The Standing Record

This is the Standing Record for October 24, 2026. We recorded 3 events from October 23, 2026 that erode our democratic ideals and added 19 more from earlier dates — 349 so far this month, bringing the total archive to 2611. If you saw something happen — yesterday, or any other day — that belongs here, send it to our tip line.

DOJ demanded California counties set aside ballots from voters on its "likely noncitizen" list within 48 hours, warning of prosecution

Event: October 23, 2026 Location: California (U.S. attorneys' offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco) Jurisdiction: Federal Abuses: Voter suppression, Election worker intimidation

On October 23, 2026, U.S. attorneys' offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco delivered letters to county election offices across California, 57 of the state's 58 counties according to the Los Angeles office, demanding that officials commit within 48 hours to working with the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security to verify the citizenship of voters on an accompanying list and set those voters' mail ballots aside until it was confirmed. In letters from First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli and U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian, prosecutors warned that officials who knowingly tabulate ballots cast by people the government identifies as noncitizens risk federal prosecution. Los Angeles County's registrar called the 48-hour deadline "unenforceable" and the letters a "posture of intimidation."

People & Organizations: - Bill Essayli (First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Central District of California) - Craig Missakian (U.S. Attorney, Northern District of California) - U.S. Department of Justice

Read the full entry: https://standingrecord.com/entries/2026/10/23/federal-voter-suppression-c999a093/ Primary source: ‘This is not normal’: Feds demand California counties set aside ‘likely’ noncitizen ballots

Newport Beach canceled a court-ordered special election on three resident initiatives as ballots were due to be mailed

Event: October 23, 2026 Location: Newport Beach, California Jurisdiction: Newport Beach Abuses: Obstruction of citizen ballot initiatives, Defying court orders

On October 23, 2026, the City of Newport Beach announced it was canceling the November 3 special election that Orange County Superior Court Judge Julianne Bancroft had ordered on three resident-sponsored charter initiatives, Measures P, Q and R, covering council term limits, district-only voting and public-meeting transparency. The announcement came three days after a state appeals court denied the city's last emergency request to stay the order. The city said its ballot printer lacked authorization from the California Secretary of State and the county registrar had not supplied confidential voter information, and said it needs the court to reschedule the election.

People & Organizations: - City of Newport Beach (city government)

Read the full entry: https://standingrecord.com/entries/2026/10/23/local-ballot-initiative-obstruction-8a2eaecf/ Primary source: Newport Beach Cancels Court-Ordered Special Election

Mississippi AG Fitch asked Democratic Senate nominee Colom to delete an AI-generated ad by 3 p.m., warning of an injunction

Event: October 23, 2026 Location: Jackson, MS Jurisdiction: Mississippi Abuses: Targeting critics with government power

On October 23, 2026, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch sent a letter to Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Scott Colom's campaign saying its AI-generated ad depicting Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith appeared to violate the state's political deepfake law. The letter asked the campaign to remove it by 3 p.m. that day, warned of an injunction and criminal penalties, and told the campaign to preserve all records. Colom deleted the ad.

People & Organizations: - Lynn Fitch (Attorney General) - Mississippi Attorney General's Office

Read the full entry: https://standingrecord.com/entries/2026/10/23/ms-targeting-critics-with-government-power-b7ccb6da/ Primary source: Scott Colom May Have Broken Mississippi Law with AI Ad of Cindy Hyde-Smith, Lynn Fitch Says

Filling out the archive

We're steadily backfilling the archive — working backward through the record so the timeline is complete, not just current. These are older events we've archived over the past day. If you know of something from months or years back that belongs here, send it to our tip line.

• February 4, 2007 — Lowndes County, Mississippi grand jury indicted a 16-year-old for depraved-heart murder after her stillbirth, citing a medical examiner finding
• April 6, 2015 — Drew County Sheriff's Office arrested Anne Bynum for concealing birth after she delivered a stillborn baby at home
• June 6, 2015 — Albany Police Department arrested and charged Kenlissia Jones with malice murder after she took pills bought online to end her pregnancy
• November 5, 2019 — Kings County DA Keith Fagundes charged Chelsea Becker with murder over her stillbirth, and she was held on $5 million bail
• February 23, 2021 — Lauderdale County DA Chris Connolly charged Kim Blalock with felony prescription fraud for refilling a valid prescription while pregnant
• April 7, 2022 — Starr County sheriff's investigators arrested Lizelle Herrera on a murder indictment over a self-induced abortion
• June 2, 2023 — Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office arrested Amari Marsh for homicide by child abuse after she lost her pregnancy at home
• June 23, 2025 — ICE re-detained Kaveh Abedi, an Iranian man on supervised release for over 20 years, without the prompt interview its rules require
• July 3, 2025 — Florence County Sheriff's Office arrested a woman and charged her with desecration of human remains after her stillbirth
• September 15, 2025 — Clemson University fired professor Joshua Bregy over a Charlie Kirk repost after South Carolina lawmakers demanded action
• September 30, 2025 — FEMA froze $300 million-plus in state emergency grants until states certified their populations excluded people removed under immigration law
• October 1, 2025 — DOJ fired EDVA national security chief Michael Ben'Ary hours after a pro-Trump commentator's post tied him to resistance to the Comey indictment
• October 3, 2025 — White House said Trump directed a review of Portland federal aid that can be cut, vowing 'We will not fund states that allow anarchy'
• October 3, 2025 — OMB Director Vought put $2.1 billion for Chicago's Red Line Extension and transit modernization on hold, citing "race-based contracting"
• October 3, 2025 — Reuters reported the FBI relieved an agent of duty for declining to arrange a media perp walk of indicted ex-director James Comey
• October 4, 2025 — DHS officers hit 84-year-old protester Laurie Eckman in the head with a pepper ball outside Portland ICE building, leaving her with a concussion
• March 11, 2026 — Maricopa Recorder Heap notified state he would bar voters flagged by federal SAVE database from voting without proof of citizenship
• October 7, 2026 — DHS press release attacked Democratic House candidate Janelle Stelson over an ICE arrest, citing an activist's claim she employed the man
• October 22, 2026 — Federal indictment alleged Virginia Sen. Louise Lucas used her Finance chair role to benefit her cannabis business, including a license-linked bribe

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