needed, said division president Noah Oppenheim. Marc Burstein, the network`s top election producer, said ABC thinks it`s best for viewers to see faces they know. „What`s wrong with this condition, man?“ said Mr. Patterson. „You all put me in jail for something I didn`t know. Why would you all let me vote if I couldn`t vote? Sylvia Albert, chief electoral officer and government watchdog group Common Cause, said the case shows how states may not educate people about the right to vote and the right to vote re-elected. Texas Republicans promised that the new election rules would „make voting easier and harder to cheat.“ Republicans have largely expressed satisfaction with the start of stricter rules, turning to November, when another provision in Texas` comprehensive new law will give partisan election observers expanded powers. Wade Henderson, interim president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said the decision was a „stunning indictment“ of a legal system that has historically deprived blacks of their rights. The emergence of the videos prompted a fresh look at DeSantis` prosecution of voter fraud allegations, which critics say disproportionately focused on people of color, recording fewer than two dozen arrests this year in a state that voted 11 million in the 2020 election. Legal experts, including at least one Republican lawmaker, said many, if not all, of the 20 arrests appear unjustified because the alleged perpetrators had no idea they were breaking the law.

In Florida, a conviction for voter fraud requires proof of intent. Moses was permanently barred from voting in Tennessee for manipulating evidence, prosecutors said. She filed a restoration certificate and an application for voter registration with the Shelby County Election Commission, according to evidence presented at her trial in November. Moses was still serving a suspended sentence when she submitted the documents, prosecutors said. In the back seat of a police SUV, Oliver said she was told she had the right to vote when she was released from prison three years ago after 19 years for second-degree murder. Her lawyer, Mr. Rankin, said she ran for office after a voter registration campaign worker approached her at a bus stop. Jonathan Olson, a supervisor at the Lake County District Attorney`s Office in central Florida, said in a letter that his office would not prosecute six people arrested on identical charges because everyone was „encouraged by various mailings and misinformation to vote.“ Police Officer Patterson acknowledged that Florida`s voting rights laws were confusing. Political experts assess Trump`s acquittal in impeachment proceedings After the Senate vote, which acquitted former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial, CBSN anchor Lana Zak spoke with CBS News producer Rebecca Kaplan, Capitol Hill producer David Becker, election law expert and CBS News political assistant, and Joel Payne, political assistant and Democratic strategist, on the outcome. „It seems like Tennessee is an aberration here, maintaining very restrictive laws that are hard to navigate, and so hard to navigate that I don`t think voters understand them and have questions and misunderstandings about them,“ Becker said Wednesday.

Some legal experts consider the six-year prison sentence handed down to a Tennessee activist convicted of illegally registering to vote on probation excessive and intriguing. Lord. Patterson is among 20 former state criminals whose fraud arrests were presented by DeSantis at a news conference in August touting the work of his new Office of Election Crimes, which has received about $1 million in government funding. M. DeSantis had asked the state legislature last winter to create the office tasked with aggressively prosecuting voter fraud, despite compelling evidence that election fraud in Florida — and elsewhere — is a small problem. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced in August „a first salvo“ of criminal charges, which he described as a long-overdue crackdown on voter fraud by his newly created Office of Crime and Security. And in all cases, the defendants were informed that they had voted illegally long after they voted. Moses, who is black, was convicted of several crimes in 2015 and put on probation, but she thought she had the right to vote and tried to register in 2019. Some legal experts say the decision illustrates the depth of the challenges convicted criminals face as they try to restore their voting rights, highlighting the racist factors involved in the case. „This is absolutely nothing more than political theater,“ Mark P. Rankin, an attorney for Hillsborough County, Florida, who represents one of the 20, said Wednesday.

„It`s sad because these are people who have been handcuffed, imprisoned, charged with crimes and sentenced to prison.“ DeSantis` office had no immediate comment. But in August, he defended the arrests against critics, saying that when people register to vote, „they tick a box that says they are eligible. If they are not justified and lie, they can be held accountable. » Election law expert on legal implications of Trump impeachment hearing CBS News Election law expert David Becker discusses the legal implications of former President Trump`s impeachment hearing. Becker assesses whether House impeachment officials have advanced their arguments for impeachment proceedings and how the former president`s legal team might respond. SAN ANTONIO – In recent months, the pandemic has affected new voter registration, following a record number of registrations earlier this year. According to the Center for Election Innovation and Research, voter registration slowed in March and April in 12 states compared to 2016. „When the pandemic hit, we were concerned that it would have a big impact on new voter registrations. Voter registration activity was strong in January and February, but when most stay-at-home orders went into effect, the numbers declined. RELATED: Pandemic makes voter registration more difficult, organizations sayAccording to Bexar County election officer Jacquelyn Callanen, the number of new voters has declined since the pandemic. In Florida, as part of a constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2018, many former inmates were reinstated to vote, but others were not, leaving many people uncertain or uninformed about their eligibility to vote. But recently released body camera footage suggests those arrested for illegal voting appeared confused and appeared to have broken the law out of confusion rather than intent.

The arrests were against people convicted of crimes. A Tennessee activist has been sentenced to six years and one day in jail after being convicted of illegally registering to vote in 2019 while on probation for previous crimes. Rankin said his client, 56-year-old Romona Oliver, was convicted of second-degree murder but served her sentence and rebuilt her life, married and had a steady job. David Becker, a former attorney at the U.S. Department of Elections and the Department of Civil Rights, said there is a movement among conservatives and liberals to change „punitive and restrictive laws“ that effectively deprive people who have committed crimes but are not imprisoned and seek to return to society by exercising their right to vote.