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The Supreme Court Takes Up Candidate Standing in Bost v. Illinois By Marshal Trigg, Junior Counsel, USGI On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Bost v. Illinois, a case brought by Judicial Watch, challenging an Illinois law permitting the return of absentee ballots up to two weeks after Election Day. The case’s merits were not before the Court, however, but rather the threshold question of whether the plaintiff candidate, Congressman Bost, has legal standing to bring this suit in the first place. 

DOJ Records Requests Head to Court By Justin Riemer, President, USGI  In recent months, the Department of Justice has written to most states and some localities requesting they disclose their statewide voter registration lists and other records. Many have balked, citing state and federal privacy laws as a basis to withhold voters’ personal information, including social security and driver’s license numbers.   Predictably, the issue has moved to the courts who will likely define DOJ’s authority to obtain the records. Just yesterday, DOJ sued California, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania for refusing to comply. This follows similar suits last week against Oregon and Maine and California’s Orange County in June for its refusal to provide records regarding noncitizen registrants. A South Carolina voter also sued in local court last month to block the state from disclosing her “personal information” to DOJ. The court granted emergency relief before the state was even served and could respond, but the state Supreme Court recently reversed the lower

Welcome to the Grant Institute’s Grant Report. This periodic update highlights key developments impacting election administration, including voting litigation, policymaking, and federal activity. The Ulysses S. Grant Institute (USGI) is a 501(c)(3) organization established alongside Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE), dedicated to the study of voting and elections processes. USGI currently has several scholarly projects underway and, as our programming expands, we look forward to providing timely expert analysis and commentary on relevant topics through this update, as well as on our website and social media channels. We also welcome contributions. If you have news, commentary, or other relevant information to share, please submit to info@grantdemocracy.org or to Janey Whitney, USGI’s Jaquish-Kenninger Fellow, at janeywhitney@grantdemocracy.org for inclusion in the Grant Report. We are happy to promote studies, papers, projects, events, job openings, and other newsworthy items to those interested in voting and election administration. Justin Riemer, President, USGI Alaska Ten individuals born in American Samoa but now