Linux runs fine on Intel Macs. There are a couple peculiarities you’ll want to be aware of, though.
- Ventoy doesn’t work as an installer. The boot menu will come up, but any ISO you choose will hang
- Not all distros will recognize the wireless card and install the firmware (Be prepared to install it using a USB to Ethernet adapter)
- Same goes for the iSight web cam
Other than those initial hiccups, everything works pretty flawlessly.
In my state (Vermont), the Secretary of State has an rss feed that basically presents the results as an xml file. I’m using that to make some local results spreadsheets. Could be other states have similar things.