American Democracy Minute

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 24, 2025 Updates on Two Consequential State Supreme Court Cases in North Carolina and Pennsylvania We have updates on important state supreme court cases involving the outcome of a November 2024 North Carolina Supreme Court election, and whether Pennsylvania can count mail ballots with missing dates.   To view the whole script of to...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 23, 2025 While We Were Distracted with DC Discord, States Advance New Voting Regulations While President Donald Trump’s Jan. 6th pardons and executive orders have dominated the news, state legislatures have been hard at work on both pro-voter and anti-voter legislation. Democracy legislation tracker Voting Rights Lab counts 432 elec...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 22, 2025 Executive Orders Can Also Terminate Previous Orders; One of Trump’s Day-1 Orders Ended a Federal Policy to Promote Voting We recently reported on presidential orders, including executive orders, and how they’re used.  Executive orders can also be used to revoke previous orders, and among President Donald Trump’s day-one ord...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan 21, 2025 What is an Executive Order?  What are the Limits of Its Power?  Why Do Presidents Use Them? New Presidents often use “Day One” executive orders to move their policy agendas forward.  What are the different kinds of presidential orders, what are their limitations, and why do Presidents use them? To view the whole script of to...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 20, 2025 For MLK Day:  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “March on Ballot Boxes” Speech in South Carolina, May 9, 1966 On May 9, 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke in Kingstree, SC about the importance of voting on the eve of a state primary.  Here are his words:   “Let us on that glad day in June march on ballot boxes, for this is...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 17, 2025 ND Native American Nation Prevails in Protecting Majority-Minority Voting Districts.  A Victory for Minority Voters, But GOP Efforts to Neutralize the VRA Continue Native American voters prevailed in federal court against the State of North Dakota, protecting the ability to elect the candidate of their choice.  The state ha...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 16, 2025 What are the Rules as to How Contributions to Inaugural Committee Funds Are Spent?  There Aren’t Any. Our recent reporting explored the massive contributions to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, reportedly reaching $170 Million dollars.  What are the rules as to how that money is spent?  The short answer is, there aren’t any....

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 15, 2025 Donations to Trump’s Inauguration May Reach $200M, Funding the Parade, Inaugural Balls  . . . and Pay-to-Play Influence Donald Trump’s inaugural committee has received $170 Million dollars in contributions, and it’s expected to reach $200 Million – almost double his 2017 total.   Yes, the contributions pay for the inaugural...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 14, 2025 An Estimated $15.9 Billion was Spent in the 2024 Election Cycle, but 50% of It Came from the Top 1% of Special Interest Donors As we approach the 15th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s fateful Citizens United decision, we consider the estimated $15.9 billion dollars spent in the 2024 campaign. That’s a lot of special...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 13, 2025 SAVE Act Reintroduced in U.S. House and Senate, Requiring IDs and Proof of Citizenship for In-Person and Mail-In Voting. Millions of Eligible Voters Could Be Disenfranchised. Republicans reintroduced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE Act, mandating proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections and requir...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 10, 2025 After 2 Years of Delays, Automatic Voter Registration is Finally Coming to New York Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed automatic voter registration into law in December of 2020, to begin in January of  2023.   Pandemic, technical, and bidding delays ensued, but preparation for voter registration at the DMV and oth...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 9, 2025 GOP-Controlled NH Legislature Proposes Proportional Presidential Electoral Votes. Will Gerrymandered Congressional Districts Follow? Legislation unveiled Monday by the New Hampshire Senate would change the state’s four Presidential electoral votes from “winner take all” to “proportional,” based on which party wins its two Co...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 8, 2025 Unlike the 2020 Election, 2024’s Election Was Certified without Violence, Sham Audits or Criminal Conspiracies.  How Come? The 2024 election was certified January 6th by Congress with no objections, accusations of fraud, or violent mobs.  Why was it, well, blissfully boring?  To view the whole script of today’s report, pleas...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 7th, 2025 For the First Time in American History, Alabama Has 2 Black Members Congress, Thanks to the Protections of the VRA.  It Wasn’t Easy. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 Section 2 provides opportunity for communities of minority voters to elect the Congressional candidate of their choice by creating a majority minority voting dis...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 6, 2025 Assault on America’s Democratic Process:  The January 6th, 2021 Insurrection by the Numbers Today, we’re taking a look at the numbers associated with the January 6th, 2021 insurrection, one of the most serious assaults on the American democratic process in the country’s history. To view the whole script of today’s report, pl...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 3, 2025 Federal Court of Appeals Throws Out GOP Legislator Challenge to Michigan’s Prop 2 Pro-Voter Reforms.  But Sleep with the Light On. In November 2022, Michigan voters passed a constitutional amendment enshrining voting protections and expanding ballot access. After the legislature implemented the voters’ directive, GOP legisla...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 2, 2025 Another Tactic to Undermine Citizen Ballot Initiatives in Arizona:  Slap Signature Collectors with a Subpoena Yesterday, we reported on attempts by anti-voter legislators in Arizona to make it harder to get citizen ballot initiatives on the ballot, and a higher threshold to pass one.  Another suppression tactic by opponents?...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 1, 2025 83-Year-Old Rick Hubbard Finishes a 3,100-Mile Walk to Washington, DC on January 3rd to Deliver This Message to the New Congress:  “Do Your Job” January 3rd, 83-year-old Vermonter Rick Hubbard and his Walking to Fix Our Democracy supporters walk the remaining 12 miles into Washington, DC, completing a more than 3,100 mile wa...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 31, 2024 The ‘A Crisis of Confidence’ Speech by President Jimmy Carter, July 15, 1979 Facing an energy crisis, high inflation, and rising unemployment, President Jimmy Carter addressed the nation in his “Crisis of Confidence” speech on July 15th, 1979. To view the whole script of today’s report, please go to our website . Today’s Li...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 30, 2024 What’s Ahead for 2025:  VRA Majority Minority Voting Districts at Risk in Louisiana Redistricting Case at the U.S. Supreme Court  The U.S. Supreme Court will soon hear a Louisiana redistricting case with repercussions for minority voters around the country. It could further dismantle the 1965 Voting Rights Act Section 2. To...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 27, 2024 Look for 2025 Conservative Challenges to a ‘Private Right of Action’ for Voting Rights Cases, Attempting to Dismantle the Voting Rights Act A 2023 decision in an Arkansas redistricting case found individual voters did not have a “private right of action” to challenge the maps. The State of Louisiana tried the same tactic in...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 26, 2024 Brian is taking off the holiday, but posted this rebroadcast.  Survey Finds Strong Support from Americans for Early Voting & Election Day Holiday Reforms, but Restrictive Government-Issued ID Requirements A new study by Pew Research finds Americans broadly support such democracy reforms as making election day a holiday...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 25, 2024 What’s Ahead for 2025:  Mississippi Case Challenging the Counting of Mail-In Ballots After Election Day Likely Headed to U.S. Supreme Court In coming reports, we’re anticipating 2025 democracy court cases and legislation.  In October, a federal appeals court struck down a Mississippi law allowing receipt and counting of mai...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 24, 2024 Citizen Ballot Initiatives Help Voters Bypass Against Extreme Legislatures.  But Expect More Attempts to Block Those Initiatives in 2025 As voters turn to ballot initiatives to bypass extreme legislatures, legislatures are manipulating initiative rules to protect their partisan power.  To view the whole script of today’s re...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 23, 2024 USPS Issues Upbeat Report on Ballot Delivery Performance for the 2024 General Election, But Lower Use of Mail-In Ballots was the Biggest Factor We reported in September on concerns from election officials on whether the U.S. Postal Service could meet its mail ballot delivery obligations. The USPS issued its report in early...