American Democracy Minute

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 25, 2025 Texas Senate Republicans Approve Gerrymandered Congressional Map; California Democrats Pass Bill to Put Retaliatory Maps on the Ballot Texas and California took further steps in a Congressional gerrymandering arms race, as theTexas Senate approved a Congressional redistricting map likely to gain five GOP seats in the m...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 22, 2025 Texas House Passes Further Gerrymandered Districts After Democrats Stalling Quorum Return and are Placed Under Guard Two dozen Texas Democrats who fled the state to prevent a quorum in the Texas House returned to the chamber August 18th, resulting in the August 20th passage of further gerrymandered Congressional distri...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 21, 2025 As Trump Proposes Baseless Ban of Voting Machines, Newsmax Settles Defamation Suit with Dominion Voting Systems As we’ve reported, President Donald Trump said August 18th he would end the use of voting machines in the U.S., claiming without evidence they contributed to widespread election fraud.  The same day, conserva...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 20, 2025 President Trump Threatens Executive Order to End Voting by Mail and Use of Voting Machines On Truth Social August 18th, President Donald Trump threatened to end the use of mail-in ballots and voting machines in the United States, claiming it was responsible for massive voter fraud.  There is no evidence of widespread f...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 19, 2025 Federal Court Rules Against Louisiana for Racial Gerrymandering - Again - This Time for State Legislative Districts A federal appeals court upheld a lower court ruling August 14th that Louisiana’s legislature violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 when it racially gerrymandered state legislative districts, diluting the...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 18, 2025 How Adding a Citizenship Question in the Next U.S. Census Could Change the Make-Up of Congress You may have filled out a  U.S. Census questionnaire which promised to keep your individual data private.  There’s concern the Trump administration or Congress may add a question about your citizenship in the 2030 Census.  Wo...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 14, 2025 Over 100,000 Registered North Carolina Voters Must Now Provide ID Information or Vote by Provisional Ballot In November 2024, a GOP North Carolina Supreme Court candidate challenged the eligibility of thousands of voters with missing ID information.  The state is now trying to fix the problem. Some podcasting platforms...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 14, 2025 NH Mandates Disabled-Accessible Voting Machines, But Makes Absentee Registration & Voting Harder for Those Voting From Home New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte signed three election bills Aug. 1, one a positive reform requiring handicapped-accessible voting machines in all towns.  The others, however, add barriers...

American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 13, 2025 NYC Mayor Eric Adams Again Denied Matching Campaign Funds, After Allegations ‘The Campaign Violated the Law’ Embattled New York City mayor Eric Adams was again denied matching funds from the city’s public campaign funding program, this time for allegations his campaign violated the law.  It’s the 10th time he’s been denied...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 12, 2025 Alabama Must Keep 2nd Majority-Minority District But Skates on VRA Pre-Clearance, Says Federal Appeals Court After being directed to create two majority-minority Black districts by federal courts, then obstructing that order, Alabama’s congressional map was instead drawn by an independent expert in 2023.  Still defiant...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 11, 2025 Texas Legislature Blocked From Enacting Manipulated Congressional Redistricting Maps as 50 Democrats Flee the State and Possible Arrest In protest of Congressional redistricting maps blatantly manipulated by the Texas Assembly to gerrymander five more GOP seats, more than 50 Democratic legislators fled the state to pre...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 8, 2025 Redistricting Week:  A Gerrymandering War is Breaking Out Before the 2026 Midterms with Both Sides Threatening to Cheat on Their Maps With sinking approval ratings and the 2026 midterms looming, President Donald Trump asked Texas legislators to further gerrymander Congressional maps and preserve a GOP advantage in the U...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 7, 2025 Redistricting Week:  Who Does the Redistricting, and How Can Encourage Fair Maps and Curb Gerrymandering? We’ve been explaining the basics of fair redistricting and unfair gerrymandering this week.  Who does the redistricting, and how can that encourage fair maps and curb partisan and racial gerrymandering? Some podcast...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 6, 2025 Redistricting Week:  60 Years After The Voting Rights Act, Racial Gerrymandering Persists, Driven by State Legislatures Trying to Retain Power You may think racial gerrymandering happened long ago and just in southern states with legacies of suppressing of African Americans.  Think again. Anti-voter legislatures around...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 5, 2025 The Cheating Side of Redistricting - How Gerrymandering’s Packing, Cracking, and Diluting Rigs Our Electoral System We’re exploring redistricting this week, including its cheating side.  By manipulating which voters are in a voting district, the party in power can rig the system to guarantee a win for that party.  Ronal...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 4, 2025 Redistricting Week:  Why Do We Redistrict Our Voting District Maps Every 10 Years, and How is it Done? We’re spending this week going back to the basics of redistricting, including what makes a fair voting map, and what qualifies as gerrymandering.  What is redistricting, why is it necessary? Some podcasting platforms s...

American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 1, 2025 Americans Like Voting Early, and Other Lessons from the 2024 Election U.S. Election Assistance Commission Follow Up Report Americans really like voting by mail and in-person early voting.  That according to 2024 statistics from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.   According to EAC, 158, 211,780 citizens voted, out of...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for July 31, 2025 Can Individuals or Advocacy Groups Sue in Voting Rights Cases?  The Magic 8th Circuit Ball Says ‘No’. The federal 8th Circuit Court appears intent to block redistricting and voting rights cases by individuals and advocacy groups.  July 29th, the 8th Circuit issued another finding that individuals and groups can’t sue u...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for July 30, 2025 Must County Boards Certify an Election?  Yes, Says Unanimous Georgia Appeals Court. Last year, we reported that the Georgia State Board of Elections passed new rules aimed at disrupting or overturning the 2024 Presidential election.  One of those rules, allowing members of county election boards to do their own investi...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for July 29, 2025 Minnesota Rejects DOJ Request for Voting Records; Miami Election Postponement Denied by Judge We reported recently that the Trump administration’s DOJ requested complete voter records from 12 states. Minnesota just refused to cooperate. In Florida, there’s a decision in a court case over the City of Miami’s proposed po...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for July 28, 2025 Report Suggests NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ Reelection Campaign May Have Violated Contribution Rules - Again New York City mayor Eric Adams, who had campaign corruption charges against him dropped by the Trump DOJ in March, may have more alleged campaign finance violations surfacing.  Some podcasting platforms strip out our...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for July 25, 2025 A Maine Ballot Initiative Limiting State Contributions to SuperPACs was also Ruled Unconstitutional.  This One, However, Might Reach SCOTUS. We reported last fall that Maine voters approved Ballot Question 1, limiting contributions to SuperPACs spending money in state elections.  It passed with massive voter support, b...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for July 24, 2025 Federal First Circuit Deems Maine Ballot Initiative Limiting Foreign Spending in State Elections Likely Unconstitutional The voices of 86% of Maine voters were silenced July 14th as a federal appeals court found a 2023 ballot initiative limiting political spending by foreign-owned corporations likely violates the Const...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for July 23, 2025 Eight Circuit ‘Private Right of Action’ Ruling Temporarily Halted by Justice Kavanaugh in Case by North Dakota Tribes In May, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that individuals, in this case Native Americans, do not have a “private right of action” in voting rights cases.  An emergency stay was granted July 22nd,...

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for July 22, 2025 The U.S. Department of Justice is All Voter Records for 12 States, Likely a Violation of Privacy and Free Speech Rights  The U.S. Department of Justice sent letters to 12 secretaries of state requesting their complete their voter records as part of President Trump’s executive order on elections.  The reason for the req...