Democracy Docket
@DemocracyDocketCalifornia rejected nearly 150,000 mail-in ballots in its June primary, 63% of which were not postmarked or received within the state’s legally permitted window.
We’re breaking down why recent changes by USPS could be to blame: demdock.com/3TYw3F2
I am going to continue to highlight stories like this, because I want people to recognize the precautions that need to be taken for the November 2026 Election.
IF you are going to use a Mail Ballot to vote for the November 2026 Election:
1. IF you have the option of using an Election Jurisdiction Mail DropBox – DO SO.
2. IF the only way for you to return your Mail Ballot is via the USPS….
DO NOT DROP IT OFF IN A MAILBOX.
DO NOT GIVE IT TO YOUR POSTMAN.
TAKE IT TO YOUR LOCAL POST OFFICE. GO INSIDE. REQUEST THAT THE POSTAL WORKER PUT A DATE STAMP ON YOUR BALLOT RETURN ENVELOPE.
IN.FRONT.OF.YOU.
There is no reason for your ballot to be rejected because of a Post Office Date Stamp.
……………………………….
California rejects nearly 150,000 mail ballots despite voter safeguards
By Yunior Rivas
July 24, 2026
California rejected nearly 150,000 mail-in ballots in its June primary, exposing how votes can still go uncounted even in a state with some of the nation’s strongest voter protections.
According to recently released state data, county election officials rejected 148,241 mail-in ballots of the more than 8.5 million total returned last month.
The overwhelming driver were ballots that were deemed too late: 93,479 ballots were rejected because they were not postmarked or received within California’s legally permitted window, accounting for 63% of all rejected mail ballots.
That percentage is especially notable, according to Mindy Romero, founder and director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy.
“The increase in late ballots is helping to drive that increase in rejected ballots overall,” Romero told Democracy Docket. “And that’s concerning.”
The vast majority of California voters — about 90% — cast their ballots by mail.
California mails a ballot to every active registered voter and counts mailed ballots that arrive up to seven days after Election Day, as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld states’ authority to use similar receipt deadlines, rejecting a Republican National Committee challenge to a Mississippi law that counts ballots postmarked by Election Day and received within five business days.
The Court held that federal law does not require states to possess every ballot by Election Day.
The grace period is meant to protect voters from ordinary mail delays. But California’s experience shows that a grace period may only be as protective as the bureaucratic systems on which it depends.
The U.S. Postal Service acknowledged in a rule that took effect in December that most postmarks are applied when an envelope reaches an automated processing facility, not when a voter places it in a mailbox, hands it to a carrier or brings it to a local post office. The agency also admitted that its Regional Transportation Optimization program will make gaps between possession and postmarking more common.
“The date inscribed by a postmark applied at a processing facility may be later than the date that the mailpiece was first accepted by the Postal Service,” the agency wrote.
Under the new transportation system, post offices serving ZIP codes more than 50 miles from regional processing centers generally lost a second daily truck trip. Mail collected during the day can remain at a local post office until the next morning before being transported for processing and postmarking.
The Postal Regulatory Commission warned that pilot versions slowed mail and that the program would disproportionately burden rural communities.
A ballot placed in the mail on Election Day can therefore remain in postal custody overnight, receive a postmark the next day and become invalid under California law — even if it reaches an election office during the seven-day window.
👑 Mr. Weeks 👑
@WonderKing82
You see how they use Black people as decorations…..they hate President Obama…. but now they want him… because they know what an endorsement will do… for their personal agenda…. we’re nothing but objects to these people.
https://x.com/WonderKing82/status/2085250969189712100
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
House Democrats
@AOC
23h
I appreciate AIPAC proving it doesn’t belong in the Dem Party and especially our primaries.
From endorsing Jan 6th members to ensuring Congress remains in the hands of a 34-count felon, AIPAC is an org committed to undermining democracy at home and abroad.
See you in November.
𝓝𝓲𝓴𝓴𝓲 𝓑𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓮𝓼
@NikkiBarnes
17h
Those who know me know I’ve never been a big fan of AOC, and comments like this are exactly why.
This statement is reckless.
AIPAC is a 501(c)(4) membership organization. Go to its website and you’ll find a membership section where anyone who supports the organization’s mission
https://x.com/JoshuaShemtov/status/2085147530489151547
Joshua shemtov🎗🏳️🌈#StopIranGayExecutions
@JoshuaShemtov
2+ millions Democrats R Supporting AIPAC its a non partisan organization & its portal allow transparent allocation of donations 2specific candidates transfering full 100% amount
AIPAC 4decades was the largest supporter of Black representation and members of the black caucus
6:34 PM ·
@DivaLaci
They want the USPS privatized because it is one of the largest stop gaps we have for fraud. Who do you think investigates that mail fraud? You never want the USPS sliding on you with them doors off!
https://x.com/DivaLaci/status/2085188597398036888
Tim
@trouble_man90
How come now we have to “put our differences aside and come together” for this lil Senate race but y’all couldn’t do that for a PRESIDENTIAL election??? I just want an honest answer without the lying.
5:01 PM · Aug 5, 2026
https://x.com/trouble_man90/status/2085124167075000764
Jessica Valenti
@JessicaValenti
12h
I was so pissed off last night, watching viral videos claim that Blanche promised to pass a national abortion ban. That’s not true, and it’s not helpful. Because what he actually said is super dangerous, but getting buried
Jessica Valenti
@JessicaValenti
12h
He was talking about banning the shipping of abortion pills—which would be a nightmare! But now the Trump administration has an out, because they can just put out a release saying OF COURSE we won’t pass a national ban. And just like that, they don’t have to answer for that
Lucy’s Booth
@HeatherK9070
12h
He doesn’t need a national ban. Reverse the DOJ’s Comstock interpretation and mail-order mifepristone becomes a federal prosecution risk everywhere, even in states where abortion is fully legal. No vote required. That’s the threat, and it’s worse than a ban headline.
Jessica Valenti
@JessicaValenti
The misinformation going around right now about Todd Blanche is burying the real threat—and squandering an opportunity to mobilize voter outrage against it
Jessica Valenti
@JessicaValenti
There’s another important story getting buried in the brouhaha over a “national ban.” On the call, Blanche said the DOJ is putting policies in place so “prosecutors will no longer be able to use the FACE Act” to go after clinic attackers—even after Trump leaves the White House
https://x.com/JessicaValenti/status/2085198896012169501
Brad Pomerance
@bradpomerance
That #AES won this race by 1% and did not break 50% is a terrible sign for his prospects this fall.
He dramatically underperformed the polling, which had him leading by 10+ points.
He is running against a Republican who lost in 2024 by 0.3%.
My gut – this seat will go GOP in November.
https://x.com/bradpomerance/status/2085062812746010809
Swann Marcus
@SwannMarcus89
Underdiscussed thing that happened last night is a leftoid activist nutjob winning the primary (with less than 50% of the vote, of course, because moderates split the vote just like in the Senate primary) in Michigan’s 7th District. This guy is such a bad candidate that not only is he far left, but he’s also got racist quotes about how the black establishment stands in the way of the white left.
He literally used that phrase. He said the “black establishment” “defangs the white left.” I appreciate his honesty in admitting the far-left is overwhelmingly white, but thanks to those comments, the GOP somehow has the candidate with fewer problematic quotes about black people in that race.
People don’t get that there are so few competitive districts now due to a mix of geographic political polarization and gerrymandering that candidate selection is likely to matter more and nationwide popular vote is likely to matter less when it comes to who wins the House
There are only like 20 actual toss-up districts left in the country (obviously there are also tilt-D and tilt-R districts that are winnable by the other party with a good environment or candidate) and the Democrats have fewer safe seats than the GOP and need to win far more of the toss-ups to get a House majority
If the Democrats throw toss-up House elections by running, say, a demented racist leftoid, there is a universe where they can win the popular vote by like 5 points and still not win the House
8:29 PM · Aug 5, 2026
https://x.com/SwannMarcus89/status/2085176442384494776
Ragnarok Lobster
@eclecticbrotha1.bsky.social
So women’s rights are on the back burner.
Voting rights are on the back burner.
The war with Iran is on the back burner.
ICE kidnapping/renditioning citizens off the streets is on the back burner.
Nothing is more important than Netanyahu and Israel, according to God’s gift to American politics.
https://bsky.app/profile/eclecticbrotha1.bsky.social/post/3ms4fhfh5yc2u
McSpocky™
@mcspocky.substack.com
tRump starts comparing grass to human beings & rambling about Star Wars airport buses… then his aides frantically shove reporters out of the Oval Office.
The word salad was so obvious even the staff knew the show’s over & to physically protect POTUS from public view
http://www.themirror.com/news/us-news...
https://x.com/MAGAts_Exposed/status/2085296049548063089
MAGAts_Exposed
@MAGAts_Exposed
Meet MAGAt Chris Wingate, the Heritage Foundation Director and former Senate aide who apparently thinks a secure congressional checkpoint is the perfect place to test the vigilance of Capitol Police. On July 14, 2026, his briefcase took a trip through the X-ray machine at the Russell Senate Office Building, instantly turning a routine workday into a masterclass in poor decision-making. Security officers hit the jackpot, uncovering a loaded 9mm ammunition magazine nestled alongside a plastic baggie packed with four capsules and three blue pressed pills. Naturally, field tests showed those totally casual blue pills were presumptively positive for a delightful cocktail of cocaine and fentanyl.
When caught red-handed, Wingate graciously waived his right to remain silent to offer a truly flawless defense strategy. He explained that he simply “forgot” the loaded ammunition was sitting in his bag. Even better, he confidently asserted that his little baggie of street-level narcotics consisted of legitimate medications prescribed by a medical professional. Because nothing says “trusted healthcare provider” quite like loose, unlabelled blue pressed pills that test positive for fentanyl.
As for the current status of this legal thriller, Wingate was formally charged with misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance and pleaded not guilty, because consistency is key. He was released back into the wild on his own recognizance to ponder his life choices before his next scheduled court date on August 27, 2026.
4:24 AM · Aug 6, 2026
https://x.com/MAGAts_Exposed/status/2085296049548063089
The Intellectualist
@highbrow_nobrow
Alan Chambers once led Exodus International, a ministry that promoted the discredited practice of trying to change same-sex attraction. Now deputies say he tried to meet someone he believed was a 14-year-old boy.
…eintellectualistofficial.substack.com/p/former-ex-ga…
https://x.com/highbrow_nobrow/status/2085290144882417888
The Daily Beast
@thedailybeast
ICE had been making between 12 and 36 arrests a day at airports, but the tide is turning because airlines, particularly low-cost carrier Southwest, are digging in.
https://x.com/thedailybeast/status/2085314573901398318
Democracy Docket
@DemocracyDocket
🏛️ TODAY: Republicans in Nebraska want to disenfranchise overseas voters.
A state court will hold a hearing on whether to dismiss the RNC’s lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of allowing overseas U.S. citizens to vote in Nebraska elections.
🚨 RNC v. Evnen
From democracydocket.com
5:00 AM · Aug 6, 2026
https://x.com/DemocracyDocket/status/2085304917732851849
Hakeem Jeffries
House Democrats
@RepJeffries
The Voting Rights Act was signed into law more than 60 years ago today.
Republican extremists are determined to turn back the clock.
House Democrats will not rest until the John Robert Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is the law of the land.
And we end the era of voter suppression once and for all.
7:20 AM · Aug 6, 2026
https://x.com/RepJeffries/status/2085340111441396061
InteractivePolls
@IAPolls2022
WaPo: Trump has privately settled on JD Vance as the heir to the GOP, an adviser with direct knowledge of his comments to donors says.
Vance has impressed Trump lately by:
• Negotiating the June Iran ceasefire
• Leading a task force cracking down on federal benefits fraud
• Handling a tough media circuit on his June book tour
Even though the ceasefire collapsed in July, Vance’s team still sees a political win: the deal he struck was popular with voters, who largely disapprove of Trump’s handling of the war.
https://x.com/IAPolls2022/status/2085345645599027371
union moderate that support Dems, not socialists.
@reesetheone1
Why?
He’s gonna drive out WWC like he does.
He grab Rubio or Donalds from FL as VP and the ticket balances.
Short of a nasty recession, Vance is gonna be a tough out.
A 44 year old millennial from Ohio who knows how liberals get down from his time in CA.
https://x.com/reesetheone1/status/2085350685617324369
@GregTSargent
3h
“There’s no question El-Sayed can win. He only has to win somewhere a little north of 80 percent of people who disapprove of Trump.”
On the pod @RonBrownstein gives the best explainer yet on how AES wins and why it’s also very hard. A big dose of realism:
https://x.com/GregTSargent/status/2085336260768313545
Good Morning, Everyone😊😊😊