Politics and views in the United States.

Local election officials want better federal protection from threats and intimidation, Nevada says Native American reservations can vote electronically, and Wyoming's Secretary of State calls for removal of ballot drop boxes.
 

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to 2024 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

Election officials are professionals.

We are nonpartisan.

We put voters first, and we are firmly committed to ensuring every citizen can have rightly placed faith in their vote and in our elections.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says a secure democracy depends on the safety of election workers.

Of 2,000 instances of harassment or menace reported to a federal election task force, only 100 have been investigated.

Legal experts say anything short of a direct threat of physical harm could be protected free speech.

To boost turnout, Nevada state officials will let eligible voters living on Native American reservations cast their ballots electronically.

Elevita Martinez of the Walker River Paiute tells the Associated Press that slow mail service has been a challenge.

Right now our tribe is working on updating our broadband system on the reservation.

So again a lot of people don't have internet service yet.

Electronic ballots are available for military and overseas voters.

Numerous states also provide the option for voters with disabilities.

Nevada is the first state to add tribes.

The Republican National Committee kicks off its Protect the Vote Tour in Michigan this week, aiming to recruit poll watchers, poll workers, and legal experts ahead of the November election.

Despite a lack of evidence for claims of widespread vote fraud, RNC co-chair Laura Trump says the campaign aims to make it harder to cheat.

We can never allow what happened in 2020 and the questions surrounding that election to ever happen again.

Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly called on his supporters to guard the vote, particularly at urban poll sites in blue and battleground states.

Wyoming's Republican Secretary of State Chuck Gray says ballot drop boxes are neither secure nor needed now that the pandemic is over.

He says he wants to return to precinct voting on Election Day.

These election integrity measures actually increase voter turnout and that's why we're continuing to work on these issues.

But the Wyoming County Clerks Association is pushing back, saying rural voters depend on them and that sowing mistrust in the electoral process will only keep voters away.

Their fate rests with each county clerk.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed a bill slowing possible implementation of ranked choice voting.

Voters could approve a system by which they would select candidates in order of preference, which could then be applied in an instant runoff.

Backers want it for the 2026 midterms, but Polis says it needs more testing.

Linda Templin with ranked choice voting for Colorado tells Fox 31 it's not that complicated.

It's so easy.

You just say who you love, who you like, and who you can live with.

That's it.

Alaska and Maine are the only states with ranked choice voting, along with New York City and San Francisco.

I'm Katherine Carley for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.