Defending Democracy with Marc Elias

By Democracy Docket

Every week, election lawyer Marc Elias interviews lawmakers, policy leaders and changemakers about the problems facing our democracy and how we fix them.... more

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The podcast currently has 273 episodes available.

Best of Defending Democracy with Marc Elias

The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

Number 1: ALERT: Whistleblower Exposes Trump's Secret USPS Plan
A bombshell whistleblower complaint, submitted to Sen. Richard Blumenthal's office, reveals that the U.S. Postal Service allegedly kept building a new system to restrict mail-in ballots even after federal courts ordered it to stop it. Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down the two major allegations: that USPS defied court orders while developing its new "Federal Ballot Mail Portal," and that the system is designed with a "zero percent failure rate" — meaning if just one ballot in a batch of thousands can't be verified, the entire batch gets rejected and sent back, potentially disenfranchising voters over a single mismatched name or address.
September 01, 202625min
Number 2: Trump's Argument for Blocking Your Ballot Is Absolutely Absurd
With just over 60 days until the midterms, Donald Trump is still trying to weaponize the U.S. Postal Service against mail-in voters. Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down the legal fight playing out in federal courts in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., including a temporary restraining order that's now being appealed. He also reads directly from the Department of Justice's own court filings, in which lawyers compare mail-in ballots to overweight packages, cremated remains and fake bombs to justify blocking them.
August 31, 202638min
Number 3: Is Trump Ignoring Court Orders on Purpose? | Skye Perryman
Marc Elias sits down with Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward, for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of democracy under the second Trump administration.
September 06, 202643min
Number 4: BREAKING: Trump's DOJ Moves to Restore USPS Rule That Could Cripple Your Vote
The Department of Justice just made a major move to restore a U.S. Postal Service rule that could cripple mail-in voting in the 2026 midterms. Marc Elias, founder of Democracy Docket, walks through where this fast-moving litigation stands, how we got here and what's coming that you're not hearing about anywhere else.
August 28, 202622min
Number 5: Trump Wants You to Think This Fight is Over. It's Not.
The Supreme Court just ruled that legal challenges to Donald Trump's anti-voting executive order were filed too soon, but the fight is just getting started. The U.S. Postal Service has since finalized a rule that could block your mail-in ballot unless your state hands over sensitive voter data to the federal government. In this episode, Democracy Docket's Marc Elias breaks down where the fight is headed next, from courts in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., to another likely showdown at the Supreme Court, and why Trump's own side built the legal doctrines that could end up sinking the rule. Plus, what's at stake for the 2026 midterms if it isn't stopped.
August 26, 202623min