Republicans ask Supreme Court to block counting of some provisional ballots in PA

SHATTER PREVIOUS SPENDING RECORDS, ACCORDING TO A NEW REPORT FROM OPEN SECRETS, A NONPROFIT THAT TRACKS MONEY IN POLITICS. FEDERAL ELECTION SPENDING IS SET TO TOP $15.9 BILLION. WILL THAT RESULT IN A HIGHER VOTER TURNOUT? ONLY 66% OF ELIGIBLE VOTERS ACTUALLY CAST A BALLOT IN 2020. THAT TURNOUT WAS THE HIGHEST FOR A NATIONAL ELECTION IN OVER A CENTURY. ONE NONPARTISAN ORGANIZATION IS TAKING A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO EMPOWERING PEOPLE TO VOTE AND NOT JUST IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS, ALEX NIEMCZEWSKI IS THE CO-FOUNDER OF BALLOTREADY. ALEX, SO NICE TO HAVE YOU IN STUDIO. THANK YOU. WHEN AND WHY DID YOU START BALLOTREADY? SO IN 2015, I WAS READY TO VOTE FOR THE CANDIDATES AT THE TOP OF MY BALLOT, BUT I REALIZED MY BALLOT WAS VERY LONG AND THERE WERE ALL THESE CANDIDATES WHO I’D NEVER HEARD THEIR NAMES BEFORE. AND WHEN I ASKED OTHER PEOPLE, THEY ALL SAID, OH YEAH, I DON’T KNOW WHO TO VOTE FOR. SO IT BECAME CLEAR TO ME THAT THIS WAS A BIG PROBLEM, NOT JUST FOR ME. WHAT IS THIS BALLOTREADY DO WE HAVE A BIG TEAM AND WE CONTACT EVERY ELECTION AUTHORITY IN THE COUNTRY. SO THAT’S OVER 3000 COUNTIES, BOARDS OF ELECTIONS. WE SHOW VOTERS BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT ALL THE CANDIDATES THAT WILL BE ON THEIR BALLOT AND BALLOT MEASURES. OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE IT REALLY EASY FOR EVERYONE TO BE INFORMED AND BE VERY CONFIDENT WHEN THEY GO TO VOTE. SO IS THERE A CONNECTION BETWEEN HOW CIVICALLY INVOLVED SOMEBODY IS AND THEIR ACCESS TO NEWS AND INFORMATION IN VOTING? YES, WE KNOW THAT IN THE MEDIA, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT LOCAL NEWS HAS BEEN UNDERFUNDED, THERE’S JUST MUCH MORE ATTENTION ON CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. SO FOR MANY VOTERS, THEY DON’T EVEN REALIZE IT’S GOING TO BE MORE THAN TRUMP AND HARRIS ON THE BALLOT. THEY DON’T REALIZE IT’S GOING TO BE LONG. AND YOUNG PEOPLE. THEY’RE GETTING THEIR INFORMATION FROM SOCIAL MEDIA THAT MAY NOT HAVE AS MUCH LOCAL CONTENT. IT HAS ASTONISHED ME THE NUMBER OF UNCONTESTED RACES THAT EXIST. GIVE ME SOME OF THE DATA AROUND THAT. IT’S CRAZY. YEAH. SO WE’VE DONE THIS ANALYSIS SINCE 2020 ON THE NUMBER OF SEATS THAT ARE UNCONTESTED, WHICH MEANS THERE’S ONLY ONE CANDIDATE RUNNING. AND EACH YEAR IT’S BEEN ABOUT 70% OF RACES ARE UNCONTESTED, WHICH IS CRAZY, INSANE, DEPRESSING. IT’S NOT DEMOCRACY WORKING THE WAY THAT IT SHOULD. WHY DO YOU THINK THERE ARE SO MANY RACES THAT ARE UNCONTESTED? WE SEE IT’S WORSE FURTHER DOWN THE BALLOT. SO RACES THAT AFFECT DISTRICT ATTORNEY, SHERIFF, THOSE TEND TO BE UNCONTESTED. WE THINK THE REASON FOR THIS IS THIS HUGE INFORMATION GAP THAT THE PUBLIC HAS AROUND WHO REPRESENTS THEM. AND WHAT’S GOING TO BE ON THEIR BALLOT. AND THAT’S KIND OF THE FIRST WAY WE ARE TRYING TO TACKLE THAT IS MAKING IT EASY TO BE INFORMED ABOUT YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND YOUR SAY IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT. THE SECOND IS THERE ARE AN INCREASING NUMBER OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUPPORT PEOPLE RUNNING FOR OFFICE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL. ONCE AN INCUMBENT IS IN OFFICE, THEY DON’T REALLY HAVE AN INCENTIVE TO MAKE IT EASY FOR PEOPLE TO RUN AGAINST THEM. ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT DEMOCRACY? AS YOU SEE THIS GAP THAT YOU’RE TRYING TO SORT OF BRIDGE FOR FOLKS? I AM CONCERNED ABOUT DEMOCRACY, NAMELY, HOW LOW TURNOUT IS IN LOCAL ELECTIONS AND EVEN IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS. AND I’M CONCERNED ABOUT HOW MANY UNCONTESTED RACES THERE ARE. I AM OPTIMISTIC BECAUSE A LOT MORE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE INCREASINGLY CIVICALLY ENGAGED. THEY’RE REGISTERING TO VOTE AT HIGHER RATES THAN THEY HAVE BEEN BEFORE. THEY’RE PROTESTING. THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT CIVIC ISSUES ON SOCIAL MEDIA. I THINK THERE’S A LONG WAY TO GO, BUT I AM OPTIMISTIC THAT WE’RE HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. AL