Legal Updates

On June 12, 2026, Sheriff Bianco, the Riverside County Registrar of Voters, and the California Secretary of State addressed a show cause order from the California Supreme Court. The VRP will be filing a response brief by July 2, 2026, arguing that the Court should issue a Writ of Mandate and return all seized ballots and materials back to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters.

On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14160, which sought to deny birthright citizenship for babies born on U.S. soil to parents who do not have U.S. citizenship or hold lawful permanent residency. The order, which is currently blocked from implementation, is being challenged on its constitutionality. The outcome will have far-reaching effects including on ability to participate in electoral processes, political representation, and access to healthcare, education, and employment. 

In 2020 Mississippi state legislature amended its election code to permit counting mail-in ballots that were postmarked by Election Day and arrived up to five days after to account for delayed mail services. Watson v. RNC evaluates whether federal election-day laws prevent state statutes that permit mail-in ballots to be received and counted after Election Day, provided they are postmarked on or before Election day. The Court’s decision will determine how to interpret the meaning of a single national election day for federal offices, and clarify the extent to which states have authority to enforce ballot-receipt deadlines. The outcome will have significant implications on election administration nationwide, particularly for states that permit post–Election Day receipt of mail-in ballots.

Dr. Michael Herndon's Research Documents Racial Bias in Ballot Rejections

Michael Herndon, a Senior Research Fellow for the VRP, received his Ph.D. in Political Science this month and will begin a postdoctoral fellowship at UT Austin this Fall. His dissertation, "The American Dilemma in Election Administration: How Street-Level Bureaucrats Racialize Voting," is now available for viewing here. In it, he argues that election officials responsible for adjudicating ballot validity may hold personal biases that can affect their on-the-job decision-making, as has been observed across many similar bureaucratic contexts, including law enforcement, social work, and constituent services. These personal biases, when combined with subjective and discretionary duties such as signature matching, can result in the disproportionate disenfranchisement of young and non-White voters. His research on this subject has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including Political Research Quarterly. At UT Austin, Michael will continue this research agenda by testing the effectiveness of various policy remedies aimed at reducing disproportionate ballot rejection. 

How else can I support the VRP?

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