Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Judge: Virus Fears A Reason For Mail-In Ballot
AP: Judge Orders Tennessee To Mention Virus On Mail Voting Form
A judge has ordered Tennessee election officials to clearly communicate on absentee ballot applications that people can vote by mail if they believe they or someone in their care face a higher risk of COVID-19. State officials promised the Tennessee Supreme Court this month that they would inform voters about that eligibility, asserting for the first time that underlying health conditions could qualify someone to vote absentee under their plan. Days later, the justices overturned a vote-by-mail option for all eligible voters that Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle ordered in June. (Mattise, 8/26)
NPR: FBI Says It's Seen No Evidence Supporting Trump's Mail Ballot Fears
The FBI says it has no evidence of any coordinated fraud schemes related to voting by mail this year, undercutting repeated claims by President Trump and his camp about what they've called security problems. That disclosure was made in an election security briefing for reporters on Wednesday by high-ranking officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. (Parks, 8/26)
The Washington Post: Election Security Officials See No Sign Of Foreign Threat To Mail-In Voting
Foreign governments such as Russia and China continue to try to interfere in the upcoming U.S. election, but officials have seen no evidence of countries trying to manipulate or manufacture mail-in ballots, officials said Wednesday. With less than 70 days left until Election Day, federal authorities are ramping up their efforts to keep state and local election systems secure, particularly in light of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race, which led to criticism that the government had been slow and soft in its response. (Barrett, 8/26)
Politico: Don Jr. Robocall Urges Supporters To Vote By Mail
Donald Trump Jr. is urging voters to cast absentee ballots in robocalls detected across the nation Wednesday — even as his father continues to rail against widespread mail-in voting. The robocalls, which reference this week's Republican National Convention have been deployed in 13 states — Arizona, Florida, Iowa, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, Georgia, Texas and Maine — all states the Trump campaign is targeting. They indicate that either the Trump campaign or Republican National Committee has already mailed absentee-ballot requests to those being called. (Kumar, 8/26)
