"We are the first state in the nation to implement a system like this.”

Oct. 20, 2023

Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, regarding a new program – the Alabama Voter Integrity Database, or AVID - that will use federal data and voting lists from five other states to monitor when voters move, die or illegally vote in two different states in the same election. AVID appears to mimic the bipartisan, cross-state partnership, Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, that the state was a member of until Allen took office. Nine states in all, all of which are Republican-led, have withdrawn from ERIC without a plan to replace the program. (NPR — Oct. 20, 2023)

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Who Said That

“We condemn all threats against our colleagues and it is imperative that we come together.”

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, regarding the death threats against Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks after she voted against Jordan for speaker of the House. (Reuters — Oct. 18, 2023)

Oct. 19, 2023
Who Said That

“The mayor is making deepfakes of himself.”

Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the watchdog group Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, regarding New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ use of artificial intelligence to make robocalls that contort his voice into several languages he doesn’t actually speak. The calls have gone out in languages such as Mandarin and Yiddish and haven’t included any disclosure that Adams only speaks English or that the calls were generated using AI. Some are concerned about the ethics of these robocalls. (Associated Press — Oct. 17, 2023)

Oct. 18, 2023
Who Said That

“It’s like you are manufacturing a very efficient, very speedy, very handsome car — but you forget to build the roads for it.”

International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol, regarding the electric grid’s failure to keep pace with the rapid growth of clean energy technologies. The situation could slow renewable energy rollouts and limit efforts to reduce climate change. The IEA estimated that to achieve climate goals set by the 2015 Paris climate accords, the world’s governments would need to add or refurbish 50 million miles of power lines by 2040, which is equal to the existing global grid, in less than just two decades. (Associated Press — Oct. 16, 2023)

Oct. 17, 2023
Who Said That

“We’re arming people with facts.”

Kathy Bernier, former Wisconsin state senator and state director of the nonpartisan election nonprofit group, Keep Our Republic, regarding the organization’s efforts to inform people about the election process and how voting equipment is tested. Election officials and democracy groups across the state have struggled to combat the doubts that many still have about the fairness of elections, due to online misinformation and far-right figures. (Associated Press — Oct. 16, 2023)

Oct. 16, 2023

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"We are the first state in the nation to implement a system like this.”