The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Aug. 25, 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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The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Aug. 25, 2023

How Did Presidential Pardons Evolve, and What Are Their Limitations?
In the first 2024 GOP primary debate, Vivek Ramaswamy reiterated his campaign pledge to pardon former President Trump. How did Presidential pardons evolve, and what are their limitations?

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:
The White House Historical Association - The History of the Pardon Power
Office of the Pardon Attorney, DOJ - Clemency Statistics
Brennan Center for Justice - Presidential Pardon Power Explained
National Constitution Center - Presidential pardons: A constitutional and historical review

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The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Aug. 23, 2023

GOP Activists Are Pitching an Alternative to ERIC for Voter List Maintenance. But it Could Also Be Used for Voter Suppression.
Nine conservative-leaning states have pulled out of ERIC, a cooperative of states which uses advanced computer matching to keep voter rolls clean.  Now, a group of GOP activists is launching its own system called EagleAI NETwork and pitching it to counties and states – and for use by activists in “challenging” voter eligibility.

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:
NBC News - Inside the right’s effort to build a voter fraud hunting tool
NPR - How the far right tore apart one of the best tools to fight voter fraud

New Brunswick News/Atlanta Journal Constitution - Georgia company EagleAI pursues multistate voter registration cancellations
Documented - Meet "Eagle AI," the Cleta Mitchell-Backed MAGA Mass Voter Challenge Program
Campaign Legal Center - What Is ERIC, and Why Is It Critical for Our Democracy?

Groups Taking Action:

Issue One, Common Cause Georgia, Center for Election Innovation & Research, Protect Democracy

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The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Aug. 22, 2023
Trump Announces He’s Skipping the Initial GOP Primary Debates.  How Much Do Presidential Candidate Debates Matter?
Former President Trump announced August 20th that he will not be participating in the upcoming GOP debates, saying the public already knew him. But just how important are the debates?

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:
Associated Press - Trump says he will skip GOP presidential primary debates
FiveThirtyEight - (2020) What We Know About The Impact Of Primary Debates
The Journalist's Resource / Harvard Kennedy School - Presidential debates and their effects: Research roundup
Pew Research Center - (2012) Most Say Presidential Debates Influence Their Vote
Annenberg Public Policy Center -  Presidential Debates: What’s Behind the Numbers?
Communication Monographs - (2003) A meta-analysis of the effects of viewing U.S. presidential debate
Pew Research Center - 5 facts about presidential and vice presidential debates
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - How to watch the first Republican presidential debate on Aug. 23 in Milwaukee

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The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Aug. 21, 2023
Federal Court Strikes Down Mississippi Constitutional Provision With Racist History Keeping 11% of Its Population from Voting

Mississippi has the highest percentage of voting-age citizens who are not able to vote due to past felony convictions.  In early August, a federal court struck down the responsible Jim Crow provision in Mississippi’s constitution, citing “cruel and unusual punishment.” 

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:
Center for Public Integrity - (2022) More than 15% of Black Mississippi residents permanently barred from voting
Democracy Docket - Mississippi Felony Disenfranchisement Challenge (Hopkins)

Mississippi Today - (2020) Study: 11% of all Mississippians, 16% of Black Mississippians can’t vote because of felony convictions
Advancement Project - (2021) Our Voices, Our Votes: Felony Disenfranchisement and Re-entry in Mississippi
Mississippi Today - 5th Circuit panel strikes down Mississippi’s lifetime felony voting ban
The Marshall Project - Voting Rights for Felons

Groups Taking Action:
The Sentencing Project, Mississippi Votes,  ACLU Mississippi

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American Democracy Minute Radio Report for August 18, 2023

Under the Cloak of “Election Integrity,” North Carolina Legislature Overhauls Election System; Override of Governor’s Expected Veto Likely
The North Carolina legislature approved a so-called “election integrity” bill late Wednesday, making it harder to vote by mail, employing provisional ballots for election day registrants, implementing new polling place observer rules, and allowing voters to challenge the mail ballots of other voters.   

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 - North Carolina Republicans Introduce Election Bill Influenced by GOP Operatives
WRAL - Sweeping election law changes moving forward again in NC legislature, ahead of 2024 elections
WRAL - Local election officials say proposed NC election changes would be 'disruptive'
North Carolina Legislature - Final version of SB 747
WGHP - Few amendments, many questions: North Carolina’s expanded voting law headed for Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk

Groups Taking Action:
North Carolina Black Alliance, Democracy North Carolina, North Carolina Voter, ACLU North Carolina

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #NCPolitics #VoterSuppression #FreedomtoVote

American Democracy Minute Radio Report for August 17, 2023

Developments in the Fight for Fair Voting District Maps in Alabama, Florida and Wisconsin
While we’ve been reading indictments, there have been three developments in the last week which may impact gerrymandered Congressional maps in Alabama, Florida and Wisconsin.  

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
NPR - Alabama lost a voting rights case at the Supreme Court. It's still trying to win
Associated Press - Federal judges question Alabama’s new congressional map, lack of 2nd majority-Black district
Democracy Docket - New Agreement Renews Potential for Black-Performing Florida Congressional District
WCJB - North Florida congressional district challenge to be expedited to Supreme Court
Insider - A North Florida congressional district that was held by a Black Democrat before it was dismantled by Ron DeSantis could be restored in 2024 under a new agreement
Wisconsin State Journal - Liberal Janet Protasiewicz vows fairness as Wisconsin Supreme Court term begins
Wisconsin Examiner - Lawsuit against legislative maps filed at Wisconsin Supreme Court
Wisconsin Examiner - Vos says Republicans may consider impeaching Protasiewicz over redistricting comments

Groups Taking Action:
NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Campaign Legal Center, Black Voters Matter, Equal Ground, Florida Rising,  League of Women Voters of Florida, Fair Maps Wisconsin Coalition, Common Cause WI, League of Women Voters WI

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #FairMaps #WisconsinPolitics #AllenvMilligan #FloridaPolitics

Georgia Indictment of Trump & Allies Includes Ties to Breach of Voting Machines in Coffee County, GA

In a follow up to our past reports on Coffee County, GA, Monday’s RICO indictment of former President Donald Trump includes evidence of alleged COORDINATION of voting machine tampering by Trump’s legal team, and indictments of lead actors involved in the alleged access to, and tampering with the county’s ballot tabulation machines.

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:
Associated Press - Full Searchable Indictment from the Fulton County Superior Court
Associated Press - Video shows ‘unauthorized access’ to Ga. election equipment
Reuters - (2022) Michigan widens probe into voting system breaches by Trump allies
CNN - Text messages reveal Trump operatives considered using breached voting data to decertify Georgia’s Senate runoff in 2021
CNN - Exclusive: Georgia prosecutors have messages showing Trump’s team is behind voting system breach

Sullivan|Strickler - Management Team
The Guardian -  Trump allies face potential charges in Georgia over voting machine breaches
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Ohio’s Politician-Led Redistricting Commission Failed.  Citizens Are Proposing a Citizen-Led Commission Instead.

With 70% of the vote in 2018, Ohio voters passed a constitutional amendment prohibiting partisan gerrymandering.  The state’s redistricting commission and legislature ignored it, and gerrymandered the voting district maps anyway.  Citizens are now trying to fix what the politicians won’t.

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:
Ohio Capital Journal - (2022) Public awaits more redistricting work, but new law gives court little leeway to force it
Ohio Capital Journal - (2022)  Discussions underway to propose new redistricting reform to Ohio voters
WOSU - Groups gathering signatures to get citizen-led statewide redistricting commission on the 2024 ballot
Ohio Redistricting Commission - What the Commission Does
Ohio Redistricting Commission - Public Comments
Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission - FAQ Page
California Independent Redistricting Commission - FAQ Page
BallotPedia - States with Redistricting Commissions

Groups Taking Action:

Common Cause Ohio, League of Women Voters OH, Fair Districts Ohio, Indivisible Central Ohio
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DC Democrats Attempt to Block Citizen Initiative Proposing Ranked Choice Voting and Semi-Open Primaries in City Elections
Democrats in the District of Columbia have sued the DC Elections Board to prevent a citizen ballot initiative proposing ranked choice voting and semi-open primaries, claiming it would violate the city charter, and confuse Black and Hispanic voters.  Many major party leaders perceive open primaries as an existential threat to power, despite its popularity with voters.

**Correction in today's audio report**  The DC Elections Board approved the ballot measure to move forward in JULY, not June, as stated.  Sorry for the error! 

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:
Make All Votes Count DC - Text of “Make All Votes Count Act of 2024”
DCist - D.C. Democratic Party Sues To Keep Ranked Choice Voting And Open Primaries Off The Ballot
New York City Campaign Finance Board - (2022)  Report Highlights Ranked Choice Voting in 2021 Elections
Unite America - (2022) Two new reports on Ranked Choice Voting in NYC provide hope amidst a dismal primary season
The Hill - (Opinion) Could election reform in DC help conservatives embrace it nationwide?

Groups Taking Action:
Make All Votes Count DC, More Voice DC, Rank the Vote, Open Primaries, Fair Vote Action

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #RCV #OpenPrimaries