from States Newsroom
|
By Kathie Obradovich |
Happy Labor Day!
Today’s holiday is the traditional, unofficial kickoff of the fall election season, but there’s been no shortage of activity on the campaign trails – and the courtrooms – around the country so far as election laws are put to the test on issues ranging from mail-in voting to redistricting and access for both candidates and voters.
Meanwhile, labor union membership is growing in the U.S., according to a study published just ahead of Labor Day, but politics – and the policy that results – are a major driver of where unions are growing, Stateline reports.
The State of the Unions report found that states that have sought to protect or strengthen collective bargaining rights added three times as many union members as so-called right-to-work states, which prohibit mandatory union membership or dues as conditions of employment.
TOP IMPACT
Karen Kost took part in the North Dakota primary election early voting available June 3, 2026, at City Hall in Casselton, North Dakota. (Photo by Dan Koeck/North Dakota Monitor)
By Jennifer Shutt | News from the States
President Donald Trump said earlier this year he’d “do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections” this fall, declining to rule out sending the National Guard or federal law enforcement officers to polling locations throughout the country.
Those comments came a few months after Trump casually and briefly mentioned canceling the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.
A Utah County election worker picks up mailed ballots from the United States Postal Service office on Oct. 26, 2020 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
By Jacob Fischler | News from the States
President Donald Trump’s executive order placing new restrictions on mail-in voting would assign state officials a Herculean task to reach compliance before the crucial midterm elections.
The order directed the U.S. Postal Service to strictly regulate the envelope design of mail-in ballots and to collect voter data from each state through an online portal, among other things.
BIG PICTURE
The U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 29, 2024. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom)
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, CONGRESS AND COURTS
USA: Trump’s newest order on birthright citizenship blocked in federal court | News from the States
USA: As the Trump administration dismantles Temporary Protected Status, Salvadorans may be next | News from the States
ME: Bellows says election will proceed as usual, despite legal battle over Trump’s mail-in voting order | Maine Morning Star
CO: Colorado challenges Trump rule blocking Medicaid funding for gender-affirming care | Colorado Newsline
WV: 4,000 fewer West Virginia children have SNAP since One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed | West Virginia Watch
IN: Thousands of Hoosiers removed from food assistance | Indiana Capital Chronicle
IN: FEMA chief wants ‘timely support’ for Indiana storm-damage recovery | Indiana Capital Chronicle
MN: ICE agent Christian Castro turns himself in on federal charge | Minnesota Reformer
USA: US House clears spending stopgap backed by Trump that averts government shutdown | News from the States
USA: US Supreme Court lets Trump move ahead with his White House ballroom project | News from the States
USA: Legal aid for immigrant kids remains in question after Trump administration pulls contract | News from the States
USA: 9 justices on the Supreme Court or 13? Numbers battle revived in Congress | News from the States
OH: Where have the workers gone? 2 million foreign-born men have left the country, analysis says. | Ohio Capital Journal
USA: USPS whistleblower predicts ‘catastrophic’ effect on elections under Trump vote-by-mail order | News from the States
USA: Judge calls Trump mail ballot rule 'substantively unconstitutional' as court battle extends | News from the States
CAMPAIGNS, VOTING AND ELECTION LAW
AL: Jones outraises Tuberville in August; Tuberville retains large funding edge | Alabama Reflector
AL: Plaintiffs say Tuberville is ‘constitutionally ineligible’ for governorship in reply brief | Alabama Reflector
MO: Missouri court refuses to delay congressional map ruling, setting up US Supreme Court appeal | Missouri Independent
IN: Court halts ballots while it considers recount of 3-vote Indiana Senate primary | Indiana Capital Chronicle
MO: Missouri Supreme Court blocks gerrymandered congressional map, orders referendum vote | Missouri Independent
MO: Missouri voters will decide limits on lawmakers rewriting ballot measures | Missouri Independent
AZ: Thousands of Arizona voters received letters asking if they’d moved. Here’s why. | Arizona Mirror
WI: Ahead of Labor Day, unions back Crowley | Wisconsin Examiner
WA: Uncounted late ballots jump in WA as fears of Postal Service delays intensify | Washington State Standard
ME: Elon Musk weighs into Maine’s Senate race | Maine Morning Star
RI: Mellor posts his military service records online in response to GOP rival’s attack | Rhode Island Current
NH: Pappas is making campaign finance part of his US Senate bid. His opponents cry hypocrisy. | News Hampshire Bulletin
IA: Rob Sand says Iowa needs to ‘reduce red tape’ to meet housing needs | Iowa Capital Dispatch
TN: 2026 Tennessee state House election: Five races to grab attention of both parties | Tennessee Lookout
MO: Missouri House candidate charged in plot to plant drugs on Republican primary opponent | Missouri Independent
OH: Ohio Democratic candidate for governor Amy Acton refuses to debate | Ohio Capital Journal
OH: Did Acton shut down Ohio? Where did Ramaswamy go to school? We fact-check ads. | Ohio Capital Journal
KS: Two Republican nominees for Kansas House withdraw from ballot due to health complications | Kansas Reflector
SD: Podcast: Pros and cons on a ballot question to raise the bar for changing the state constitution | South Dakota Searchlight
NM: Federal judge denies New Mexico Forward Party’s request to halt enforcement of ballot access law | Source New Mexico
SD: South Dakota utility regulator candidates clash over AI data center pause | South Dakota Searchlight
ND: 5 independents set for November ballot, including Fargo candidate running after incumbent’s death | North Dakota Monitor
MO: ‘Just pick’: Missouri clerks dispute claim that switching congressional maps is impossible | Missouri Independent
ME: Same-day events underscore strategic differences in Maine’s pivotal US Senate race | Maine Morning Star
AZ: GOP secretary of state hopeful Alex Kolodin won’t say Arizona elections are secure | Arizona Mirror
SD: US Senate challenger says Wounded Knee medals ‘should not stand’; incumbent says more info needed | South Dakota Searchlight
ME: Lacking cash, Jackson is leaning into his ground game | Maine Morning Star
Thanks so much for reading The Rundown. Tips? Feedback?
✉️ [email protected], or X @robinlopsahl
And if you enjoyed today's edition, forward this email to a friend.