The Republican National Committee (RNC) filed a lawsuit Friday against Maryland election officials, alleging the state has failed to properly maintain its voter-registration rolls. According to the complaint, registration rates in several Maryland counties are “impossibly high,” with two of the state’s largest counties reporting more registered voters than adult citizens.
The lawsuit also states that 10 additional counties have registration rates above 95% of their adult-citizen populations, even though 2022 U.S. Census Bureau data places Maryland’s overall registration rate at roughly 75.6%, the Daily Caller reported on Friday.
“Marylanders deserve to have confidence in their elections and to know that their state is properly maintaining its voter rolls,” RNC Chair Joe Gruters said. “The State Board of Elections has failed to do its job and remove ineligible or deceased voters from its rolls. Marylanders have a right to accurate voter rolls, which is why the RNC is suing today.”
Election officials are allegedly failing to make reasonable efforts to comply with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and properly tend to voter registration rolls, according to the lawsuit cited by the outlet.
The Office of Legislative Audits of the Maryland General Assembly found in October 2023 that the State Board of Elections’ review of its voter registration data “remained inadequate.” An audit discovered “2,426 potentially deceased individuals with active voter registration and 327 individuals with potential duplicate voter registrations,” according to the report.
Failure to maintain voter lists “burdens the right to vote of the individual Plaintiffs and all individual members of the RNC and MDGOP who are lawfully registered to vote in Maryland by undermining their confidence in the integrity of the electoral process, discouraging their participation in the democratic process, and instilling in them the fear that their legitimate votes will be nullified or diluted by unlawful votes,” the lawsuit states.
In addition, the U.S. Departmen of Justice has also filed a lawsuit against Maryland for failing to produce requested voter registration lists, the outlet reported.
The Maryland suit is part of the DOJ’s move requiring more than half of U.S. states to update and maintain their voter rolls, and a senior department official told Just the News this week that prosecutors believe the lapses that left deceased individuals and non-citizens listed as eligible voters in several Democrat-run states may have been intentional.
“The sloppiness of the elections in blue states is no accident. It is on purpose. It is a feature, not a bug,” Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet J. Dhillon told Just the News’ streaming news program.
“And the goal is to cram as many people on there and make voters who are not particularly engaged, make it easy for someone else to help them fill out their ballot and return it for them when they didn’t care enough to do it themselves,” she added.
“What we can do at the federal government level is ensure that our federal election laws are observed, and that includes each state’s requirement to keep clean voter rolls,” she added. “That is a fundamental basic.”
Dhillon spoke one day after her division filed lawsuits against six Democrat-led states — Maryland, Delaware, Rhode Island, New Mexico, Washington state and Vermont — seeking court orders requiring them to provide voter-registration records to the Justice Department. The filings state that the DOJ intends to examine the rolls for irregularities, outdated or duplicate entries, and other potential violations of federal list-maintenance requirements, the outlet reported.
She also reached an agreement last week with North Carolina requiring the state to review and correct more than 100,000 voter registrations that were added without meeting state legal requirements.
Dhillon said her office is now on track — through litigation, settlements or voluntary compliance — to require at least 26 states to update and clean their voter rolls.
“We’re now in litigation with 14 states. So the six yesterday included Maryland, Delaware, Rhode Island, New Mexico, Washington State and Vermont. That adds to eight we already had going,” she said.
In a recent move to combat anti-Semitism, former U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that has significant implications for foreign students and individuals involved in pro-Palestinian protests. This order authorizes the deportation of international students who participate in demonstrations perceived as anti-Israel, aligning with the administration’s broader strategy to address campus activities deemed supportive of organizations like Hamas.
The executive order, signed in late January 2025, directs federal agencies to identify and potentially revoke the visas of non-citizen students involved in such protests. The administration justifies this action by referencing immigration laws that permit deportation of non-citizens who “endorse or espouse” terrorist organizations, with Hamas being designated as such by the U.S. since 1997.
Critics argue that this policy conflates legitimate political expression with support for terrorism, potentially infringing upon free speech rights. Legal experts and civil rights groups warn that using immigration enforcement to suppress protected speech could be unconstitutional and may lead to overreach by law enforcement.
In response to the executive order, some university alumni groups have taken proactive measures. For instance, an alumni group from Columbia University has reportedly discussed efforts to identify students involved in pro-Palestinian protests, aiming to facilitate their deportation.
This development has sparked a broader debate about the balance between combating anti-Semitism and preserving free speech on college campuses. As the Justice Department moves to implement the executive order, educational institutions and civil rights advocates are closely monitoring its impact on student activism and international student communities across the nation.
New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani (D) has shifted his stance on the controversial phrase “globalize the intifada,” saying he would now “discourage” its use. Speaking on MSNBC’s PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton, Mamdani said his change of heart came after a conversation with a rabbi who associated the phrase with past terrorist attacks in Israel.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic Socialist and leading candidate to replace Mayor Eric Adams, acknowledged a “gap in intent” between how the phrase is used by some to protest Israeli occupation and how it is received by many in the Jewish community as a violent threat. He emphasized the importance of representing all New Yorkers, saying his role as mayor would be to understand and bridge differing perspectives.
The American Jewish Committee has defined the phrase as a call for “aggressive resistance against Israel.” Mamdani’s comments Sunday mark a departure from June, when he told NBC’s Meet the Press the phrase was “not language that I use,” but also said it wasn’t his role to “police” speech.
Mamdani’s updated position was first reported in July by The New York Times after a private meeting. Since then, he has tried to balance progressive support with broader electoral appeal, especially in a city with large and politically diverse Jewish and Arab communities.
Over the weekend, Mamdani campaigned with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who criticized billionaire Elon Musk’s wealth during a Brooklyn town hall. Mamdani has also promoted a plan for city-run grocery stores, which he defended in a CNN interview on Friday.
A nonprofit organization in New York City has been caught on camera advising a supposed noncitizen to illegally vote in the mayoral election for Zohran Mamdani.
According to footage released by O’Keefe Media Group (OMG), an undercover journalist posing as an unregistered immigrant approached the nonprofit’s director, asking how to cast a ballot — and who to vote for.
The director allegedly explained how the journalist could navigate the system to vote despite not being a citizen and hinted at which candidate to choose, saying he should vote for the one whose name starts with “M.”
James O’Keefe, founder of the undercover investigative journalism organization, posted the video to X, with the caption: “La Jornada Executive Director Pedro Rodriguez Tells Undercover OMG Journalist Posing as an Unregistered Migrant to ‘Vote for the Guy That Starts with ‘M’ – Despite 501(c)(3) Regulation Prohibiting Political Activity by Tax-Exempt Organizations. Rodriguez Acknowledges Knowing the Individual Is ‘Not Registered’ Before Advising him How to Vote – a Potential Violation of Federal & State Election Laws.”
It’s illegal to vote in New York City elections as a non-citizen, but the voter ID mechanisms are not particularly strong, either.
The video shows the director of the nonprofit “La Jornada” – which boasts a focus on “assisting migrants with their paperwork and legal needs” – talking to the journalist posing as the immigrant.
Mike Casey, the correspondent, told Rodriguez, “Yes, I’m an immigrant. They sent me here to vote. I was recommended to come here to find information to vote. I was given two, dos locations. Forgive me, I am, no Espanol.”
Rodriguez responded, “No, this is perfect for me,” before asking the undercover journalist when he registered to vote.
“I did not, I didn’t sign anything. They just told me to come here to vote,” Casey said.
“You’re not registered? Okay,” the director says. OMG reported that even though the journalist posing as the unregistered immigrant was not in a legal voting status, he was nonetheless instructed to go vote at a local community college.
“It’s three guys. The guy that starts with ‘M,’” Rodriguez instructed.
The only candidate in the race was Zohran Mamdani, who wound up blowing out his opponents to become mayor-elect on Tuesday.
When O’Keefe and his team later confronted Rodriguez, the nonprofit’s director, he denied ever instructing the undercover journalist to vote for Mamdani — despite the fact that the reporter had clearly posed as an illegal immigrant in the recorded exchange.
Mamdani, a self-described “democratic socialist,” is now set to run New York City, the financial capital of America and, arguably, of the free world.
Just the News has reportedly obtained internal documents from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) outlining how the group’s New York City chapter, to which Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani belongs, plans to pressure him into implementing sweeping anti-Israel policies throughout city governance and public life.
Mamdani, who defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa on Tuesday, has long been a fixture in the DSA, where he’s listed as one of nine “New York State Socialists in Office.” The organization, which is decidedly anti-Israel, played a key role in his campaign, backing him in both the Democratic primary and the general election.
During the mayoral race, Mamdani attempted to downplay his ties to the group’s more radical and revolutionary platform — and, according to Politico, the NYC DSA branch actively helped him do so by providing public cover to make his campaign appear more moderate than it truly was.
According to the “Socialists in Office” website, the group is composed of “DSA-endorsed elected officials who work together in the New York State Legislature to advance a socialist vision for working-class people across our state” — and among those featured is Mamdani.
Mayor-elect of New York City Zohran Mamdani takes aim at Donald Trump in victory speech.
Zohran Mamdani, who describes himself as a “democratic socialist”, is set to become the next mayor of New York City.
The 34-year-old has promised to hike taxes on the city’s wealthiest citizens and use that cash to deliver cost-of-living relief to others.
Mr Mamdani’s far-left recipe for success could have broader ramifications for his Democratic Party, where some senior figures view his policies as too radical.
New Yorkers have shaken the United States’s political establishment and delivered 34-year-old socialist Zohran Mamdani a thumping victory in the city’s contentious mayoral election.
For weeks, polls predicted Mr Mamdani was on course for an historic triumph and as counting continued on Tuesday night, local time, his lead became unassailable.
He will become the first Muslim mayor of New York, and joins a small handful of people born overseas to get the keys to Gracie Mansion since the city threw off its colonial shackles almost two centuries ago.
Mr Mamdani ran for the Democrats — one of two major political parties in the US — but his policy platform was considered so radical many in the organisation’s old guard declined to endorse him.
His signature promises are designed to combat the eye-watering cost of living in America’s largest metropolis and include freezing some rents, providing free child care, no-cost buses and opening city-owned grocery stores.
To pay for all that, and more, Mr Mamdani has pledged to hike taxes on New York City’s ultra-rich citizens, as well as companies — reforms critics point out are no sure thing, given they will require support from sceptical politicians elsewhere in the state.
Zohran Mamdani’s supporters celebrate in Brooklyn on Tuesday night. (Reuters: Shannon Stapleton)
Mr Mamdani has polled about 50 per cent of the vote.
Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo stood as an independent after failing to be pre-selected for the Democrats and was second with about 41 per cent, while Curtis Sliwa, from the Republican Party, was a distant third.
Mr Mamdani’s blueprint for change has put him on a political collision course with President Donald Trump — a New Yorker himself — who has threatened to cut federal funding for the city if it elected a “communist”.
Mr Mamdani strode onto the stage at his victory party in Brooklyn on Tuesday night to wild cheers.
“Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up,” the mayor-elect exclaimed.
On top of a hostile White House, Mr Mamdani takes over as mayor at a time many of his new constituents are under considerable economic strain.
America’s growing wealth divide is particularly pronounced in New York City, which is home to the world’s highest concentration of millionaires and billionaires as well as rising levels of homelessness not seen since the Great Depression.
Supporters react after Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York City’s mayoral election. (Reuters: Shannon Stapleton)
Mr Mamdani paid tribute to his working-class supporters during his speech, saying: “These are not hands that have been allowed to hold power, and yet, over the last 12 months, you have dared to reach for something greater.
“Tonight, against all odds, we have grasped it. The future is in our hands. Friends, we have toppled a political dynasty.”
He told the crowd they had made the city “one that working people can love and live in again”.
“New York City, breathe this moment in,” he said. “We have held our breath for longer than we know.
“We have held it in anticipation of defeat. Held it because the air has been knocked out of our lungs too many times to count. Held it because we cannot afford to exhale.
“Thanks to all of those who sacrificed so much, we are breathing in the air of a city that has been reborn.”
New Yorkers headed to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new mayor. (ABC News: Cameron Schwarz)
Mr Mamdani, a self-described “democratic socialist”, will be the city’s most left-wing mayor in more than three decades.
Mr Trump, a Republican, was so concerned about the prospect of his home town lurching to the left, he urged people to vote for Mr Cuomo over his own party’s candidate, Mr Sliwa.
“President Trump doesn’t support me,” Mr Cuomo said, trying to distance himself from the president, who is unpopular in the city. “He opposes Zohran Mamdani.”
Mr Mamdani will take over from scandal-prone incumbent Eric Adams — another Democrat who had chosen to run as an independent until he dropped out of the race in September.
He begins a four-year term on January 1.
Kristina Teschner hopes the result in New York City is a turning point for US politics. (ABC News: Phoebe Hosier)
Kristina Teschner, a resident of the city’s vibrant Brooklyn borough, is among the tens of thousands of volunteers powering Mr Mamdani’s campaign.
The 44-year-old performer and political organiser relies on government food and healthcare programs to survive.
Ms Teschner was evicted from her apartment earlier this year, and was — for a brief period — homeless. A subsequent breast cancer diagnosis compounded her already precarious situation.
“I couldn’t look at my bank account today, but I think maybe there’s a hundred dollars in there,” she told the ABC.
Ms Teschner said her struggles were reflected in Mr Mamdani’s promises.
“There are so many people like me on the verge of having to leave the city,” she said. “I can’t bear it. The heartbeat of New York, working-class people, is being pushed out.”
Zohran Mamdani makes a point to supporters on Monday evening. (ABC News: Cameron Schwarz)
Mr Mamdani moved to New York City from Uganda with his family at age seven, and later became a US citizen. After a brief career as a rapper, he was elected to the state’s assembly — or parliament — in 2021.
The millennial raised eyebrows when he defeated the high-profile Mr Cuomo in June’s Democratic Party mayoral primaries, in what had been widely billed as a David-versus-Goliath contest.
Mr Cuomo, 67, more neatly fits the traditional US political pedigree and was well known to voters, having served three terms as the state’s governor.
He resigned from that role in 2021, though, amid allegations of sexual harassment and corruption, which he denies.
Mr Cuomo, who also runs a consultancy business, is estimated to be in New York’s top 0.5 per cent of earners. His campaign received significant financial backing from billionaires, cashed-up political organisations and pro-Israel groups.
Zohran Mamdani gets support from a cab driver on the campaign trail. (Reuters: Mike Segar)
The war in Gaza was a critical policy difference between Mr Cuomo and Mr Mamdani. The latter has a long history of pro-Palestinian activism and even promised to arrest Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, should he return to the Big Apple in the future.
New York City is home to the world’s largest Jewish community outside Israel, and polling ahead of the election pointed to significant divides among the diaspora as to who to support.
Mark Galinovsky is among the city’s 1.3 million Jewish residents, and on Tuesday told the ABC he had given Mr Cuomo his vote for multiple reasons.
The 34-year-old law student, who works up to 25 hours a week while studying full-time, said about 80 per cent of his income went towards the home he rented in Queens, the city’s easternmost borough.
“Even with food benefits and subsidies, it’s barely enough to get by,” he said.
Mr Galinovsky said rising antisemitism — something Mr Mamdani has been accused of, and denies — had also shaped his decision.
“He [Mamdani] has tried to soften his image, but I think it’s just to placate people,” he said.
Mark Galinovsky cast his vote for Andrew Cuomo in Queens on Tuesday. (ABC News: Cameron Schwarz)
Mr Mamdani’s campaign began with dire polling numbers. However, a viral social media presence and army of volunteers were credited with moving the dial.
Clips of the candidate doing things like salsa dancing with seniors and revving up the room at a Brooklyn nightclub seemed to energise previously disengaged people. Voter turnout in this election was at its highest levels since 1969.
While Mr Cuomo and Mr Sliwa are rusted in to New York City’s establishment, Mr Mamdani has styled himself as a man of the people.
He rents an apartment in Queens, met his wife on a dating app and became known on the campaign trail for flashing a trademark grin to the cameras.
Critics contend he is all smile and no substance.
Andrew Cuomo was all smiles after voting in Manhattan on Tuesday. (Reuters: Brendan McDermid)
They say he lacks the experience required to manage the city’s $US115 billion ($175.8 billion) budget, and has no guaranteed way to pay for the promises he has made on the campaign trail.
His opponents also highlighted Mr Mamdani’s previous calls to defund the police and eliminate prisons — both policy positions he has walked back a bit — as unrealistic.
Mr Mamdani’s victory could have major ramifications for the Democrats elsewhere, too.
Some analysts have described the party as being in the midst of an identity crisis since it was humbled by Mr Trump and the Republicans at last year’s presidential election.
The result in New York City comes as some polls show approval ratings for the Democrats have plummeted to their lowest point in decades.
Despite that, the party’s candidates won gubernatorial races in two states — New Jersey and Virginia — which were also held on Tuesday.
Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa concedes at his election-night party in Manhattan. (Reuters: Ryan Murphy)