| Several states grapple with Republican voter suppression efforts; young people in Thailand are protesting to reform the monarchy. Tonight's Sentences was written by Benjamin Rosenberg. | | | | | | | The Republican Party is trying anything and everything to suppress votes | | | | | | - With President Donald Trump trailing in the polls and Republicans' Senate majority possibly in jeopardy, the GOP is resorting to extreme measures in several states — from Texas to California — in an attempt to reduce voter turnout. [AP / Adam Beam and Amy Taxin]
- Since the 2016 election, Trump has made baseless claims about rampant voter fraud in California. But in the past week, the California Republican Party put up fake ballot drop-off boxes, falsely labeled "official," in an attempt to harvest ballots and deceive Democratic voters. [NYT / Glenn Thrush and Jennifer Medina]
- Even after California Secretary of State Alex Padilla sent a cease-and-desist letter to the state GOP regarding the illegal boxes, the party defended the practice, saying not only will they not take down the existing boxes but that they plan to build more. [ABC Los Angeles / Josh Haskell]
- On Tuesday, Trump tweeted his support of the boxes, which are in Fresno, Los Angeles, and Orange counties. The chair of the Fresno County Republicans told a local news site that "the whole ballot harvesting law is purposely designed very loosely so the Democrats can cheat." [Politico / Carla Marinucci]
- Voter suppression is by no means unique to California. In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued an order on October 1 limiting the number of mail-in ballot drop-off locations to one per county (citing election security concerns), and on Monday, a federal appeals court upheld it. [Texas Tribune / Emma Platoff]
- The appeals court ruling, decided by three judges appointed by Trump, overturns that of a federal district court. The most populous county in Texas, Democratic-leaning Harris County, now has to close 11 of its 12 ballot drop-off locations. [Vox / Jen Kirby]
- The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, which Trump won by just 44,000 votes in 2016, ruled that mail-in ballots submitted without a second, secrecy envelope — known as "naked ballots" — will be disqualified. Voting rights advocates have criticized the decision. [ABC News / Devin Dwyer]
- In North Carolina, Black voters' mail-in ballots are being rejected at a far higher rate than those of white voters. As of October 5, Black voters had accounted for 16 percent of mail-in ballots received in that state, but more than 40 percent of rejected ballots. [Newsweek / Khaleda Rahman]
- Felony disenfranchisement laws are also preventing 5.2 million Americans from voting, and these laws affect Black voters disproportionately. In 11 states, more than 10 percent of the population of Black adults is unable to vote because of a felony conviction. [Vox / German Lopez]
| | | Revolt in Thailand pits the people against the king | | - Young people in Thailand are protesting in the capital city of Bangkok to challenge the country's monarchy. The protests, which come amid an economic downturn in the country due to the coronavirus pandemic, are advocating for a new constitution, want parliament to dissolve, and have called for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to resign. [CNN / Helen Regan and Kocha Olarn]
- Thailand has had a constitutional monarchy since 1932, when the absolute monarchy ended and Thailand's first constitution was established. King Maha Vajiralongkorn took the throne in 2016, but student protesters are now leading the charge against the country's royalist elite. [Diplomat / Sebastian Strangio]
- Prayuth came to power in a 2014 coup, and protesters said he rigged elections last year. The protesters are using a three-fingered salute, similar to the one seen in The Hunger Games, as a symbol of resistance. [Reuters / Patpicha Tanakasempipat and Jiraporn Kuhakan]
- Police arrested 21 activists on Tuesday, claiming they were "uncooperative" in clearing the area for the king to ride past in a motorcade. More demonstrations followed Wednesday, the anniversary of a 1973 student uprising against Thailand's military dictatorship. [Al Jazeera]
- The goal of the protests is not to topple the monarchy, but to get it to change along with the rest of the country. "Our country needs to adapt to many things, and the monarchy is one of the issues that needs to be adapted as well," said pro-democracy protester Dear Thatcha. [BBC News]
| | | | | | | The Trump campaign is attempting to gin up an email-related scandal about Hunter Biden as the election approaches. | | | [Vox / Andrew Prokop] -
Johnson & Johnson and Eli Lilly have both paused trials for their Covid-19 vaccines. Johnson & Johnson did so after a patient came down with a mysterious illness, and Eli Lilly followed suit less than a day later. [NPR / Laurel Wamsley, Richard Harris, and Vanessa Romo] -
The European Union will bring sanctions against six high-ranking Russian officials who they believe were involved in the poisoning of Alexei Navalny, an opponent of President Vladimir Putin. [NYT / Michael Schwirtz and Katrin Bennhold] -
Chinese President Xi Jinping has told his troops to put their attention on "preparing for war," a Chinese state news agency reported. Disagreements between China and the United States have escalated recently over Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Covid-19 pandemic. [CNN / Ben Westcott] | | | | | "There is nothing in any of the laws or regulations cited in that advisory that indicate private organization drop boxes are not permitted. The way Democrats broke the law, if we wanted to use a Santa bag, we could. A locked heavy box seems a lot safer." | | | | | | | | | | |
Creating the perfect food commercial isn't just a matter of great styling and a mouthwatering dish. Sometimes, you need a robot. [YouTube / Phil Edwards] | | | | | | | | |  | This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com. Manage your email preferences, or unsubscribe to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox's unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036.
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