News & Current Events

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied the government's stay request on September 4, 2026, leaving the modified SAVE system's bulk Social Security number search capability for voter-roll verification blocked while an expedited merits appeal proceeds. The panel declined to consider arguments the government had not raised before the district court, meaning the June 2026 summary judgment vacating the expanded system's federal authorizations remains in effect. A separate Florida federal order, issued in July under a 2025 settlement, reportedly restored access to the same features for four states, creating conflicting operational directions that the appellate process has not yet resolved.

Missouri's Secretary of State filed an emergency application with the U.S. Supreme Court on September 4, 2026, asking it to pause a unanimous Missouri Supreme Court ruling that found the 2025 congressional map never took effect and ordered a return to the 2022 map by September 8. The state argues that switching maps would require 28 days of administrative work against a 15-day window before federally mandated overseas ballots must be sent, though county election officials have disputed that claim. No U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the application had been issued as of September 6, leaving unresolved which map will govern Missouri's November 2026 congressional elections.

Polling ahead of Saxony-Anhalt's 6 September state election places the AfD at 41 to 42 percent, well ahead of the CDU at 22 to 24 percent, but the data does not confirm the 42 seats needed for an absolute majority in the 83-seat Landtag. The AfD's candidate Ulrich Siegmund has said he will only seek the minister-presidency with an absolute majority, while the CDU and most other parties have ruled out coalition cooperation with the AfD, leaving open the possibility of a minority government or prolonged coalition negotiations. No official vote count or seat allocation had been published at the time of writing, so all arithmetic scenarios remain contingent on election-night results.