Elctionline Weekly 10-15-2026

Ballot Measures, Legislation & Rulemaking

Rockville, Maryland: The Rockville City Council may amend its charter to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in its municipal elections, including for mayor and council, starting in 2027. “Young people deserve a voice in the decisions shaping their lives,” Rockville City Council member Izola Shaw told The Banner. “I’m proud to have led this effort from its earliest stages.” Shaw brought the issue to the city’s charter review commission in 2021 before she joined the council in late 2023. That year, voters decisively rejected lowering the voting age by a more than 2-to-1 margin. This year, advocates, pointing to a growing list of jurisdictions that have adopted the policy, say there’s a better chance the lower age will become law. And the measure wouldn’t need to pass muster with Rockville’s electorate. A majority of the seven-member council will decide. Last week, the City Council officially introduced a proposal that would amend the county charter to allow teen voting. A date for the final vote has not yet been set.

St. Louis, Missouri Ballot Measure: Voters in St. Louis will decide whether to change how they fill vacancies on the Board of Aldermen. The city in 2020 adopted a nonpartisan approval voting system for mayor, board president, comptroller and members of the board in which voters select as many candidates as they want in the primary with the top two advancing. While Proposition D said the system applied to special elections for aldermanic vacancies, the city’s charter says those must be filled using partisan elections. Proposition 1 deletes that section of the charter. “What we’re trying to do here is make sure that we don’t have a conflict within our own laws,” said 6th Ward Alderwoman Daniela Velazquez, who sponsored the legislation placing Proposition 1 on the ballot. “To go every election cycle knowingly saying we have a conflict that will not just iron itself out is not good government.” City elections officials say it costs about $30,000 for each round of a single-ward special election. If only two candidates file, a first round of voting is not required.

Legal Updates

Federal Litigation: U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan blocked the Justice Department from using a flawed national voter database to revoke U.S. citizens’ voter registrations, finding it a clear effort by the Trump administration to “decide who gets to vote.” Sooknanan ruled that the Justice Department Civil Rights Division was unlawfully using the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database — a system meant to verify immigration status and U.S. citizenship of benefit applicants — to review states’ voter registration lists and remove individuals it deemed ineligible. In her order, the Joe Biden appointee highlighted what she called “startling arguments” from Trump’s DOJ — including that “every American citizen who registers to vote is the subject of a voter fraud investigation … simply because they registered to vote.” “The defendants downplay the risk of voter disenfranchisement despite knowingly relying on an inaccurate database to check voter eligibility,” Sooknanan wrote. “Behind all the window dressing, the challenged policy represents the federal government’s attempt to decide who gets to vote.”

Arizon: The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal to overturn hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal sanctions against lawyers who represented failed gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and made baseless claims about election fraud in her bid to upend how Arizona conducts elections. The high court released a list of cases it will hear and those it declined to, with the petition from Lake’s former lawyers among those that were refused. No explanation was given for why it will not be considered. In 2022, Lake and then-Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem filed a lawsuit against the Maricopa and Pima county boards of supervisors aimed at preventing them from using electronic tabulators to count votes during that year’s midterm elections. The pair’s legal team argued that the state’s voting machines are susceptible to hacking. They wanted the federal courts to block election workers from using them to decide the outcome of the 2022 elections, despite Arizona law requiring the use of tabulators. The case was ultimately thrown out by a trial court judge and plaintiffs’ attorneys were sanctioned. “To sanction Plaintiffs’ counsel here is not to let Plaintiffs off the hook,” the judge wrote. “It is to penalize specific attorney conduct with the broader goal of deterring similarly baseless filing initiated by anyone, whether an attorney or not.” The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that ruling a year late.

Florida: Antonio Padrigan, 51 of Jacksonville, is facing two felony charges after state investigators say he voted in the 2024 General Election despite not being a U.S. citizen. Padrigan was arrested Oct. 6 by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on an active warrant. He faces charges of unqualified non-citizen elector willfully voting and false affirmation of oath, both third-degree felonies under Florida law. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement launched its investigation after receiving a complaint July 30 from the Florida Department of State’s Office of Election Crimes and Security. The complaint alleged that Padrigan, a lawful permanent resident originally from Mexico, had registered to vote and cast a ballot in Duval County while being ineligible due to his non-citizen status. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Padrigan completed a Florida Voter Registration Application on Nov. 5, 2024 — the same day as the General Election. On the form, he indicated he was a U.S. citizen. That same day, at approximately 2:20 p.m., Padrigan cast a ballot at Duval County Precinct 410, located at St. Barnabas Anglican Church on St. Johns Bluff. An arrest warrant was issued Sept. 23, by a circuit court judge in Duval County. A JSO officer served the warrant at Padrigan’s home on Oct. 6 and transported him to jail. Bond was set at $5,003 on the false affirmation charge and $10,003 on the illegal voting charge. As conditions of his bond, Padrigan was required to surrender his passport and any travel documents.

Georgia: U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a local conservative activist in which she alleged that her free-speech rights were violated when two Chatham County police officers forcibly removed her from a meeting of the county’s elections board in 2023. The activist, Beth Majeroni, was carried hands-and-feet from the meeting by the two officers after she defied the requests of the board’s chairman, Thomas Mahoney III, to vacate the podium during the meeting’s public-comment period because she’d breached meeting rules. A year later, Majeroni sued over the incident, claiming her rights under the First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution were violated. Named as defendants in the suit were Mahoney, the Chatham County Board of Elections, and the two police officers, Andrew Nizwantowski and Robert Santoro. The lawsuit asked for unspecified financial damages.At the heart of the suit was Majeroni’s claim that Mahoney, in ruling her out of order prior to her removal, was retaliating against her for complaining that she hadn’t received elections board documents related to the 2022 primary. But in her 58-page order, Wood says that Mahoney and the two police officers acted within their authority to stop Majeroni from continuing her remarks after she persisted in discussing the grand jury proceeding.

Michigan: The Michigan Republican Party, Ingham County Republican Party and the Republican National Committee are suing election officials with the city of Lansing, accusing them of “illegally packing poll worker positions with Democrats, shutting Republicans out, and hiding election records from the public” during the August 2026 primary election. The Election Commission of the city of Lansing, Lansing Clerk Chris Swope, City Assessor Stacey Bassi and Lansing City Attorney Gregory Venker are named in the lawsuit filed last week. The RNC claims the city appointed 140 Democratic poll workers compared to just 71 Republicans to staff polling places during the primary – nearly twice as many Democrats as Republicans, “despite Michigan law requiring election officials to appoint workers from both major political parties in as equal numbers as possible.” The RNC alleges Republicans “submitted qualified candidates for the positions but were largely passed over.”

Five non-citizens allegedly voted in the 2024 general election, and one U.S. citizen allegedly attempted to register her non-citizen husband to vote, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced. Of the six newest charges announced, two of the non-citizens charged are facing only misdemeanors. Voter registrations associated with every identified non-citizen voter, whether or not their investigation resulted in charges, have been cancelled, the press release continued. Nessel said the charges reflect “the severity of the allegations, the sanctity of our democracy, and the tremendous consequences of voting illegally— whether that’s done to try and ‘test’ security measures or to make an unlawful vote count.” Michael Akioya, 39, of Oak Park, is a lawful permanent resident who allegedly registered to vote in 2016 and allegedly submitted an absentee ballot. Akioya was charged in March of 2026 with one count each of False Statement on an Absent Voter Ballot Application and False Statement on an Absentee Vote Ballot Return Envelope. Alondra Harker, 26, of Three Rivers, allegedly voted in person in her hometown in 2024, and is charged with Election Law – Fraudulent Registration. The other three non-citizens — Harumi Michael, 60, of Wolverine Lake, Basanth Sadasivian, 29, residing in the United Kingdom, and Robert Piva, 67, of Roseville — all face at least one felony charge.

New Hampshire: On October 14, a federal appeals court rejected the state’s attempt to overturn a ruling allowing some New Hampshire voters to use student IDs to help verify their identity at the polls. The New Hampshire Senate passed a bill earlier this year banning student IDs from being used as voting identification. The change took effect June 2. Student IDs can no longer be used on their own to receive a ballot, but election officials may consider them on a case-by-case basis to help verify a voter’s identity if the voter lacks an accepted form of ID. On Oct. 5, a federal judge upheld the law’s ban on using student IDs as a standalone form of identification, but ruled that the secretary of state’s statement conflicted with the law’s provisions for voters who lack an accepted ID. The judge said the statement “discourages New Hampshire election officials and polling station personnel from reviewing and considering student identification cards.” The state appealed the ruling saying poll workers were not trained on this part of the law, but the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the appeal Wednesday. As of this ruling, student IDs may still be considered to help verify a voter’s identity if the voter does not have an accepted form of ID.

New Jersey: Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy refused to block the Ocean County Board of Elections’ investigation into the voting eligibility of 37 voters registered in Bay Head. Lougy rejected the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey’s claim that the probe was a partisan effort to disenfranchise Democrats and unaffiliated voters there. The ACLU had sought an injunction on behalf of three of the voters targeted as well as the League of Women Voters, saying the board “bombarded” the voters last month with intimidating letters demanding proof of residency and threatening criminal sanctions if they failed to cooperate. “This was bullying through bureaucracy,” ACLU-NJ attorney Liza Weisberg said. But Deputy Attorney General Mark Gulbranson, who represents the board and its Republican chairman George Gilmore, insisted the board has the duty and authority to investigate all voter challenges regardless of any partisan motives the challenger might have. In a 37-page opinion, Lougy wrote that the ACLU failed to show irreparable harm, a requirement for an injunction. He noted that state law doesn’t empower the board to outright purge voters it suspects are ineligible, instead allowing it only to put them on a challenge list maintained by a county’s election superintendent. Challenge-list voters denied a ballot can fight for their right to vote in state court, he added. He conceded Gilmore’s letter “is susceptible to harsh or less harsh readings” but also found it “truthful” and largely a “request for information.”

Pennsylvania: The U.S. Department of Justice announced that four Pennsylvania residents had been charged with noncitizen voting, part of the Trump administration’s nationwide crackdown on election crimes ahead of the 2026 midterms. Hacina Saadi, 48; Paulo Silva, 54; Jamil Ahmad, 50; and Nighat Jamil, 47, were all charged with one count of voting by an alien during the 2024 election. Silva, Ahmad, and Jamil are all lawful permanent residents, while the Department of Justice said Saadi was residing in the country illegally. The charges announced Monday bring the total number of individuals charged with noncitizen-voting-related crimes in Pennsylvania to 11 since September. Election officials contend that while voter fraud, including noncitizen voting, does occasionally happen, it is exceedingly rare. Votebeat and Spotlight PA analyzed data on election crimes from the Pennsylvania court system, the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation, Department of Justice press releases, and news reports dating back to mid-2015. The analysis found 165 allegedly fraudulent ballots have been cast in that time, including the four announced this week.

South Carolina: Rep. Michael Rivers (D-St. Helena), who lost his reelection bid, was arrested on accusations he pointed a gun at his primary opponent’s relative following an argument outside a polling place. Rivers was booked in the Colleton County jail before his release on a personal recognizance bond, according to court records. That means he signed a promise to return to court without needing to pay cash. The charge carries up to five years in prison, plus a fine left up to a judge to decide. Rivers is accused of drawing a weapon June 9 after an argument broke out at Green Pond Community Center, a polling place for the statewide primaries, according to an arrest warrant from the State Law Enforcement Division. According to the warrant, the charge was based on video from the parking lot as well as witness statements.

Texas: The Texas Civil Rights Project filed a lawsuit on behalf of League of Women Voters of Texas and MOVE Texas Civic Fund against the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Texas Secretary of State’s Office (SOS) that alleges the state failed to properly process voter registration applications, leaving counties across Texas scrambling to handle a backlog ahead of the November midterm elections. According to the lawsuit, nearly 600,000 voter registration records were sent to Texas counties after significant delays. Some of those records date back to October 2025. The plaintiffs allege the state’s failure to properly process online voter registrations and address changes violated a 2021 legal settlement. Karla Maradiaga, a voting rights attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project, said the organization became increasingly concerned as it tried to understand the scope of the problem. “We’ve been building up this record of we know something is wrong,” Maradiaga said. “We couldn’t quite understand the scope because, you know, the state was not really providing information to the public or to us.” The lawsuit seeks records, compliance with the settlement and safeguards to prevent similar problems in the future, rather than monetary damages.

A Tarrant County judge denied a request for a temporary injunction to reopen some polling sites after the county announced plans to eliminate dozens of Election Day voting sites for the upcoming midterm elections. The ruling came after a hearing October 13 in a lawsuit filed by a group of voters against Tarrant County and four county officials. The four plaintiffs, all women of color who live in Tarrant County, allege that the plan to close voting sites was specifically meant to make it harder for racial minorities to vote on Election Day. Many of the eliminated voting sites are in neighborhoods with high Black or Hispanic populations, and were used by tens of thousands of voters for the 2022 midterms. The lawsuit claims the closures violate the Texas Constitution and the Tarrant County election code. O’Hare said the change exceeds the statutory minimum for voting centers, and said that some locations were changed due to buildings no longer being operable and ADA requirements.

Wisconsin: Dane County Circuit Judge Everett Mitchell ruled that Wisconsin clerks can count ballots that are in a municipality’s possession by 8 p.m. on Election Day but don’t arrive at polling places until after that time because of election official errors. The decision comes months after Mitchell first ruled that Madison was correct to count 23 ballots that the city had in its possession before Election Day in April but didn’t reach the polls until after the 8 p.m. deadline, a delay city officials say was caused by election administrator error. “Where a qualified elector has complied with every statutory requirement, and the ballot was in the custody of the municipal clerk in time for delivery to the polling place, the failure of election officials to deliver it by 8:00 p.m. is not a lawful ground for rejecting the ballot,” Mitchell said in his order this week. Wisconsin law says that ballots must be “delivered to the polling place no later than 8 p.m.” on Election Day. The lawsuit was filed by Margaret and Robert Honig, two of the 23 voters whose ballots in the state’s April Supreme Court race were delayed, and whose ballots the Wisconsin Elections Commission ordered not to be counted before Mitchell reversed the agency’s decision in May. It alleges that discounting properly cast votes over election officials’ errors would deprive voters of their constitutional voting rights. The commission argued that a plain reading of Wisconsin law states that ballots arriving after 8 p.m. may not be counted. Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell disagreed, saying that state law can’t be reasonably interpreted to punish voters over election officials’ mistakes.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Ukraine Claims Major Battlefield Gains in Operation Vivaldi

Ukraine has Retaken over 100 square kilometers of Territory from Russian Troops around a Key Eastern Settlement within roughly Two Eeeks, a Top Ukrainian Commander has said. Kyiv has Captured Three Villages and 101 square kilometers of Territory, about 39 square miles) near the City of Lyman, in Ukraine’s Embattled Eastern Donetsk Region, Brigadier General Andriy Biletskyi, who Heads up Ukraine’s Third Army Corps, Deployed in the area, said on10/14/2026.

Biletskyi Confirmed in Mid-September Ukraine had Mounted a Counter offensive North of Lyman, where Russia had Managed to Break through and Advance Earlier in the year. Russia’s Gains North of the City put Ukraine’s Positions in Danger, and could have Opened up a Path for Moscow to Advance toward the Donetsk Cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Both are known as “fortress” Settlements, Key to Ukraine’s Defensive Lines.

The Ukrainian effort to Push back Russia’s Grip near Lyman, Dubbed “Operation Vivaldi,” had Retaken 176 square kilometers (about 68 square miles) Overall, Biletskyi said in Late September. Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a Visit to the Lyman area on 9/30/2026 the Operation was “important in many ways” for Ukraine’s Defense. Kyiv says Operation Vivaldi forced Moscow, to Quickly Redeploy Reinforcements to the Lyman area, Weakening its Positions elsewhere on the Front Lines.

Kyiv has Reclaimed a Total of 277 square kilometers and 16 villages since the Start of Operation Vivaldi, According to the Third Army Corps. Russia Originally Captured the Donetsk City in the First Weeks of its Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine from 2/2022, but Kyiv Retook Lyman during its Lightning Counter Offensive that Fall.

Russia hadn’t managed to Retake Control of the City, but had Carried out Operations in and near Lyman, in the years Since. Operation Vivaldi “began with the elimination of Russian infiltration, grew into a rapid and large-scale offensive,” the Third Army Corps said.

Western Analysts have Accused Russia of “exaggerating” its Advances in Northern Ukraine to Distract from Recent Ukrainian Progress North of Lyman Russia’s Defense Minister, Andrey Belousov, and a Senior Russian Commander for Troops Ddeployed to Ukraine’s Northeastern Sumy Region said in late September, Moscow had Seized more than 250 square kilometers of Territory in the Region during the Summer.

But Open-Source Evidence Shows Russia has Captured or Infiltrated 151.66 square kilometers of Sumy Since the Start of this year, including 36.78 square kilometers between the Start of June and the End of August, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington, D.C.-based Think Tank that Tracks Changes to the Front Line in Ukraine, said last month. The Claims are Designed to “divert attention from Ukraine’s elimination of the Russian salient north of Lyman in recent months,” the ISW said, Referring to Kyiv Recapturing Territory from Russia.

Russia has said it has Annexed the Donetsk Region, along with Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia in Eastern Ukraine. But it doesn’t Fully Control All Four Regions, and its Hhold on these Tterritories is Not Iinternationally Recognized.

Moscow also Controls Crimea, the Peninsula to the South of Mainland Ukraine which it Seized in 2014. Kyiv has Vowed to Reclaim All Russian-Held Regions.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Musk Blames Trump for Ukraine Drone Chaos

Elon Musk Blamed Trump (R) for Limiting the Speed Limits Imposed on Ukrainian Drones. Ukrainian Officials said on 10/17/2026 that Military Missions had been Scuppered after Restrictions were Iimplemented on the Vital Communications System. On 20/17/2026, the Pentagon set a 100mph Speed Limit on Ukraine’s Ability to Pilot Drones using Starshield, the Military-Ggrade Version of Elon Musk’s Starlink Technology, which is Under the Control of the u.S. Government. Hours later, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had been Betrayed and “people would die” as a Result.

Shortly after He Spoke, Ukraine’s former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Musk had Agreed to Lift Speed Restrictions on the Standard Starlink Nnetwork, adding that it was Vital that the Pentagon also Dropped the Limits from Starshield. Drone Interceptors and some Mid-Range Strike Drones are thought to Rely on Starshield, which is Controlled by the Pentagon. The SpaceX Owner pointed the finger at the White House last night. “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and POTUS,” Musk Posted on X.

A Senior U.S. Official told Axios that the Trump Administration was NotIinvolved in the Alleged Starlink Service Constraints. Relations have Deteriorated between Kyiv and Washington after Trump Agreed to Waive Sanctions on Russia to Import Diesel to Ease Fuel Prices and Called for Zelensky to be ousted. The US has also threatened to suspend intelligence-sharing to force Ukraine to stop its refinery strikes, while Mr Zelenskyy has Claimed He Stopped Receiving Warnings from Allies about Russian Missile Attacks.

Under the Restrictions in Place on 10/14/2026, Tterminals moving Faster than 100mph Lost or Partially Lost their Satellite Connection, Threatening Live Video Feeds, Remote Control, and Rreal-Ttime Tracking for Military Units and Drones. The Slowdown Affected Ukraine’s Ability to Conduct Medium-Range Strikes and to use Interceptor Drones to Counter Incoming Long-Range Russian Drone Attacks, a Ukrainian Defence Ministry Source and a Military Source said. Front-Line Soldiers said the Slowdown Produced Severe Operational Consequences on 10/14/2026.

“This is comparable to a nuclear strike against us. All operations are on hold. This will cost many of us our lives,” an Experienced Ukrainian Officer told Politico and the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, The Restrictions had brought “all medium-range strike operations to a complete halt,” the Officer said. Serhii Beskrestnov, an Adviser to Zelenskyy on Defence Technologies, added: “Our forces were not given notice of this limit, and this has resulted in the disruption of a number of missions. “This action is clearly not a coincidence and is related to the current political situation.”

Serhii Sternenko, a Popular Ukrainian Blogger and former Adviser to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, said some Military Reports suggested on the use of Starlink Terminals had been Tightened even further, causing Communications to Drop-Off at Speeds above 44mph. He also Claimed: “SpaceX likely took these measures at the request of the Trump administration.”

While the Restrictions had the Greatest Effect on Fixed-Wing Attack-Drone Operations against Targets in the Occupied Territories, Military Units relying on Starlink for Communications and Battlefield Coordination may also have been Affected. It was Possible that Medevac Teams and Rrapid-Assault Pick Trucks Moving at High Speeds through Risky Mrtillery Zzones were at Risk of Losing Coordination, Tracking. and the Aability to call for Backup.

A Ssource in the 7th Rapid Reaction Corps, which Operates on the Southeastern Frontline, told Media that Disruptions to Starlink had been Observed in that area on 10/14/2026.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Ukraine Frees More Territory in Donetsk Region

Ukraine has Freed 16 Villages from Russian Forces in the Eastern Donetsk Region in its Latest Counter-Offensive, a Senior Commander said on 10/14/2026, part of what He called a Major Frontline Pushback, amid Increased Russian Air Sttacks elsewhere.

Kyiv's Third Army Corps has waged an Operation, announced last month, to Dislodge Russian Troops Nnorth of the Strategic City of Sloviansk, One of the Two Main Bastions in Ukraine's so-called "fortress belt" Anchoring its Eastern Defences.

Brig. Gen. Andrii Biletskyi said recent Ukrainian Assaults had Liberated Three more Villages in the Area of the Counter-Offensive, some 30 km (19 Miles) Nnorth of Sloviansk, bringing the Total of Freed Tterritory to 277 square kilometres (107 square miles) and the Number of Settlements to 16.

Russia, whose Pace of Battlefield Gains has Slowed in 2026, has Demanded that Ukraine cede the 20% of the Donetsk Region it still Controls before it Stops Fighting.

"The Kremlin's plan to seize the Donetsk and Luhansk regions will not be implemented in the foreseeable future," Biletskyi said in a video address. Donetsk and Luhansk, which Russia almost entirely occupies, make up Ukraine's mineral-rich Donbas.

The highly publicised operation, dubbed "Vivaldi", comes as Ukrainian forces aim to seize the ground initiative from Russia in the fifth year of fighting, in part by embracing technology and new tactics.

Brig. Gen. Andrii Biletskyi said recent Ukrainian assaults had liberated three more villages in the area of the counteroffensive - some 30 km (19 miles) north of Sloviansk - bringing the total of freed territory to 277 square kilometres (107 square miles) and the number of settlements to 16.

Russia, whose pace of battlefield gains has slowed this year, has demanded that Ukraine cede the 20 percent of the Donetsk region it still controls before it stops fighting.

"The Kremlin's plan to seize the Donetsk and Luhansk regions will not be implemented in the foreseeable future," Biletskyi said in a video address. Donetsk and Luhansk, which Russia almost entirely occupies, make up Ukraine's mineral-rich Donbas.

The highly publicised operation, dubbed "Vivaldi", comes as Ukrainian forces aim to seize the ground initiative from Russia in the fifth year of fighting, in part by embracing technology and new tactics.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

TX Sued for Failing to Process Voter Registrations

Voting Rights Groups are Suing Texas after more than 500,000 Voter Registration Applications were Submitted through the Texas Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Web Portal but Nnever Processed. The Groups are asking a State District Judge to Enforce a 2021 Settlement Aagreement that required Texas to provide a Rreliable way for People to Register to Vvote through DPS’ Online Driver’s License Portal.

In 2016, Texas Voters and Voting Rights Groups Sued the State over its Lack of Online Voter Registration. They Argued it was a Violation of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA_ that Voters could Not Register Online while Updating their Address, Driver’s License, or State ID through DPS. A Federal Judge Ruled in their Favor in 2018, but an Appeals Court Overturned the Rruling in 2019, because the Pplaintiffs Lacked Standing.

Voters and Voting Rights Groups Sued again in 2020. This time, a Federal Judge Ordered Texas to offer Voters the Option to Register to Vote through DPS’ Online Portal when Updating their Driver’s License or State ID. In 2021, the State Settled the Lawsuit, Agreeing to Permanently maintain the Process. Now, the New Lawsuit argues that the recent Failures of Voter Registration Systems run by DPS, and the Texas Secretary of State’s Office have Prevented the State from Meeting that Obligation.

DPS and the Secretary of State’s Office last month, sent County Election Officials a Backlog of Hundreds of Thousands of Voter Registration Records and Updates Delayed by a Software Uupdate Error with the DPS Web Portal. There were at least 500,000 Records dating back to 10/2025. Election Officials also said Issues with the Secretary-of-State’s Voter Registration system, known as TEAM, have made the Backlog Harder to Resolve during a Critical time.

The Lawsuit says some Voters are still facing Pproblems with their Registrations ahead of the 11/3/2026 Midterm Election. The Llawsuit, filed last week in Bexar County’s 224th District Court, is asking a Judge to Order both DPS and the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, to Mmaintain a Functioning Registration Process, produce Records Documenting Registration Failures, and show Proof of their Compliance to the Ccourt within a Mmonth.

“Since at least October 2025, Defendants have breached and continue to breach the contract by failing to maintain the procedures that ensure simultaneous online voter registration with driver license renewal or change of address transactions,” the Lawsuit says, They Aargue that a Provision of the 2021 Settlement says that the State could be Sued Aagain if “data, methodological, or other systemic limitations cause the simultaneous registration procedures outlined herein to fail to permit simultaneous voter registration.”

The Suit was Filed by the League of Women Voters of Texas (LWV of Texas) and MOVE Texas Civic Fund, a Nonprofit Organization focused on Eengaging Young Texans and Underrepresented Communities. Both Organizations were also Plaintiffs in the 2021 Settlement Agreement “The 2021 settlement agreement paved the way for millions of Texans to register to vote online with just the click of a box,” said Karla Maradiaga of the Texas Civil Rights Project, which is Representing the Plaintiffs, in a Statement. “Now, before a critical midterm election, the state is in denial about issues with the DPS system despite knowing voters have already been impacted, and has refused to be transparent with Texans about why these delays happened and what they will do to remedy this unacceptable breach.”

DPS and the Secretary of State’s Office are expected to Ffile their Responses to the Plaintiff’s Allegations. A Judge will decide whether the Registration Failures constitute a Breach of the State’s 2021 Settlement Agreement to Maintain a Reliable Voter Registration System through DPS’s Web Portal.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Judge Extends Order Restoring White House Access

A Federal Judge has Extended His Oorder restoring White House Press Credentials to Journalists for Three News Organizations Trump (R) sought to Ban over their Reporting. likely Amounted to "retaliation" and “viewpoint discrimination” in Violation of the First Amendment.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a Preliminary Injunction 10/13/2026 giving: CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO, continued Access to the White House Complex while Litigation Plays Out, but Not Plane Acess for some. likely Amounted to "retaliation" and “viewpoint discrimination” in Violation of the First Amendment.

Kelly, a TrumpA Appointee, said Trump’s Mass Cancellation of Hard Passes for nearly 80 Reporters likely Violated Due Process because Trump didn’t give the Media Outlets Advance Notice that concerns over their Reporting could jeopardize Access to the White House. likely Amounted to "retaliation" and “viewpoint discrimination” in Violation of the First Amendment.

Kelly also said Trump’s oft-aired Grievances with the Reporting of the Three News Organizations Bolstered the Court’s Conclusion that the Ban likely Amounted to "retaliation" and “viewpoint discrimination” in Violation of the First Amendment.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

NATO Warns Russia

NATO's Top Mmilitary Commander warned 10/12/2026 that what He called the "lethal alliance" would Destroy "anything and everything" supporting an Attack on Allied Territory and "break" Enemy Warfighting systems to thwart any Ppotential Future Russian Assault. "Should the adversary choose to press the attack or commit his reserves, we will break the warfighting system engaged against us," U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich said at the Warsaw Security Forum in Poland, in an apparent Warning to Moscow.

"This includes not just the attacking force itself, but anything and everything that supports, sustains, and controls that force," He said during a Panel titled "Theory of Victory: How Do We Achieve Military Success Against Russia in Deterrence and Defence?" on the first day of the Forum.

NATO's Top Military Commander warned10/12/2026 that the Aalliance would Destroy "anything and everything" Ssupporting an Attack on Allied Territory and "break" Enemy WarFighting Ssystems to Thwart any potential Future Russian Assault. Grynkewich, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, also outlined a Three-Pronged Strategy of "blocking, blunting and breaking" Enemy Forces, making clear that while NATO is a Defensive Alliance, it is prepared to respond Decisively to an Assault on any of its 32 Members.

NATO's Top Military Commander warned 10/12/2026 that the Aalliance would Destroy "anything and everything" supporting an Attack on Allied Territory and "break" Enemy Warfighting systems to Thwart any potential future Russian Assault. Grynkewich, NATO's Supreme Aallied Commander in Europe, also outlined a Three-Pronged Strategy of "blocking, blunting, and breaking" Enemy Forces, making Clear that while NATO is a Defensive Alliance, it is Prepared to Respond Decisively to an Assault on any of its 32 Members.

The Warning came amid heightened Tensions between Russia and Western Nations following a Series of Drone Incursions and Suspected Sabotage Operations that European Countries have linked to Moscow. "We stand here together in Poland today stronger than ever united in our common vision of a more balanced, more ready and more lethal alliance," Grynkewich also said. European Officials have Accused Russia of Waging a Campaign of Hybrid Warfare involving Sabotage, Arson, and Cyberattacks, alongside Increasingly Provocative Military Activity near NATO Territory. In 2025, Multiple Russian Drones entered Polish Airspace during a Large-Scale Attack on Ukraine, Prompting a Rresponse from Polish and Allied Aircraft NATO launched Operation Eastern Sentry to Strengthen Defenses along its Eastern Flank.

Romania has also Reported Russian Drone Incursions, while Estonia has Accused Russian Military Aircraft of Violating its Airspace. rynkewich's Remarks had followed a Tense Weekend between Russia and Ukraine, with Moscow launching Fresh Strikes against Ukrainian Energy Infrastructure despite Diplomatic Efforts to Reduce Hostilities. Zelenskyy went on to Accuse Russia of continuing Attacks on Ukrainian Eenergy Facilities, casting doubt on Prospects for a Broader Ceasefire

The Tensions have also been Accompanied by recent Nuclear Wwarnings from Moscow. On 9/20/2026, Russia Wwarned NATO that it could use Nnuclear Wweapons if the Alliance attempted to Isolate Kaliningrad, its Heavily Militarized Baltic Sea Exclave between Poland and Lithuania.

In a Diplomatic Note, Moscow Accused NATO of Pursuing a "dangerous and reckless course" that carried "high risks of the outbreak of a direct armed conflict." According to the Note, Russia Warned it could use its full Military Arsenal, including Nuclear Weapons, to Defend Kaliningrad and raised the Possibility of Strikes against Decision-Making Centers in NATO Countries at the Outset of a Conflict.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte Rejected the Threats, emphasizing the Alliance's Defensive Mission and Calling on Moscow to End its War in Ukraine. "Putin knows that he can never win from NATO," Rutte said during a 9/30/2026 Appearance at the Euronews Defence and Space Summit. Putin has also Maintained that Russia has No Plans to Attack European Countries and wants Peaceful Coexistence with its Neighbors.

Grynkewich did Not mention Russia by Name duringHhis Warsaw Address, but His Warning appeared Directed at Moscow and with NATO's 2022 Strategic Concept also identifying Russia as the Most Significant and Direct Threat to Allied Security. "My theory of victory is simple: we will block the initial attack. If the attack persists, we will blunt it and prevent enemy advance," Grynkewich said on 10/12/2026.

"And if required, we will break the enemy's forces and the operational warfighting system that is arrayed against us." Grynkewich said NATO was already putting the Strategy into Action through Military Exercises, Enhanced Military Readiness and Investments in New Capabilities. "If attacked, we are ready to fight tonight, but we are not complacent," He said.

The General made Clear that NATO's Response would Not necessarily Be Limited to Enemy Troops directly involved in an Assault, but could extend to the Broader Military Infrastructure Eenabling the Attack. Meanwhile, Trump (R) has Pressed European Allies to Increase Defense Spending and has Questioned whether Countries that Fail to Mmeet their Obligations should expect U.S. Protection.

Grynkewich sought to Downplay Concerns about Washington's Commitment, Rrecalling Trump's Positive Remarks about the Alliance during the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands. "I was in the room and I felt the love," Grynkewich said of the 2025 Event. "What I want to do is assure the one billion citizens of our alliance that we've got this. We know what we need to do. We know how we would do it," He added.

He also indicated a Willingness to Discuss Suspected Hybrid Attacks more Openly if Individual NATO Governments wanted Him to address their Concerns. "If a nation wants me to, I'm happy to talk about it," he said. The Warsaw Security Forum brought together European political and defense leaders as the continent grappled with Russia's continuing war in Ukraine and the growing threat of confrontation along NATO's eastern flank.










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