After Pennsylvania House Democrats passed a bill that would allow mail-in ballots to be processed before Election Day, the bill heads to the Republican-led state Senate. A Republican Senate leader expressed concerns to The Federalist that the bill’s provisions would endanger “honest, transparent and secure elections.”

HB 847 was passed along party lines, 102-99, on Wednesday and would permit county election officials to begin opening and counting mail-in ballots and absentee ballots seven days before Election Day. The results would be tabulated on Election Day.

But Chairman of the Senate State Government Committee Sen. Cris Dush said in a statement to The Federalist that the Senate had previously rejected a similar pre-canvassing provision in March due to concerns of “pre-canvassing endangering honest, transparent and secure elections which remain the cornerstone of our Constitutional Republic.”

“Just like House Bill 847, this measure also failed to include proven election integrity safeguards such as constitutional Voter ID requirements or proof of citizenship for voter registration,” Dush continued. “With the next major election only months away, I will not commit to advancing any so-called election modification legislation that does not contain proven election integrity safeguards.”

Other Republicans also expressed concern about the legislation, with House Minority Leader Bryan Cutler saying the legislation would complicate election workers’ tasks since they would have to prepare for Election Day while also pre-canvassing, according to the Pennsylvania Capital Star.

“House Democrats pushing this bill forward today may make government easier for government, but it does not respond

As South Carolina law enforcement investigates allegations a state agency is handing out voter registration forms to foreign nationals, an agency official tells The Federalist that federal law has tied the state’s hands. 

Jeff Leieritz, a spokesman for the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, says the department, as the state’s Medicaid agency, is mandated to provide voter registration information under Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act Of 1993. The information apparently goes out to everyone applying for the benefits, including foreign nationals.

Section 7 requires each state to designate voter registration agencies, including all state offices providing public assistance, unemployment compensation, or disability services; state or local government offices; federal and nongovernmental offices; and armed forces recruitment offices. 

“SCDHHS does not believe the state Medicaid agency should have a role in voter registration. However, absent the legal authority to make this change, SCDHHS remains required by federal law to provide voter registration application forms with each Medicaid application,” Leieritz said in a statement Monday to The Federalist.

‘That’s Insane’

South Carolina state Rep. Adam Morgan has been pushing for answers after a refugee reported receiving a packet of information, including voter registration forms, at the Health and Human Services office. Morgan did not return The Federalist’s requests for comment, but he did speak about the issue last week on FrankSpeech. 

“The refugee was actually confused. They were like, ‘Am I supposed to fill this out?’ They asked a relative, and the relative is a citizen

The University of North Carolina is facing criticism after instructors announced they would withhold grades from students until the school reinstated individuals suspended for pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus.

On Monday, the university at Chapel Hill confirmed reports of professors punishing students by refusing to submit grades unless the school administration ends suspensions of those who engaged in protests last week. Nick Craig, a local radio host in Wilmington, North Carolina, published a screenshot of a professor’s message to students about holding their grades hostage.

“The University has suspended 15 of your and my fellow students for their participation in a peaceful protest calling for UNC to divest funding for Israel’s military action against civilians in Gaza,” said the unnamed teacher. “In solidarity with these students, I (along with many other faculty, teaching assistants, fellows, and graders across campus) have decided to withhold my reporting of final grades to the Registrar’s Office.”

BREAKING: A professor at UNC Chapel Hill is apparently going to withhold grades from students if the administration does not unsuspend students who were part of protests last week #ncpol #ncga pic.twitter.com/AdeBA3qca8

— Nick Craig (@nicholasmcraig) May 6, 2024

In a joint statement to The Federalist, UNC-Chapel Hill Provost Chris Clemens and Graduate School Dean Beth Mayer-Davis confirmed the anonymous report posted on X.

“We are hearing concerns from students whose instructors have informed them they will withhold grades as part of a protest,” they said. “These students depend on the timely submission of their