Voters largely reject election-denying secretaries of state

+ abortion drove voters in some states; democracy and fascism US Edition - Today's top story: Voters largely reject election deniers as secretaries of state – but the partisan battle for election administration will continue [View in browser]( US Edition | 10 November 2022 [The Conversation]( When an election happens, it’s like the Journalism Olympics. Everyone needs to be in top shape, and all the support crew members need to be on their toes, ready to handle any developments. Gay Talese once wrote about journalists that “gloom is their game, the spectacle their passion, normality their nemesis” – so we were ready for all manner of trouble on Election Day. We had scholars lined up to cover various regular aspects of the election, such as turnout and the reasons people voted a certain way. But because this is a time of persistent attempts to undermine U.S. democracy, we also lined up scholars to cover darker subjects, such as militia violence and massive voter intimidation. Those scholars had a very quiet night. The election went smoothly. As one observer on CNN said yesterday, “This was a referendum on extremism, and extremism lost.” Many races haven’t been called yet, and that blanket statement on extremism may need to yield to a more subtle accounting. But in races for one of the most important elected positions in a democracy, the job of secretary of state – chief elections official – scholar Thom Reilly of Arizona State University writes that voters have, in most cases, “[rejected extremist secretary of state candidates who denied the validity of the 2020 presidential election](.” Reilly, an expert in local public governance, says that the choices voters made in this election were a shot in the arm for democracy. But because “the U.S. is the only democracy in the world that elects its election officials, and one of the very few to allow high-ranking party members to lead election administration,” there could still be trouble down the road. Stay tuned for 2024. Naomi Schalit Senior Editor, Politics + Society Jim Marchant, Republican candidate for Nevada secretary of state, arrives at a rally in Henderson on Nov. 6, 2022. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images [Voters largely reject election deniers as secretaries of state – but the partisan battle for election administration will continue]( Thom Reilly, Arizona State University Voters mostly did not cast their ballots for chief election administration officials who deny the 2020 election. But the hyperpartisan trend could further erode trust in elections. Tehassi Hill, tribal chairman of the Oneida Nation, stands outside a U.S. appeals court in 2019 after arguments in a case that has made its way to the Supreme Court. AP Photo/Kevin McGill [Native American children’s protection against adoption by non-Indian families is before the Supreme Court]( Kirsten Matoy Carlson, Wayne State University A case before the Supreme Court will determine whether a federal law meant to protect Native American children from being forcibly removed from their families is constitutional. Voters in Michigan said ‘yes’ to Prop 3, a ballot protecting abortion rights. Brandon Bell/Getty Images [In first nationwide election since Roe was overturned, voters opt to protect abortion access]( Linda C. McClain, Boston University; Nicole Huberfeld, Boston University Abortion rights were on the ballot in five states during the midterm elections – all broke in favor of abortion-rights advocates. [The ‘carpetbagger’ label that Fetterman stuck on Oz may have been key in defeating him]( Charles R. Hunt, Boise State University In the hard-fought contest between John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz for the US Senate, Fetterman slammed Oz with charges he was a carpetbagger. That may have helped Fetterman win the race. [Why some people think fascism is the greatest expression of democracy ever invented]( Mark R Reiff, University of California, Davis Some fascists claim that democracy and fascism have the same goal – to give effect to the will of the people. But who the people are is where the ideologies divide. [I’m an election law expert who ran a polling station this election – here’s what I learned about the powerful role of local officials in applying the law fairly]( Derek T. Muller, University of Iowa What’s it like for an election law scholar to work at a polling place on Election Day? A law school professor sees how election laws work – or keep election workers guessing – at the ground level. [A stunning political comeback for Israel’s Netanyahu may give way to governing nightmare ahead]( Guy Ziv, American University School of International Service Israel’s longest serving and most politically resilient prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, returns to government with a new coalition, partnering with extreme-right parties. It could be his undoing. [Ukraine war: Russia pulling out of key city of Kherson – what it means for the conflict]( Christopher Morris, University of Portsmouth Some analysts think Russia’s withdrawal may be a ruse, to draw Ukrainian troops into urban warfare. [Remembering the veterans who marched on DC to demand bonuses during the Depression, only to be driven out by soldiers]( Shannon Bow O'Brien, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts Thousands of volunteers joined the military during World War I. But when the war ended and the Great Depression began, the volunteers wanted a bonus to be paid in 1932, not in 1945 as planned. - [Midterms 2022: 4 experts on the effects of voter intimidation laws, widespread mail-in voting – and what makes a winner]( Thessalia Merivaki, Mississippi State University; Bertrall Ross, University of Virginia; Jeffrey Lazarus, Georgia State University; Mara Suttmann-Lea, Connecticut College Some election results will take days or longer to materialize – but on election night, a panel of scholars offer initial takeaways on mail-in voting, how to win an election and voter suppression. - [Generous aid to Ukraine is diverting resources away from other refugee crises around the world]( Tazreena Sajjad, American University School of International Service The international response to the refugee crisis in Ukraine has been impressive. But humanitarian aid is falling short to help refugees in other countries such as Bangladesh, Yemen and Ethiopia. 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