Merrill to Testify Before Congressional Committee
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill heads to Washington to testify before Congress Wednesday about election security. Merrill is one of a handful of state and local election officials giving feedback on a bill meant to improve the nation’s voting laws. He says he has issues with some of the provisions in the proposed legislation.
“They indicate federal overreach and they indicate some level of unfunded or underfunded mandates for the states or local areas,” Merrill says of the proposed bill. Some of the provisions, including paper ballots and accountability audits, are things Alabama already does or plans to do, he says.
But practices such as same-day voter registration and early voting are not available to Alabama voters. Merrill says they’re not necessary. “We have less than 300,000 people in the state of Alabama that are not registered to vote,” he says. The state has registered voters in record numbers, he says. And he says early voting hasn’t been proven to significantly increase voter participation. Research shows its effect on turnout is unclear.
Merrill says Alabama is doing well in the area of election security, citing a two-factor authentication system introduced last year. That requires multiple levels of authentication before someone is added to the rolls. And removing names from the voter rolls using information from various state agencies, including the Department of Corrections, he says, further ensures election security. Voting rights advocates have argued those and other measures have made it harder for people to vote in Alabama. Updates to the state’s voter rolls in 2017 frustrated many residents.
A committee reporting to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has been looking into voter access in Alabama.
Merrill says he isn’t terribly concerned about potential hacking into the state election system. But he says he’d like to be able learn of a breach quickly.
A livestream of the hearing will be available here.
Light from satellites will ruin majority of some space telescope images, study says
Astronomers have long been concerned about reflections from satellites showing up in images taken by telescopes and other scientific instruments.
Defense Department is reviewing boat strike video for possible release, Hegseth says
In a speech on Saturday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the strikes, saying: "President Trump can and will take decisive military action as he sees fit to defend our nation's interests."
Bama, Miami in, Notre Dame out and Indiana No. 1 in College Football Playoff rankings
Nobody paying attention for the past 24 months would be surprised to see Indiana – yes, Indiana – leading the way into this year's College Football Playoff.
McLaren’s Lando Norris wins first F1 title at season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Red Bull driver and defending champion Max Verstappen won the race with Norris placing third, which allowed Norris to finish two points ahead of Verstappen in the season-long standings.
A ban on feeding pigeons ruffles lots of feathers in Mumbai
The pigeon population has exploded — a result of people feeding the birds. For some it's a holy duty and a way to connect to nature. Critics point to health risks tied to exposure to pigeon droppings.
UN humanitarian chief: world needs to ‘wake up’ and help stop violence in Sudan
The UN's top humanitarian and emergency relief official has told NPR that the lack of attention from world leaders to the war in Sudan is the "billion dollar question".
