Jessica Huseman

22 Oct 2025

another day, another source assuming i was spam because my phone number comes up as "waxahachie texas"

courtlistener.com#63 in United States of America v. State of California, et al. (9th Cir., 26-7070) – CourtListener.comORDER FOR PUBLICATION FILED. (Mark J. BENNETT, Patrick J. BUMATAY, Gabriel P. SANCHEZ) (Concurrence by Judge BENNETT; Concurrence by Judge SANCHEZ; Dissent by Judge BUMATAY) [SEE ORDER FOR FULL TEXT] ...

13h

The 9th Circuit just rejected DOJ's attempt to force California to set aside ballots from 20,000 voters it suspects are noncitizens. The court basically says DOJ created its own emergency by waiting so long to act. www.courtlistener.com/docket/75011...

13h

Still reading this, but it's not kind to the DOJ:

washingtonsun.comIs There a Reason There Are So Many Dan Sullivans in Alaska? An Investigation.Alaska’s unusual demographics could explain part of its Dan glut in state politics.

14h

a pulitzer for @andrewvandam.bsky.social this is ... 10 out of 10: www.washingtonsun.com/national/dan...

Jessica Huseman reposted

14h

🗓️ TOMORROW, join @jessicahuseman.bsky.social and three election experts to learn about how election officials are preparing for potential federal interference and what to expect on Election Day. RSVP for free: www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-pre...

22h

Journalists! Please join us! www.electionexpertdesk.com

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electionexpertdesk.comElection Expert Desk - Votebeat Election Expert DeskElection stories move fast. Election law is technical. Local procedures vary widely. And the loudest voices about voting systems are not always the people who understand them. Votebeat’s Expert Desk i...

Y’all, we are days from Election Day. Voting is underway. Deadlines are brutal. And Votebeat would like to give you all of our election sources for $0. www.electionexpertdesk.com

View full thread

That’s our experiment: What if we stopped hoarding sources and started sharing them? We’ve assembled more than 100 vetted election experts — officials, lawyers, academics, technologists and others — to help journalists find sources, check their reporting, get quotable answers and make deadline.

No exclusives. No competition. No cost. It’s a radical experiment in newsroom collaboration, and we hope it makes everyone’s election coverage better. If you’re covering the election, come join us: www.electionexpertdesk.com

Y’all, we are days from Election Day. Voting is underway. Deadlines are brutal. And Votebeat would like to give you all of our election sources for $0. www.electionexpertdesk.com

This week, when the Trump administration preemptively sued to block certification of Alaska’s U.S. Senate election, reporters from multiple newsrooms used our experts to build their coverage. They asked collaboratively, and everyone could use the answers. The first expert responded in 12 minutes.

Good election reporting on deadline shouldn't have to be based on who you have in your phone. We will give you who is in @votebeat.org's phone. FOR FREE. Please join us. electionexpertdesk.com

Jessica Huseman@jessicahuseman.bsky.social

FOLKS. It is NOT TOO LATE to sign up for @votebeat.org's expert desk. We have 125 experts on elections waiting to talk to journalists on the record and IT IS FREE. Take our sources. Use them in your reporting. No credit necessary. Sign up, we can get you in *today.* www.electionexpertdesk.com

We're 17 days out. Are you a reporter worried you don't have the sourcing to answer highly technical voting questions? Let @votebeat.org give you ours FOR FREE. 125 experts on cybersecurity, law, extremism, and election administration and more are waiting for you. www.electionexpertdesk.com

votebeat.orgMore than 100 suspicious letters sent to election officials weeks before 2026 midtermsElection officials nationwide are confirming they were sent suspicious letters, some of which contained an “unknown substance,” at a time when officials are increasingly subject to physical threats.

We've updated this story. Multiple states confirm to Votebeat they were sent this letter. Received: LA, OK, WI Intercepted: CT, GA, ID, NH, OH, PA, SD

Jessica Huseman@jessicahuseman.bsky.social

New from me & @dionnissenbaum.bsky.social for @votebeat.org: USPIS intercepted 100+ letters containing white powder addressed to election offices nationwide. At least 1 U.S. senator and a polling company were also intended recipients. www.votebeat.org/national/202...

electionexpertdesk.orgReporter Signup Form - Votebeat Election Expert Desk« Back to homepage Reporter Application

Jessica Huseman reposted

The Conversation U.S.

@us.theconversation.com

We're glad to be helping out with this effort to help reporters get trustworthy election information from experts. electionexpertdesk.org/reporter-sig...

Jessica Huseman@jessicahuseman.bsky.social

FOLKS. The @votebeat.org Expert Desk is up and running. It is already connecting journalists to highly specific election sources and those reporters are publishing stories. It is free to join: www.electionexpertdesk.com Let me tell you about three reporters who are using it right now:

Jessica Huseman reposted

Mary Harris

@maryharris.bsky.social

Every week we are doing a midterms roundtable, and EVERY week they are really great. Today I asked @jessicahuseman.bsky.social and @bluestemmag.bsky.social how far they think some Rs will go to preserve their power. But the thing I realized is how far Rs have already gone: slate.com/podcasts/wha...

slate.comWill Your Vote Count In The Midterms?Here’s to hoping Democrats win by huge margins.

votebeat.orgHow Monae Johnson went from MAGA darling to endorsing a DemocratSouth Dakota’s Republican secretary of state once questioned vote-counting machines. Four years later, she is defending them and backing a Democrat to replace her.

Oh hey I wrote that!

Rachel Maddow@maddow.bsky.social

"People sometimes get involved in elections because they are skeptical of how they work. Then they discover that the problems they expected to find are not there..." www.votebeat.org/national/202...

Jessica Huseman reposted

Rebuild Local News

@rebuildlocalnews.bsky.social

California created the nation's largest public subsidy for community news, and with it comes a big question. In a Q&A, @dicktofel.bsky.social asks @stevenwaldman.bsky.social whether the government can support local media without influencing it. Read it here: dicktofel.substack.com/p/unpacking-...

dicktofel.substack.comUnpacking the New California Subsidy for NewsA conversation with Steve Waldman of Rebuild Local News

votebeat.orgUndisclosed Gmail account raises questions about Georgia State Election Board settlementA Gmail account appeared on screen during a public Georgia State Election Board meeting. A watchdog group says it was never disclosed in a lawsuit over private emails used for board business.

Another Georgia scoop from me for @votebeat.org: Last year, @AmericanOversight successfully sued the State Election Board for using private Gmail accounts instead of gov-issued email. In its Sept. meeting, the board displayed yet another Gmail account on screen. www.votebeat.org/national/202...

After the 2025 settlement, the board was forced to adopt new email guidance, stop using private email for board business, and pay American Oversight $50K. The displayed address was not among those disclosed during the 2025 suit. American Oversight has never received a records production from it.

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The desk has 125 experts in it *right now*. They range from current and former election officials, to academics, to lawyers galore, to cybersecurity consultants and security professionals. Journalists can just drop a question into a Slack channel and ask them a question.

The journalists in the Desk now range from a student newspaper in Nebraska to the New York Times. Please join us! It's very fun! www.electionexpertdesk.com

View full thread

kansasreflector.comKansas lawmaker cries foul over voter registration gift cards, asks Kobach to investigate • Kansas ReflectorA Kansas legislator is demanding an investigation into a League of Women Voters chapter that gave gift cards to students who registered to vote.

Morgan Chilson with @kansasreflector.com needed help understanding the law governing offers of money or gift cards connected with registering or voting. Here's her story: kansasreflector.com/2026/09/23/k...

theconversation.comWhat the law says about armed officers at polling placesWhat does the law say about armed officials at the polls? That’s one of four questions that a legal scholar answers as Trump administration threats have piled up about voting in the midterms.

And @theconversation.com wanted an academic to write for them on what the law says about armed officers at the polls. They found one in the desk! That's here: theconversation.com/what-the-law...

politifact.comBrazil’s fast vote count not proof of US election cheatingBrazil counts ballots quickly in part because of a highly standardized voting system. It is not proof that U.S. elections are rigged, as President Donald Trump said.

@politifact.bsky.social's @amyshermanfact.bsky.social came in with a question about why Brazil's reports election results so quickly, the network improbably turned out to have exactly the kind of expertise she needed. Brazil! Here's her story: politifact.com/factchecks/2...

votebeat.orgGeorgia election board director allegedly goes rogue, asks feds to crack down on state voting equipmentTwo members of the Georgia State Election Board say their executive director sent unauthorized letters to the Trump administration.

Weekend scoop from me for @votebeat.org: Two GOP members of Georgia’s State Election Board say Executive Director James Mills sent letters to DOJ and DHS without telling the board or getting approval — and that the letters went beyond what the board voted to request. www.votebeat.org/national/202...

Jessica Huseman reposted

Semafor

@semafor.com

Visitors to the US are on track to drop by almost two million year-on-year. “We’re the only major country in the world losing visitation,” the head of the US Travel Association said. “It’s mind-boggling.” www.semafor.com/article/09/2...

Jessica Huseman reposted

14 Sept

Covering the 2026 elections? We built the thing I wish every election reporter had: one place to ask vetted election officials, lawyers, academics and voting-tech experts the very specific questions that come up on deadline. The Votebeat Expert Desk is free: www.electionexpertdesk.com

Journalists! Do you want access to more than 100 sources in elections: cybersecurity, former officials, lawyers, academics? Do you want to ask them on the record questions and get answers for your stories? DO YOU WANT ALL OF THAT FOR FREE?! GOOD NEWS.

@joshuaadouglas.bsky.social

Votebeat's Expert Desk is up and running and is *already* helping stories connect with on-the-record sources. You can talk to them on the Slack space you are *already in.* There are also tipsheets! And a fun watercooler channel! Please join us: www.electionexpertdesk.com

Jessica Huseman reposted

Josh Douglas

15 Sept

I'm looking forward to participating in the Votebeat Expert Desk again this year!

Jessica Huseman@jessicahuseman.bsky.social

Jessica Huseman reposted

bit.lyWill the midterms happen? Your election questions, answered | Part 2Submit your election questions to Votebeat reporters, and they’ll answer them live on Sept. 15 at 1 p.m. EDT.

14 Sept

🗓️ TOMORROW, get your election questions answered! Votebeat's experienced election reporters @jessicahuseman.bsky.social, @alexandershur.bsky.social, @hayleyharding.bsky.social, and @sashahupka.bsky.social will explain what mail voters need to know, election security basics, and more.

rcfp.orgRFK Jr. lied to Congress about 2019 trip to Samoa, according to documents obtained by The Guardian, APThe records were released in response to a lawsuit Reporters Committee attorneys filed on behalf of the AP.

14 Sept

Jessica Huseman reposted

Michelle R. Smith

@bymichellersmith.com

27 Aug

Thank you to our lawyers at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press for representing me and AP to fight to bring these records to light #foia www.rcfp.org/rfk-samoa-gu...

Jessica Huseman reposted

10 Sept

On Tuesday, get your midterm election questions answered. Submit a question to @jessicahuseman.bsky.social, @alexandershur.bsky.social, @hayleyharding.bsky.social, and @sashahupka.bsky.social here: www.eventbrite.com/e/will-the-m...

votebeat.orgSupreme Court ends Missouri map uncertainty as ballot deadlines approachMissouri election officials say switching congressional maps was manageable. The real risk came from prolonged uncertainty as voting drew closer.

11 Sept

Turns out that, when it wants to, the Supreme Court can move quickly. Here's a piece from @votebeat.org, explaining how all the chaos before the decision played out for Missouri election administrators: www.votebeat.org/national/202...

9 Sept

Journalists, welcome to Dallas. I'm sorry about the heat. Let me know if you need restaurant recommendations.

Jessica Huseman reposted

Candice Bernd

@candicequestions.com

texasobserver.orgWho Stands Between Texas and a Fascist Railroad Commission?This man here—and a plurality of voters if he can find them

No Dem has served on the TX Railroad Commission in over 30 years. Will one of the most extreme candidates running on the GOP's statewide ticket change that? I interviewed the man who hopes to stop an open "Great Replacement" theory proponent from helming the RRC www.texasobserver.org/railroad-com...

votebeat.orgInside an academic model used to question Trump’s win in the 2024 electionA statistical model claims there were enough fraudulent votes in 2024 to cast doubt on Trump’s win in Pennsylvania. Experts say the model is fundamentally flawed.

Election conspiracies aren’t confined to the right. In anti-Trump corners, a UMichigan professor’s fraud model has become evidence that something went wrong in 2024. @bycarterwalker.bsky.social and I look at what the model actually shows — and what it doesn’t. www.votebeat.org/national/202...

bit.lyInside an academic model used to question Trump’s win in the 2024 electionA statistical model claims there were enough fraudulent votes in 2024 to cast doubt on Trump’s win in Pennsylvania. Experts say the model is fundamentally flawed.

@bycarterwalker.bsky.social and I worked on this piece for nearly a year. I hope you give it some of your time.

Votebeat@votebeat.org

A statistical model claims there were enough fraudulent votes in 2024 to cast doubt on Trump’s win in Pennsylvania. Experts say the model is fundamentally flawed.

Jessica Huseman reposted

@bycarterwalker.bsky.social

A statistical model claims there were enough fraudulent votes in 2024 to cast doubt on Trump’s win in Pennsylvania. Experts say the model is fundamentally flawed.

Jessica Huseman reposted

Carter Walker

data4democracy.substack.comHook and SqueezeHow Democratic consultants, committees, and party leaders built a fundraising spam pipeline that funnels money from a captive pool of elderly donors into their own operations.

In academia, a working paper is provisional. Online and in court, Walter Mebane’s working paper turned into evidence that the 2024 election might be flawed. Our story is about what got lost in translation. With @jessicahuseman.bsky.social www.votebeat.org/national/202...

Jessica Huseman reposted

Adam Bonica

@adambonica.bsky.social

16 Aug

The fundraising texts you delete are working on someone. It’s infuriating and heartbreaking. An 85yo in Ohio gave more than double the value of his home. A 91yo in an Indianapolis senior facility gave 25K times. The DCCC/DSCC don’t just tolerate the spammers who exploit seniors. They take part.

votebeat.orgCovering the 2026 midterms? Sign up for Votebeat’s free Expert DeskAsk election questions in Slack, get on-the-record answers from vetted experts and use a new AI research tool to search election laws and source material.

24 Aug

Votebeat’s Expert Desk is back for 2026. It’s free for journalists and connects reporters with vetted election officials, lawyers, researchers and voting-tech experts for fast, on-the-record help with election coverage. Sign up: www.votebeat.org/national/202...

24 Aug

Journalists who write for news organizations funded by or affiliated with campaigns, political parties or the people who work for them will not be approved for participation.

job-boards.greenhouse.ioLocal Reporting Network FellowRemote, United States

25 July

I just put on my 1st work away message since 2023. If no one could make any voting news while I’m in Scotland for the next two weeks, that would be excellent. St. Andrews recommendations welcome! My bf is teaching in a law abroad program, so he’s working, but I am very much not.

Jessica Huseman reposted

ProPublica

@propublica.org

23 July

📣 Local investigative journalists! There are less than five days left until the deadline to apply to ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network. Newsrooms from 26 states can apply. Check your eligibility and submit here by July 27 at midnight ET 👇