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A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 3 sepTember 2024
Ready or not, election season in the U.S. is about to start.
The first ballots will go out within days
appointment was unconsti-
Continued from Front tutional, there's no chance
of a trial taking place this
Who's ready to vote? year.
The first batch of ballots In light of the Supreme
typically sent out are ones Court's immunity ruling, a
to military and overseas federal judge in Washing-
voters. Under federal law, ton is now tasked with de-
that must happen at least ciding which allegations in
45 days before an election a separate case charging
— which this year is Sept. Trump with plotting to over-
21. turn the 2020 election can
Some states start earlier. remain part of the prosecu-
North Carolina will begin tion and which ones must
sending mail ballots to all be discarded. Deciding
voters who request them, which acts are official and
including military person- which are not is likely to be
nel and overseas voters, on an arduous process.
Sept. 6. Fights over voting and the
Voter registration deadlines election
vary by state, with most fall- Before the first ballots are
ing between eight and 30 even cast, both camps are
days before the election, gearing up to fight over
according to the National voting.
Conference of State Leg- Battles over election rules
islatures. The deadline is have become a staple
Oct. 7 in Georgia, one of Voters fill in their ballots for Florida's primary election in South Miami, Fla., Aug. 20, 2024. of American democracy,
this year's most prominent Associated Press but they're expected to
presidential battlegrounds. reach new heights this
Nearly all states offer some Sept. 10 debate. Trump has by up to four years in prison. dent lied for years about year. Trump installed his
version of in-person vot- proposed three presiden- Other potential sentences his wealth as he built his own leadership team at
ing, though the rules and tial debates with different include probation, a fine real estate empire was "er- the Republican National
dates vary considerably. television networks. or a conditional discharge roneous" and "egregious." Committee, including a
In Pennsylvania, another Vance has challenged that would require Trump to State lawyers responded director of election integ-
of the major presidential Walz to another vice presi- stay out of trouble to avoid in court papers this week rity who helped him try to
battleground states, voters dential debate on Sept. 18, additional punishment. that there's "overwhelming overturn Biden's win in 2020.
can visit their local election although it's not been set. Next steps in Trump's other evidence" to support the The RNC has filed a blizzard
office to request, complete A possible criminal sen- New York cases verdict. of lawsuits challenging vot-
and return a mail ballot be- tence for Trump On Friday, the 2nd U.S. Cir- What about Trump's elec- ing rules and promises that
ginning Sept. 16. For those Trump is scheduled to be cuit Court of Appeals will tion and document cases? more are on the way.
counting, that's a little over sentenced Sept. 18 in his hear arguments in Trump's A state case in Georgia Democrats also are mo-
two weeks from now. hush money criminal case, appeal of a jury's verdict that charged Trump and bilizing and assembling a
The gloves come off though his lawyers have last year ordering him to 18 others in a wide-ranging robust legal team. Among
Whether, where and under asked the judge to delay pay $5 million to writer E. scheme to overturn his 2020 other things, they are ob-
what rules the Democratic the proceeding until after Jean Carroll after it found loss in the state is stalled jecting to GOP efforts to re-
and Republican presiden- Election Day. A decision is him liable for sexually as- with no chance of going to move some inactive voters
tial and vice presidential expected early this month. saulting and defaming her. trial before the election. or noncitizens from voter
nominees will debate has In a letter to Judge Juan M. Trump also is appealing Federal prosecutors have rolls, arguing that legal vot-
been a point of contention Merchan, Trump's lawyers a verdict in a second trial brought two criminal cas- ers will get swept up in the
for weeks. But for now, two suggested that holding in January in which a jury es against Trump, but one purges.
match-ups are on the cal- the sentencing as sched- found him liable on addi- was dismissed by a judge Republicans have par-
endar. uled, about seven weeks tional defamation claims last month and the other is ticularly escalated their
Trump and Democrat- before Election Day, would and ordered him to pay likely to be reshaped by the rhetoric over the specter
ic presidential nominee amount to election inter- Carroll $83.3 million. Trump's recent U.S. Supreme Court of noncitizens voting, even
Kamala Harris have ac- ference. On Sept. 16, Mer- lawyers have until Sept. 13 opinion that conferred though repeated investiga-
cepted an invitation from chan is expected to rule on to file a brief in that appeal. broad immunity on former tions have shown it almost
ABC News to debate Sept. Trump's request to overturn On Sept. 26, a New York presidents for official acts never happens. Some also
10 in Philadelphia. the guilty verdict and dis- appeals court will hear oral they take in office. are pushing to give local
Harris' pick for vice presi- miss the case because of arguments in Trump's chal- Special counsel Jack Smith election boards the ability
dent, Minnesota Gov. Tim the U.S. Supreme Court's lenge of a nearly $500 mil- has appealed the dismissal to refuse to certify election
Walz, and Trump's, Ohio July presidential immunity lion civil fraud judgment in by U.S. District Judge Aileen results.
Sen. JD Vance, have ruling. state Attorney General Leti- Cannon of an indictment All indications are these ef-
agreed to an Oct. 1 de- Trump was convicted in tia James' lawsuit against charging Trump with hoard- forts are laying the ground-
bate hosted by CBS News May on 34 counts of falsi- him. The court typically ing classified documents work for Trump to again
in New York City. fying business records to rules about a month af- at his Mar-a-Lago estate claim the election was
Harris has forecast a pos- conceal a $130,000 hush ter arguments, meaning a in Florida and obstructing stolen from him if he loses
sible second debate with money payment to porn decision could come be- the FBI's efforts to get them and to try to overturn the
Trump, but her proposal actor Stormy Daniels just fore the November elec- back. But even if a federal will of the voters. But there's
appeared to be contin- before the 2016 presiden- tion. Trump's lawyers argue appeals court reinstates no way to know if that will
gent on the GOP nomi- tial election. Falsifying busi- that a judge's Feb. 16 find- the case and reverses the happen until the ballots are
nee's participation in the ness records is punishable ing that the former presi- judge's ruling that Smith's cast.q