A desciption of the report is available on the Carter Center's news release site.   Or you can view or download the full 69 page report. 

On October 6, the Carter Center published “The Big Lie and Big Tech,” a new report that details the role played by “repeat offenders”—media known to repeatedly publish false and misleading information—in spreading election fraud narratives in online echo chambers during the 2020 election.

The Carter Center report found that while myriad forces—politicians, influencers, hyper-partisan media, and citizens—coalesced to advance The Big Lie, known repeat offenders provided critical connective tissue in the spread of misinformation on social media. They often inserted out-of-context information into broader narrative frames, helping to amplify misinformation faster than it could be fact-checked.

See more on this topic on our Misinformation about Elections page.

On October 6, 2021 Professor Mira Sotirovic, Karin and  Folke Dovring Scholar in Propaganda in the Department of Journalism at the University of Illinois, presented "Lies and Consequences: How Journalism Can Be Saved in the Age of Misinformation."  

From the CAC abstract: The torrent of false information and efforts to undermine the credibility of journalism and the news media as democratic institutions make journalistic commitments to accurate reporting more crucial and more challenging than ever before. The standard practice of debunking misinformation might be more effective if accompanied with forging new relationships with audiences based on shared values, transparency and consistency. All news is biased to some extent, and journalism would serve the public better by openly examining those biases rather than denying them.

Here's a flyer with more information on the presentation and the Center's series of conversations on similar topics. 

KF

Adapted from an October 11 press release by the Champaign County Community Coalition. The Coalition is a nework of stakeholders who are working collaboratively to improve the lives of youth and families in Champaign-Urbana. 

The Champaign County Community Coalition, in partnership with WCIA-TV, invites the public to attend a special Community Coalition meeting and Victory Over Violence Town Hall 5:30 pm,  October 13, 2021 at the Holiday Inn (101 Trade Center Drive). 

Please click here to register and attend in-person.  For the health and safety of all participants, everyone attending will be asked to wear a face mask and seating is limited to the first 100 people to register.  For those unable or uncomfortable attending in-person, the event will also be live streamed at wcia.com from 6:00 pm -7:30 p.m. 
  
WCIA Anchor Jennifer Roscoe will moderate the Victory Over Violence panel discussion featuring these panelists:

• Sheriff Dustin Heuerman, Champaign County Sheriff’s Office
• James “Tygar” Corbin, First Followers (Provider of direct support services for the formerly incarcerated and impacted community members.)

• Regina Crider, Youth and Family Peer Support Alliance (Family-run organization that advocates for family needs and voices.)
• Sheldon Turner, Champaign Unit 4 Schools (High school-age youth programs Operation Hope and Goal Getters.)

​“While the community has been experiencing multiple crises of health, economics, education, and police reform, community violence remains our top priority,” said Community Coalition Facilitator Tracy Parsons. “The Coalition looks forward to providing an update on initiatives that are taking place throughout Champaign County in response to increased community violence. Individuals and organizations will share how their activities are impacting Champaign County.”

On Thursday, October 28, 7:30, Franita Tolson (Vice Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs and Professor of Law in the Gould School of Law, University of Southern California) will present on her forthcoming book In Congress We Trust?: Enforcing Voting Rights from the Founding to the Jim Crow Era, followed by responses from Marsha Barrett (History) and Michael Morley (Law, Florida State University). Register to attend the webinar here. 

Supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Cosponsored by the Illinois Global Institute Transitional Justice Initiative.

This year, we've seen firsthand how registering people to vote creates a stronger, more representative America.
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That’s why thousands of organizations, celebrities, and everyday Americans are spreading the word about the importance of checking your voter registration — and the League of Women Voters is joining them.
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We all have one goal in mind: Make sure every American has the opportunity to vote this year. 

For more details on the story, including response, see this article in the Kansas Reflector newspaper on July 1, 2021. 

The League of Women Voters of Kansas and other nonprofits are suspending voter registration drives for fear of criminal prosecution under a new state law. The groups filed a lawsuit over new election-related restrictions enacted by the Legislature this session, and a judge has yet to act on a request for a temporary injunction to block enforcement of the laws until the case is resolved. One of the provisions makes it a crime to engage in activity that “gives the appearance of being an election official.”

Without clarity from the court, the organizations argue in court filings, there is a “serious risk” that someone will mistake people who are knowledgeable about voter registration as election officials.

Jacqueline Lightcap, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Kansas, says she has asked the organization’s nine local leaders to temporarily suspend their voter education and registration efforts.
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“It’s very disheartening,” Lightcap said. “We’re not happy about it. We’re not pleased. We don’t want to do it. But at the same time, it needs to be known that this is not a good law.”
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The League of Women Voters Kansas, Loud Light, Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, and the Topeka Independent Living Resource Center filed a lawsuit June 1 in Shawnee County District Court challenging the constitutionality of the two bills. The groups on June 17 asked Judge Teresa Watson to issue a temporary injunction before the laws went into effect, but the judge has yet to rule on the request.

Source: Capital News Illinois, printed in the Pantagraph. 

Lawmakers will head back to the Capitol on Tuesday, August 31, to consider changes to the legislative maps that Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law earlier this year.

Those maps – which set the new boundaries for the 118 state House and 59 state Senate districts for the next decade – were passed based on survey data in May, as the full U.S. Census block-level numbers were not made available until Aug. 12. The release of that data, however, appears to show population deviations far exceeding the 10% threshold allowed under Supreme Court precedent, so some changes are necessary to put the maps in compliance.  

For more information, see the original Pantagraph news story. 

Ilinois registered voters will soon have a second option if they want to vote by mail. In addition to the current option of requesting a mail ballot each time there is an election, Public Act 102-0015 of 2021 created a permanent, also called "continuing," vote by mail list. Those who sign up once will receive a mail ballot for all elections, primary and general. Click here to see the complete County Clerk's announcement and to sign up to receive continuing updates about this new option for voting.