Elections

FILE - Comoros' President Azali Assoumani attends a news conference during the G20 Investment Summit - German Business and the CwA Countries on the sidelines of a Compact with Africa in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. People in the Indian Ocean island nation of Comoros are voting for president in Africa’s first national election of 2024. Incumbent President Azali Assoumani, a former military officer, is expected to win a fourth term amid criticism that he has become increasingly authoritarian and cracked down on his political opposition. Five opposition candidates are standing against Assoumani in Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024's election. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

Indian Ocean island nation of Comoros votes for president in Africa’s first election of 2024

The Indian Ocean island nation of Comoros has voted for president in Africa’s first national election of 2024.

Senate President Cameron Henry, second left, receives applause from Republican senator Kirk Talbot, right, during the swearing in of the Louisiana state legislature in Baton Rouge, La., Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, Pool)

Louisiana’s special session kicks off Monday. Here’s a look at what may be discussed

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump participates in a virtual rally at Hotel Fort Des Moines in Des Moines, Iowa, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Trump, Haley, DeSantis campaign in frigid Iowa in the final days before the Republican caucuses

African National Congress supporters at the Mbombela, South Africa, Stadium Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024. The ruling party celebrated the 112th anniversary of its establishment ahead of national elections, expected to be the toughest since it came to power in 1994. (AP Photo)

South Africa’s ruling party marks its 112th anniversary ahead of a tough election year

People listen to Louisiana Republican Gov. Jeff Landry speak during his inauguration ceremony at the State Capitol building in Baton Rouge, La., Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. The inauguration, originally scheduled for Monday, was pushed up a day early due to weather concerns. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

Lawmakers may look at ditching Louisiana’s unusual ‘jungle primary’ system for a partisan one

Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te, also known as William Lai, left, celebrates his victory with running mate Bi-khim Hsiao in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024. The Ruling-party candidate has emerged victorious in Taiwan's presidential election and his opponents have conceded. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

The ruling-party candidate strongly opposed by China wins Taiwan’s presidential election

Ruling-party candidate Lai Ching-te has emerged victorious in Taiwan’s presidential election and his opponents have conceded.

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, speak to members of the media outside his campaign office in Urbandale, Iowa, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

DeSantis plans to go from Iowa to South Carolina, instead of New Hampshire, as he targets Haley

Ron DeSantis is taking his battle with Nikki Haley directly to her home state, planning to head straight to South Carolina, which holds the first GOP votes in the South, after Monday’s Iowa caucuses.

FILE - Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe poses for a photograph outside the Wisconsin Capitol building, Aug. 31, 2020, in Madison, Wis. A Wisconsin judge ruled Friday, Jan. 12, 2024 that the state's top elections official is legally holding her position and that the commission that appoints her is under no obligation to name a new leader, handing yet another defeat to Republicans who have tried to oust her. (Ruthie Hauge/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File)

Wisconsin’s embattled elections leader is legally holding the position, judge rules

A Wisconsin judge has ruled that the state’s top elections official is legally holding her position and that the commission that appoints her is under no obligation to name a new leader.

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, center, accompanied by his press secretary Bryan Griffin, right, departs after speaking at a Northside Conservatives Club Meeting at The District in Ankeny, Iowa, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Iowa campaign events are falling as fast as the snow as the state readies for record-cold caucuses

Campaign events are falling as swiftly as the Iowa snow as wintry weather hampers Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump’s schedules ahead of Monday’s leadoff presidential caucuses.

Virginia county admits election tally in 2020 shorted Joe Biden

A northern Virginia county is acknowledging that it underreported President Joe Biden’s margin of victory there over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election by about 4,000 votes.

FILE- Gino DiGiovanni Jr., right, and his attorney, Martin Minnella, walk out of the federal courthouse in New Haven, Conn., Aug. 15, 2023. DiGiovanni, a former Connecticut city alderman who won a Republican primary for mayor while facing charges related to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, pleaded guilty Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, to a misdemeanor for his actions in Washington. (Peter Yankowski/Hearst Connecticut Media via AP, File)

Former Connecticut mayoral candidate pleads guilty to Jan. 6 Capitol breach charge

A former Connecticut city alderman who won a Republican primary for mayor while facing charges related to the storming of the U.S.

Main political party in St. Maarten secures most seats in Dutch Caribbean territory’s elections

Voters in St. Maarten have upheld the Dutch Caribbean territory’s main political party, the National Alliance, in general elections.

Former leader of Move Forward Party Pita Limjaroenrat talks to The Associated Press during an interview at Parliament in Bangkok, Thailand Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. Eight months ago, Pita shook up Thai politics by leading his progressive party to a stunning first-place finish in the 2023 general election, putting him in a good position to be named the country’s next prime minister. But Pita's fortune changed. Now he’s fighting an uphill battle just to retain his seat in Parliament, from which he has already been suspended. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Unfazed by political blows, Pita Limjaroenrat resolves to come back to lead ‘alternative Thailand’

Pita Limjaroenrat shook up Thai politics eight months ago by leading his progressive Move Forward party to a stunning first-place finish in the 2023 general election.

Democrat announces long-shot campaign for North Dakota’s only US House seat

A Democratic military veteran is seeking North Dakota’s sole U.S. House seat. Trygve Hammer is aiming for an upset in a state where Republicans hold every statewide and congressional office and Democrats haven’t won a statewide election since Heidi Heitkamp’s U.S.

This image from police body-worn video and contained in the Justice Department statement of facts supporting the arrest of Carlos Ayala, shows Ayala outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. Ayala, a Republican member of the Maryland State Board of Elections, was arrested on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Maryland, on felony and misdemeanor charges for participating in the Jan. 6 rioting. Michael Summers, the chair of the Maryland elections board, said in a statement Thursday, Jan. 11, he has accepted Ayala's immediate resignation. (Department of Justice via AP)

Maryland elections board member resigns after indictment for participating in US Capitol rioting

A Republican member of the Maryland State Board of Elections is resigning after being arrested by the FBI this week on felony and misdemeanor charges relating to his alleged conduct during the attack at the U.S.

Donald Trump, Jr. greets members of the audience after speaking at the Machine Shed in Urbandale, Iowa, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Trump skips much of the final week before Iowa’s caucuses to go to court voluntarily instead

Former President Donald Trump is spending much of the week before Iowa’s kickoff caucuses more than 1,000 miles away in court while his rivals make their last-ditch pitch to voters.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp delivers the State of the State speech, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Gov. Brian Kemp draws political contrasts in his election-year State of the State speech

Gov. Brian Kemp is using his State of the State speech to draw contrasts between his Republican philosophy and Democrats in an election year.

FILE - North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democratic North Carolina gubernatorial candidate, speaks about crime prevention and public safety measures at a news conference, May 1, 2023, at the Department of Justice building in Raleigh, N.C. Stein's campaign for North Carolina governor said Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, it raised more than $5.7 million during the past six months — a total that should keep the Democrat at or near the top of collections when all 2024 gubernatorial candidates report their donations. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum, File)

North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein has raised $5.7M since July, his campaign says

Josh Stein’s campaign for North Carolina governor says it raised more than $5.7 million during the past six months.

FILE -- Rick Jeffares, then a Republican state senator, prepares to vote on a bill during the legislative session in Atlanta, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Senate Republicans announced on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024 that they will seek to appoint Jeffares to the State Election Board. (AP Photo/David Goldman, file)

Georgia Senate nominates former senator as fifth member of election board

The Georgia Senate is nominating a fifth member to the State Election Board. Former state Sen. Rick Jeffares must still be confirmed by the full Senate after the Thursday announcement by Gov.

An American flag is seen during the second half of an NCAA college football game between Illinois and Rutgers, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, in Piscataway, N.J. Illinois won 23 - 20. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Who’s running for president? See a rundown of the 2024 candidates

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s announcement Wednesday that he’s dropping out of the presidential race narrows the Republican field to five candidates.

FILE - Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos speaks during an interview at the state Capitol in Madison, Wis., on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Backers of former President Donald Trump filed a petition Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, seeking to recall Wisconsin Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos from office, citing Vos's opposition to Trump and his not moving forward with impeaching the state's top elections official. (AP Photo/Harm Venhuizen, File)

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos targeted for recall for not supporting Trump

Backers of former President Donald Trump have filed a petition seeking to recall Wisconsin Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos from office.

5 candidates apiece qualify for elections to fill vacancies in Georgia House and Senate

Five candidates apiece are running in special elections for a Georgia state Senate seat west of Atlanta and a state House seat near Augusta.

Rep. Jorge Álvarez Máynez greets supporters after he was nominated by the Citizen’s Movement party to run for president in the upcoming general elections, in Mexico City, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. The 38-year-old congressman will face front-runner Claudia Sheinbaum of the ruling Morena party, and opposition coalition candidate Xochitl Gálvez on June 2. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Mexico’s small Citizen’s Movement party nominates congressman for president

Mexico’s small Citizen’s Movement party has nominated a youthful, little-known congressman to run for president in the June 2 elections _ a campaign that so far has been dominated by two women.

Kentucky state Sen. Chris McDaniel, left, chats with fellow Sen. Jason Howell, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, in Frankfort, Ky. McDaniel has resumed his effort to shift elections for governor and other statewide offices to coincide with presidential elections. His proposal won approval from a Senate panel on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Bruce Schreiner)

Lawmaker resumes push to end odd-year elections for governor and other statewide offices in Kentucky

A Kentucky lawmaker has resumed his effort to shift elections for governor and other statewide offices to coincide with presidential elections.

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, right, looks at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, at the CNN Republican presidential debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Haley and DeSantis tear into each other’s records in a hostile head-to-head Republican debate

DeSantis and Haley called each other liars and insulted each other’s records and character in the opening minutes of the debate.

FILE - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets supporters as he arrives for an election campaign rally of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Hyderabad, India, Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A., File)

Over 50 countries go to the polls in 2024. The year will test even the most robust democracies

More than 50 countries that together have half the world’s population are expecting national elections in 2024.

FILE - El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele greets supporters after he presented himself as the presidential candidate for the New Ideas Party in his bid for reelection, in San Salvador, El Salvador, Oct. 27, 2023. Bukele's administration launched a new Internet voting system in January 2024, for Salvadorans living abroad, boosting access for people who previously had to cast their vote by mail. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez, File)

Votes by El Salvador’s diaspora surge, likely boosting President Bukele in elections

A record-breaking 51,226 Salvadorans living abroad voted in El Salvador’s upcoming presidential election in the first three days after the country opened overseas electronic voting for the first time, two electoral officials confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday.

New Jersey’s State of the State: Teen voting, more AI, lower medical debt among governor’s pitches

New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has announced a series of new measures he wants the newly expanded Democrat-led Legislature to adopt.

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a commit to caucus rally, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, in Clinton, Iowa. Trump is seizing on his party's frustration with the recent surge of illegal crossings at the southern U.S. border to churn up fears around voter fraud. Ahead of Iowa's caucuses next week, the former Republican president has repeatedly suggested that Democrats are planning to sign unauthorized migrants up to vote in 2024.(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

Trump suggests unauthorized migrants will vote. The idea stirs his base, but ignores reality

Donald Trump is seizing on his party’s frustration with the recent surge of illegal crossings at the southern U.S. border to churn up fears around voter fraud.

FILE - Solomon Peña, center, a Republican candidate for New Mexico House District 14, is taken into custody by Albuquerque, New Mexico, Police officers, Jan. 16, 2023, in southwest Albuquerque. Peña has been indicted on federal charges including interference with the electoral process in connection with a series of drive-by shootings at the homes of state and local lawmakers in Albuquerque, according to a grand jury indictment that was unsealed Wednesday, May 31. (Roberto E. Rosales/The Albuquerque Journal via AP, File)

New Mexico man pleads guilty in drive-by shootings on homes of Democratic lawmakers

One of three defendants has pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a series of drive-by shootings at the homes of state and local lawmakers in Albuquerque after the 2022 election.

FILE - Rep. Greg Pence, R-Ind., listens during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Oct. 23, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Pence, the older brother of former Vice President Mike Pence, said Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, that he will not seek reelection this year to a fourth term, becoming the latest House member to announce that they won't run for reelection. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

US Rep. Greg Pence of Indiana, former VP Mike Pence’s older brother, won’t seek reelection

Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Pence of Indiana says he will not seek reelection this year to a fourth term, becoming the latest House member to announce that they won’t run for reelection.

FILE - The City of Racine Clerk's Office mobile voting van is seen on July 26, 2022, at the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Center in Racine, Wis. On Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, a Wisconsin judge ruled that state law does not allow the use of mobile absentee voting sites, siding with Republicans who had challenged the city of Racine's use of the voting van that traveled around the city in 2022. (Ryan Patterson/The Journal Times via AP, File)

Wisconsin judge rules that absentee voting van used in 2022 was illegal

A Wisconsin judge has ruled that state law does not allow the use of mobile absentee voting sites, siding with Republicans who had challenged Racine’s use of a voting van that traveled around the city in 2022.

FILE - Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows speaks at an event, Jan. 4, 2023, in Augusta, Maine. Republicans who want to remove Maine's secretary of state from office in the wake of her decision to bar former President Donald Trump from the state's primary ballot will face long odds against an influential member of the state's majority-holding Democratic party. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Maine House votes down GOP effort to impeach election official who removed Trump from ballot

Democrats who control the Maine Legislature have turned back a Republican effort to impeach the state’s top election official for her decision to keep former President Donald Trump off the ballot.

FILE - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko listens, during his meeting with foreign correspondents, in Minsk, Belarus, on July 6, 2023. Belarusian authorities on Monday Jan. 8, 2024 said they will not invite observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to monitor the country's parliamentary and local elections, scheduled for Feb. 25. The move is the latest authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has undertaken in recent years to further cement his control over the country's political institutions. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

OSCE laments Belarus’ refusal to allow its monitors to observe February’s parliamentary vote

A top trans-Atlantic security and rights watchdog is criticizing Belarus’ refusal to allow the group to observe its parliamentary vote, saying that it defies the country’s international obligations.

FILE - Nikolai Kharitonov, a lawmaker of the Russian Communist Party, the second largest party in the lower house of Parliament, the State Duma, speaks to journalists after submitting his documents as a presidential candidate for the upcoming presidential election at the Russia's Central Election Committee in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. Russia’s national elections commission on Tuesday registered the Communist Party’s candidate to compete with President Vladimir Putin in the March election that Putin is all but certain to win. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

A Communist candidate gets approval to run in the Russian presidential election

Russia’s national elections commission has registered the Communist Party’s candidate to compete with President Vladimir Putin in the March election that Putin is all but certain to win.