You may have heard that President Trump’s new Advisory Commission on Election Integrity is asking state election officials to turn over a raft of very personal data about voters’ records. Not surprisingly, some states are reluctant to provide this information, and the Secretary of State for Mississippi has a very direct response for the administration. [More]
elections
Mississippi Official Tells Trump ‘Election Integrity’ Commission: “Go Jump In The Gulf Of Mexico”
By 6.30.17
The Consumerist Guide To Your 2016 Ballot Initiatives
By 11.1.16 — Updated: 11.2.16
We’re almost there: at long last, after one of the frankly just-plain weirdest years of news most of us can remember, Election Day is finally drawing nigh nationwide. And while the candidates at the top of the ticket have definitely captured most of the metaphorical air in the national room, there’s far more than just that at stake this year for most voters.
In addition to selecting candidates for dozens of federal, state, and local offices, voters have a wide array of state and local ballot initiatives to choose from this year. Many of those directly address major consumer issues of many kinds. So we’re helping you break those down, with a state-by-state guide. [More]
Political Campaign Stores Raking In Not Only Cash, But A Treasure Trove Of Data For Candidates
By 6.23.15
In an age when data is just as powerful as money, it may come as no surprise to learn that sales of political stickers, T-shirts, buttons, mugs and other merchandise emblazoned with a candidate’s brand not only go toward filling campaign coffers with money, but also provide presidential hopefuls with valuable personal data that sheds light on what kind of people/voters are out there shopping. [More]
Restaurant Offers Free Food In Exchange For Election Campaign Signs
By 11.6.14
The elections are mercifully over and whatever you think of the outcome, you probably agree that people can’t remove all those unsightly campaign signs quickly enough. So one restaurant chain based in South Carolina is offering free food to customers who help clean up the mess left by the democratic process. [More]
Stories You Might Have Missed Because You Were Too Busy Being Awesome
April 5, 2014
We post a lot of stories during the week, and we know that most of you have jobs, families, lives, hobbies, nagging itches and other more important things to do than read every single thing we write. So for those who might be playing catch-up on the weekend, here are some of the things you might have missed… [More]
Microsoft Wants To Run More Political Campaign Ads On Xbox
By 3.10.14
You know those ads that you ignore on your Xbox dashboard? President Obama used them as part of his re-election campaign in 2012, and with midterm elections on the horizon, Microsoft is doing its best to try to convince more politicians that these spots are ideal places to run targeted campaign and other political ads. [More]
Sorry You Can't Vote: You're Dead
By 3.8.12
A bureaucratic mixup led to a very confusing Super Tuesday for one Boston-area woman. The 84-year-old showed up to vote in Tuesday’s primary election, only to be told that she couldn’t vote: she was dead. [More]
Guess What? Letting Corps. Make Anonymous Unfettered Political Donations Quadrupled Contributions!
By 1.27.11
A year ago, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations could not be banned from political spending during elections through either independent expenditures from corporations’ general funds or “electioneering communications,” i.e. political ads. Detractors cried out that it would let loose a flood of corporate cash into elections, and they were right. A new Public Citizen report shows that outside groups quadrupled their contributions during the last mid-term election from the previous, and we will never know exactly where a good deal of the money came from. [More]
Easily Find Your Polling Location With Google
By 11.1.10
For the quickest and easiest way to figure out your polling location for tomorrow, just Google for the word “vote.” A little search box with a vote button next to it will appear. Type in your home address and you’ll get a handy Google Map showing you your nearest place to go vote. [More]
Hackers Infiltrate D.C. E-Voting System, Force Testing Delays
By 10.6.10
While testing out its electronic vote-by-mail program for overseas voters, the District of Columbia invited hackers to do their worst to break into the system. The programming geeks answered with decisive force, with someone making the site play the University of Michigan’s fight song after a test subject submitted the ballot. D.C. officials suspended testing before patching things up and getting back online. [More]
Gas Price Election Conspiracy Press Coverage is Adorable
By 11.7.06
We think it’s cute the way that reporters try to compensate for the partisan nature of reporting on “election conspiracies” and go out of their way to find the most plain-spoken down-homey stereotypically right-leaning type dude they can.
