Marie Albiges

Stories by Marie Albiges

Reform groups including Fair Districts PA wanted an independent commission void of elected officials who could unfairly influence the process of drawing the state’s political maps.

Redistricting reform in Pa. is dead for now, advocates say. So what’s next?

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

July 1, 2021

“This bill is ultimately not about improving access to voting or election security, but about restricting the freedom to vote,” the governor said in a statement.

Pennsylvania governor vetoes GOP-led election overhaul citing voter ID restrictions

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

June 30, 2021

Democrats call any new ID restrictions “voter suppression,” while Republicans say it makes elections more secure. The reality is more complicated.

As Pa. House advances doomed election overhaul, Senate GOP charts different course to voter ID, other changes

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

June 22, 2021

The move diminished anti-gerrymandering advocates’ hopes of preventing Pennsylvania’s most powerful lawmakers from drawing maps that unfairly benefit one political party.

Panel agrees to put guardrails on how Pa. lawmakers draw congressional maps, but not their own

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

June 22, 2021

Despite two audits and assurances from every level of government that the election was free of widespread fraud, Sen. David Argall (R., Schuylkill) told Spotlight PA he does not see the “damage in doing it one more time to try to answer the concerns that people have.”

Key Pennsylvania state senator backs Arizona-style election audit

by Sarah Anne Hughes of Spotlight PA and Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

June 18, 2021

Gov. Tom Wolf has made clear he opposes the voter ID requirements and would almost certainly veto the bill in its current form.

GOP’s major election overhaul advances in Pa. House as Democrats call it a ‘farce’

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA and Jonathan Lai of The Philadelphia Inquirer

June 15, 2021

The legislation is sure to draw intense scrutiny and will likely face steep obstacles as Republican leaders, who control both chambers of the state legislature, try to keep their party unified while also winning the approval of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.

Pa. GOP proposes major election overhaul, including stricter voter ID and in-person early voting

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA and Jonathan Lai of The Philadelphia Inquirer

June 10, 2021

A contingent of right-wing Republicans says the grants were fundamentally unfair because Democratic-leaning counties got more money. Election directors in those areas used those funds to offer voters additional ways to cast a ballot, such as by opening satellite offices and making drop boxes available.

Mark Zuckerberg helped some Pa. counties survive the 2020 election. Right-wing lawmakers say that was unfair.

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

May 28, 2021

Issues with mail ballots plagued a handful of Pennsylvania counties during the 2021 primary.

Experts say Pa.’s 2021 primary was typical, but GOP lawmakers are seizing on issues

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

May 19, 2021

Bob Morgan, the Luzerne County election director, talks about how to set up and use a voting machine during a recent training class. A new crop of election directors will be in place for Tuesday's primary, but with uneven — and in some cases, little — training.

A new wave of election directors step in to fill Pa.’s many vacancies — with little training and varying experience

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

May 17, 2021

In their order, the Pa. Supreme Court's justices, five Democrats and two Republicans, did not explain their pick.

Pa. Supreme Court picks former Pitt chancellor to chair powerful redistricting commission

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

May 3, 2021

Amanda Holt, a graphic artist and piano teacher from Allentown, drew her own political maps after noticing oddities in the ones drawn by lawmakers.

Are Pa.’s state House and Senate maps gerrymandered? Depends on how you measure them.

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

May 3, 2021

A five-member commission is tasked with drawing new state House and Senate maps every 10 years.

Pa. Supreme Court will pick chair of powerful state redistricting panel

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

April 30, 2021

Pennsylvania’s congressional map is drawn by the 253-member General Assembly and must be approved by the governor.

Anticipating ‘partisan’ impasse, Democrats ask court to prepare to draw Pa. congressional map

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

April 27, 2021

Election officials hope Democrats and Republicans can finally agree on giving counties more time to process mail ballots before Election Day.

Key GOP lawmaker eyes photo ID, signature matching as Pa. considers voting changes

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

April 20, 2021

The once-a-decade process to draw new political maps — normally done in secret with little public input — is officially underway in Harrisburg.

The deciding vote in Pa.’s high-stakes political redistricting could be yours, if lawmakers agree

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

April 6, 2021

State officials have touted the results of the pilot audit as evidence the November election was administered without error. And while it does suggest a high degree of confidence in the outcome, it cannot answer some of the finer questions about how the election was run.

Pa. audit confirms Biden got more votes than Trump, but can’t tell us much else

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

March 10, 2021

Local officials in Pennsylvania are facing another election without extra time to process mail ballots, likely leading to delayed results and putting increased pressure on counties reeling from the most expensive contest ever.

Counties will again be unable to process mail ballots early during Pa.’s primary election

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

Feb. 24, 2021

Timothy DeFoor (right) became the first Republican in more than two decades to win the row office, a major victory for the party.

Pa.’s new auditor general says his election was fair, but he won’t talk about the others

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

Feb. 19, 2021

The U.S. Census Bureau announced Friday that it can’t release the population figures needed for redistricting until Sept. 30, citing setbacks in collecting responses to questionnaires during the coronavirus pandemic.

Delay in census data could put transparency in Pa.’s redistricting process at risk

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

Feb. 15, 2021

Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar announced she would step down after it was revealed the Department of State failed to advertise a constitutional amendment to create a two-year window so adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse can sue the perpetrators and institutions that covered it up.

What the exit of Pa.’s top election official means for the future of voting

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

Feb. 4, 2021

Many Republicans contend electing appellate judges by districts rather than in statewide partisan contests — as is currently the process — will ensure that the state Supreme Court, Superior Court, and Commonwealth Court reflect the state’s diverse geography.

Pa. could become a national outlier in how it elects appellate judges. Here’s why experts are worried.

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

Jan. 27, 2021

El estado está a punto de perder un escaño en el Congreso. La representación de millones de personas está en juego. Y después de un año 2020 lleno de batallas judiciales politizadas y desinformación, los republicanos tendrán que hacer lo que parece imposible, llevarse bien con los demócratas.

La redistribución de distritos será la lucha política definitiva del 2021 en Pensilvania. Así es como funcionará.

by Marie Albiges de Spotlight PA

Jan. 26, 2021

Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar on Thursday defended her actions during the 2020 election, which have been upheld in the courts, and called on Republicans to end their 'lies.'

Top Pa. election official calls for end to ‘lies’ as GOP launches 2020 hearings

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

Jan. 21, 2021

Every decade, states undergo a process called redistricting, in which the boundaries of state legislative and U.S. House of Representative districts are redrawn to account for shifts in population as accounted for in the decennial census count.

Redistricting will be the definitive political fight of 2021 in Pennsylvania. Here’s how it’ll work.

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

Jan. 15, 2021

Inside the Pennsylvania Supreme Court

Angered by Pa. Supreme Court rulings, GOP moves to exert more control over judiciary branch

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

Jan. 13, 2021

The letter signed by President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (seen here, center) said Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar “usurped legislative authority."

Republican leaders in Pa. Senate ask Congress to delay Electoral College count

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

Jan. 6, 2021

In 2021, election officials want their voices to be heard.

Election officials want a say in Pa.’s voting reforms, but politics may get in the way

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

Jan. 5, 2021

The review means more work for election officials, many of whom are burnt out and have a reduced staff during the holidays while they begin preparing for the municipal primaries in 2021.

Thousands of ballots will be audited as part of Pa.’s post-election review

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA

Dec. 23, 2020

“Mail-in voting has become like a second election that we have to run, that we never had to run before,” Lycoming County Elections Director Forrest Lehman said. “It has almost doubled the workload, and you know, nobody’s salaries have doubled at the same time.”

Pa. election officials are burnt out and leaving their jobs after 2020 ‘nightmare’

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA and Tom Lisi for Spotlight PA

Dec. 21, 2020

Trump supporters protest outside the Capitol building on Monday, Dec. 14. Twenty electors from across Pennsylvania gathered in Harrisburg today to cast their votes for Joe Biden.

With unusual attention, Pa. presidential electors officially cast votes for Joe Biden

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA and Tom Lisi for Spotlight PA

Dec. 14, 2020

House Speaker Bryan Cutler (R., Lancaster) signed onto the letter.

GOP leaders ask Congress to reject Pa.’s electors for Joe Biden

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA and Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA

Dec. 4, 2020

Mail-in ballots are sorted and counted by workers on Election Day in Northampton County. Pennsylvania lawmakers instituted no-excuse mail voting for the first time in 2019.

Pandemic, partisan attacks exposed gaps in Pa.’s new mail-in voting law

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA

Dec. 3, 2020

Erie County is one of 14 Pennsylvania counties that use machines from Dominion Voting Systems.

Pa. counties reported no major issues with Dominion voting machines, a target of Trump and his campaign

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA

Nov. 30, 2020

Counties were required to submit their certified results to Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar by Monday.

Pa. declares Biden as winner of state’s 2020 presidential election, certifies results

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA and Tom Lisi for Spotlight PA

Nov. 24, 2020

In voting against the state House's request to audit the election, Rep. Jake Wheatley (D., Allegheny) said it was duplicative of the Department of State's audit, which is required by law.

In rare move, bipartisan panel rejects Pa. House request to audit 2020 election

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA and Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA

Nov. 23, 2020

Volunteers opened and sorted mail-in ballots while poll watchers observed in Erie County on Nov. 3. The Erie County Board of Elections unanimously voted to certify its election results Thursday without any fanfare.

Pa. counties expect to sign off on election results by Monday despite Trump’s attempts to delay certification

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA and Tom Lisi for Spotlight PA

Nov. 20, 2020

The Hispanic and Latino populations in Pennsylvania have steadily grown over the past few decades, making up nearly 8% of the population as of 2019.

Spanish speakers in Pa. faced confused poll workers, lack of interpreters on Election Day

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA

Nov. 17, 2020

On Election Day, voters actually cast their votes for the electors to represent their candidate of choice.

Meet Pennsylvania’s Electoral College voters: Everything they can — and can’t — do

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA

Nov. 13, 2020

Roughly two dozen lawmakers called for the creation of an investigatory committee with subpoena power to conduct an immediate audit, saying they had fielded widespread doubts about the fairness of the Nov. 3 presidential election.

Pa. GOP lawmakers to probe unverified fraud claims in election they largely won

by Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA and Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA

Nov. 10, 2020

Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman said while he doesn’t “have any evidence of misdoing,” half of the state will not have faith in the results because of actions taken by Kathy Boockvar, the secretary of the commonwealth, in administering the election.

Top Pa. Republican casting doubt on vote while conceding he doesn’t have ‘any evidence of misdoing’

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA and Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA

Nov. 6, 2020

"Naked" ballots are stacked and sorted inside a secure facility within the Erie County Courthouse.

Trump, Republicans sharpen legal attacks on Pa. ballots as count continues

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA and Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA

Nov. 4, 2020

When ballots are counted, and how results are reported, matter this year perhaps more than ever.

These Pa. counties won’t start counting mail ballots until Wednesday, possibly skewing early results

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA

Nov. 2, 2020

County election officials across the state say drastic changes to Pennsylvania’s voting laws, a global pandemic, and misinformation surrounding a high-stakes presidential election are all contributing to the high stress they’re feeling as they work overtime leading up to Nov. 3.

Harassment, anger, and misinformation plague Pa. county officials as they struggle to keep 2020 election on track

by Marie Albiges and Tom Lisi for Spotlight PA and Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA

Oct. 30, 2020

The ballot postmark could become 2020′s hanging chad.

Will Pa. be at the center of another Bush v. Gore? These 8 lawyers and scholars weigh in.

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA

Oct. 29, 2020

Ten states allow a family member to return a ballot for a voter, and 26 states allow a voter to designate someone to return their ballot.

What is ‘ballot harvesting,’ and who can and can’t deliver your mail ballot in Pa.

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA

Oct. 27, 2020

The latest challenge came as the state’s top elections official, Kathy Boockvar, urged voters not to count on the extension, and instead mail in their ballots right away to get their votes counted.

How Amy Coney Barrett could be key to new lawsuit to block Pa.’s mail-in ballot extension

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA

Oct. 22, 2020

ExpressVote XL devices will be used in Cumberland County, Northampton County, and Philadelphia this year.

A year ago, voting machines malfunctioned in a pivotal Pa. county. Have the problems been fixed?

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA

Oct. 21, 2020

More than 690,000 Republicans have requested a mail-in or absentee ballot for the November election.

U.S. Supreme Court allows 3-day extension to count Pennsylvania mail-in ballots

by Marie Albiges for Spotlight PA

Oct. 19, 2020

Support Spotlight PA's vital investigative journalism for Pennsylvania and for a limited time, your gift will be DOUBLED.