The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 13, 2023

After a Canadian Utility Spent $22 Million Dollars to Influence a Ballot Measure, Maine Voters Ban Foreign Money in State Elections
With an astounding 86.4% vote on November 7th, Maine passed a citizen ballot initiative banning foreign campaign contributions to state candidates and ballot measures.  How much foreign money could there be in a Maine election? More than you think.

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Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Hydro Quebec - Appalaches-Maine Interconnection - Work Update June 2023
Reuters - States and localities take on foreign-influenced political spending
BallotPedia - Maine Question 2, Prohibit Foreign Spending in Elections Initiative (2023)
Spectrum News - Maine considers closing loophole that allows foreign government spending on referendums
Maine Public Radio - Question 2 passes, banning foreign electioneering in Maine
State of Maine - §1064. Foreign government campaign spending prohibited

Groups Taking Action:

Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, League of Women Voters Maine, American Promise, End Citizens United, Represent.Us

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ProtectElections #ProtectPollWorkers

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 10, 2023
(Rebroadcast of Aug. 28, 2023)
 
Can a U.S. President Pardon Him or Herself?  The Question Will Likely End Up in the U.S. Supreme Court.
 Last week, we discussed the President’s broad powers and some limitations to issue a pardon. But can a U.S. President pardon him or herself?

Our podcasting host recently made changes which stops us from including our entire script as part of the podcast content.  To view the whole script, please go to our website and find today's report.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Brookings Institution - Unpacked: Can a president pardon himself?
National Constitution Center -  (2020) Can the President Pardon Himself? (Podcast)
Prof. Michael Conklin, Texas A&M Law, Angelo State Univ. - (2020) Can a President Pardon Himself? Law School Faculty Consensus (open PDF for full paper)
Reuters - (2021) Trump has discussed pardoning himself, source says
Brennan Center for Justice – Presidential Pardon Power Explained
National Constitution Center –  Presidential pardons: A constitutional and historical review

Groups Taking Action:
Protect Our Democracy, Brennan Center

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #PardonMe #SelfPardon

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 9, 2023

Who Can Vote in a State Primary? Well, that Depends on Where You Live and Sometimes Whether You Belong to a Political Party
A New Hampshire GOP resolution recently surfaced to “close” its party primary to the state’s unaffiliated voters. What ARE the types of primaries, who can vote in them, and who decides?  Turns out, it’s complicated.

Our podcasting host recently made changes which stops us from including our entire script as part of the podcast content.  To view the whole script, please go to our website and find today's report.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
InDepthNH - GOP Resolution Would Block 320,000 Undeclared NH Voters from Voting in Republican Primaries
BallotPedia - Partisan affiliations of registered voters
Axios - Record number of Americans say they're politically independent
NPR - The U.S. has a 'primary problem,' say advocates who call for new election systems
Open Primaries - Primary Rules in Your State
National Conference of State Legislatures -  State Primary Election Types

Brennan Center for Justice - Shhh, Or Independents Might Actually Get to Vote

Groups Taking Action:
Open Primaries, FairVote, Represent.Us, Unite America

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #OpenPrimaries #LetUsVote #IndependentVoters

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 8, 2023

Is Voting a Fundamental Right?  The Kansas Supreme Court Hears a Case Where the State Argues It’s Not.
In defense of two restrictive voting laws, the State of Kansas argued to the Kansas Supreme Court Friday that voting is NOT a fundamental state constitutional right, as an appeals court had ruled. 

Our podcasting host recently made changes which stops us from including our entire script as part of the podcast content.  To view the whole script, please go to our website and find today's report.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Democracy Docket - Kansas Voter Suppression Law Challenge
Kansas Reflector - Court of Appeals reverses lower court on Kansas lawsuit challenging restraint of voting rights
Kansas Reflector - Voting rights case sent to Kansas Supreme Court, challenging 2021 election law
Kansas Reflector - Kansas Supreme Court set to consider protections for voting rights
Kansas State Constitution - Suffrage
Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights -  Kansas Bill of Rights

Kansas Court of Appeals - League of Women Voters of Kansas v. Schwab

Groups Taking Action:
League of Women Voters of Kansas, Loud Light, Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice,  Topeka Independent Living Resource Center

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VotingRights #FreedomtoVote #DisabilityRights #VoterSuppression

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 6, 2023

States Bailing Out of ERIC are Reinventing the “Election Integrity” Wheel, But With Less Accurate and Likely More Expensive Results
Far right activists pushing fringe conspiracy theories pressured red state legislatures and election officials to pull out of the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC.  But proposed “election integrity” alternatives fall far short of ERIC, and are likely to be more expensive.

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Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Brennan Center for Justice - States Cave to Conspiracy Theories and Leave Voter Data Cooperative, ERIC
Heritage Foundation - Maintaining Accurate Voter Registration Rolls: The Need to Rehabilitate the ERIC Program or Form an Alternative
Votebeat Texas - Texas resigns from ERIC, a national program that keeps voter rolls updated
KY3 News - Missouri Sec. of State defends withdrawal from multi-state election security system
Huffington Post - 9 Republican States Left A Bipartisan Election Integrity Group. Now, They’re Struggling To Replace It.
NPR - Republican states swore off a voting tool. Now they're scrambling to recreate it
States of OH & West Virginia -  Memo of Understanding for Sharing Voter Data
Virginia Mercury - After ERIC withdrawal, Virginia strikes deals with 6 states to share voter data
Brennan Center for Justice - EagleAI is the latest effort by election deniers to use the upkeep of voter rolls as a vehicle to disenfranchise voters and spread disinformation.

Groups Taking Action:
Campaign Legal Center, ACLU OH, Missouri Voter Protection Coalition,

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ProtectElections #Disinformation #ElectionDisinformation 

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 3, 2023

Virginia’s Governor Ended Automatic Voting Rights Restoration for 12,000 Returning Felons this Year.  A State Error Almost Disenfranchised 3,400 More.
News broke recently that the State of Virginia mistakenly revoked voting rights for 270 formerly incarcerated felons whose rights had previously  been restored.  An investigation shows that number has ballooned to 3,400 Virginians.

Our podcasting host recently made changes which stops us from including our entire script as part of the podcast content.  To view the whole script, please go to our website and find today's report.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Bolt Magazine - “Back to 1902”: Virginia Governor Revives Lifetime Ban on Voting
Virginia Mercury - Youngkin administration now requires felons to apply to get their voting rights back
Democracy Docket - Virginia Governor Sued Over Revised Felony Disenfranchisement Policy
Virginia Public Media - Virginia voter removals raise concerns among rights groups
Virginia Public Media - Virginia reinstates nearly 3,400 voters after accidental purge
WRIC -  Issue led some eligible Virginians to be mistakenly removed from voter rolls

WUSA - Thousands of voters wrongly purged from Virginia rolls

Groups Taking Action:
ACLU Virginia, The Sentencing Project, League of Women Voters VA

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VirginiaPolitics #VotingRights #FreedomtoVote

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 3, 2023
 
Frightening Survey Results Show Increases in Americans Who Think Violence May Be Needed and Leaders Should Break Rules to “Save Our Country”
A frightening survey released last week found substantial increases in the number of Americans who thought that the country needed leaders to break rules - authoritarianism - and that violence may be needed, to QUOTE “save our country.”

Our podcasting host recently made changes which stops us from including our entire script as part of the podcast content.  To view the whole script, please go to our website and find today's report.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Public Religion Research Institute/Brookings  -  Survey Summary: Threats to American Democracy Ahead of an Unprecedented Presidential Election
Public Religion Research Institute/Brookings - Slide Deck Presentation:   Threats to American Democracy Ahead of an Unprecedented Presidential Election
Public Religion Research Institute/Brookings - Webinar:  What do Americans think about the health of our democracy and the upcoming presidential election?

NPR - More Americans say they support political violence ahead of the 2024 election
Journal of Democracy - The Rise of Political Violence in the United States

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #Survey #SaveDemocracy  #BrookingsInstitution #PoliticalViolence

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 2, 2023

Three Democracy Court Cases in Wisconsin May Impact Election Administration, Gerrymandering and Absentee Ballots
We’re back in Wisconsin where three democracy lawsuits may have an impact on the state’s election administration, access to absentee ballots, and gerrymandered voting districts.

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Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Wisconsin Examiner - Embracing election denial, Wisconsin Senate Republicans vote to fire chief election official
Wisconsin Examiner - Temporary injunction blocks lawmakers from trying to replace elections administrator
Associated Press/PBS Wisconsin - Dane County judge blocks legislators from removing Wolfe during lawsuit
Democracy Docket - Wisconsin Online Absentee Ballot Application Challenge
Democracy Docket - Wisconsin Legislative Redistricting Challenge
Princeton Gerrymandering Project/Represent.Us/Electoral Innovation Lab:   Wisconsin 2022 Congressional Maps - Grade = F

Groups Taking Action:
Common Cause Wisconsin, League of Women Voters WI, Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition, Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews  #Wisconsin #WisconsinPolitics #EndGerrymandering #FreedomtoVote 

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 31, 2023

Colorado, Minnesota & Michigan Courts Consider “Insurrection Act” Cases to Keep Trump Off the Ballot

A trial opened Monday in a Denver, Colorado courtroom to determine whether former President Donald Trump should be excluded from the 2024 Colorado ballot.  Similar cases are pending in Minnesota and Michigan.

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Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
The Atlantic - The Constitution Prohibits Trump From Ever Being President Again
NPR - 5 things to know about the 14th Amendment effort to block Trump from the presidency
Colorado Newsline - Trump 14th Amendment trial in Colorado opens with focus on events of Jan. 6
Associated Press - Lawyers argue whether the Constitution’s ‘insurrection’ clause blocks Trump from the 2024 ballot
Reuters - Trump should be disqualified from 2024 ballot over Jan. 6 riot, advocates say at trial
Michigan Advance - Michigan judge fast-tracks lawsuit to force Trump off the ballot in Michigan
Minnesota Public Radio - Minnesota lawsuit seeks to keep Trump off 2024 ballot
Derek Muller, Election Law Blog -   Colorado trial court botches interpretation of Electoral Count Reform Act in rush to get Trump ballot access case to hearing

Groups Taking Action:
C.R.E.W., Free Speech for People, Mi Familia Vota

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #14thAmendment #InsurrectionAct #January6th  #ColoradoPolitics #StoptheSteal

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 31, 2023

Federal District Court Orders Georgia’s Racially Gerrymandered Congressional Map to Be Redrawn by December 8th
A federal district court found that the State of Georgia’s Congressional voting district map is in violation of the Voting Rights Act. Similar to Alabama, the judge ordered a new map to include an additional majority-minority district.

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Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Princeton Gerrymandering Project/Represent.Us - Georgia 2021 Final Republican Congressional Map - Enacted - "F" Grade
Associated Press - A Georgia trial arguing redistricting harmed Black voters could decide control of a US House seat
Politico - Georgia’s congressional map violates Voting Rights Act, court finds
NPR - A federal judge says Georgia's political maps must be redrawn for the 2024 election
U.S. District Court, Northern District of GA - ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY v. RAFFENSPERGER
PBS - How new congressional maps in Georgia and North Carolina will impact 2024 election

Groups Taking Action:

ACLU Georgia,  Alpha Phi Alpha, Fair Fight, Fair Districts Georgia

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #StopGerrymandering #GeorgiaPolitics #RacialGerrymandering #VotingRights #FreedomtoVote #FairMaps