American Democracy Minute

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 24, 2023 The North Carolina Legislature’s Congressional Maps Go From Gerrymandered to Fair to Even More Gerrymandered in Two Years Oct.19th, the North Carolina Senate Redistricting Committee presented its latest Congressional redistricting maps.  After three years of wrangling, including two state supreme court cases and a U.S. Supr...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 23, 2023 U.S. Supreme Court Takes No Action in Louisiana Case; Circuit Court Case on Racially Gerrymandered Congressional Districts Moves Forward in 2024 A Louisiana racial gerrymandering case we’ve been following will be allowed to go forward, but just not as quickly, due to a U.S. Supreme Court no-action decision on Oct. 19th.  It...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 20, 2023 Tight Labor Market, Demographics, Health Concerns and Poll Worker Harassment Contribute to Shortages of Poll Workers Around the U.S. As states, counties and municipalities prepare for elections in November and next year’s Presidential race, reports have surfaced of short-term poll workers shortages in Iowa, Indiana, Kentuck...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 19, 2023 Report Finds False Election Fraud Claims, Intimidation, Burdensome Rules, and ‘Election Integrity’ Vigilantes Lead to an Election Official Brain-Drain A new report chronicles a brain-drain of experienced professional election officials, who, after dealing for months on end with false election fraud claims, intimidation, and...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 17, 2023 Top 5 Open Primaries and Ranked Choice Voting Initiatives Proposed for Arizona’s 2024 Ballot In the 2024 election, Arizona voters may have the opportunity to adopt single ballot open primaries and ranked choice voting, if organizers of two competing proposals succeed in gathering enough signatures.   Our podcasting host rec...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 17, 2023 North Carolina Legislature Overrides Governor’s Vetoes of Voter Suppression and State Election Board Bills We have updates on two North Carolina election bills designed to consolidate partisan power.  HB 747 and 749 were vetoed by the governor, but overridden by the legislature on Oct. 10th.   Today’s Links Articles & R...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 13, 2023   Three Michigan Cities Vote in November on Adopting Ranked Choice Voting  On the heels of a statewide referendum on an expansion of voting rights in 2022, this November, voters in three Michigan cities consider adopting ranked choice for municipal elections. Today’s Links Articles & Resources: Michigan Live - (2022) Gr...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 12, 2023 U.S. Supreme Court Majority Skeptical of Racial Gerrymandering Claims in South Carolina Case, Cites Lack of “Alternative Map Requirement” The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday on a South Carolina racial gerrymandering case we’ve closely followed. Justices who voted to overturn the maps in Alabama, weren’t as...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Sept. 20, 2023 More Impeachment Threats by Wisconsin’s Legislature in Effort to Protect Gerrymandered Districts and Seek Retribution for 2020 Presidential Loss We have updates on two Wisconsin stories we’ve been following, including the refusal of a State Supreme Court Justice to recuse herself from two gerrymandering cases, and attempts...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 3, 2023 Will Federal Court Victory Over Racial Gerrymandering in Alabama Translate to Fair Maps in Louisiana & South Carolina? It May Not. We reported yesterday that a federal appeals court chose a fairer Congressional redistricting map in Alabama, giving Black voters a better shot at electing the candidates of their choice. Oth...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 10, 2023 A Victory for Black Voters as Court Approves Special Master’s Maps in Alabama  In a victory for Alabama’s Black voters, a federal appeals court chose a new Congressional voting district map with two districts where Black voters finally have a reasonable chance at electing the candidate of their choice. Today’s Links Article...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 9, 2023 On Indigenous Peoples Day, this is a rebroadcast of a 2022 report from the American Democracy Minute:   A Native American tribe in South Dakota won a victory in federal court, forcing implementation of a fairer voting district system and representation for its members, after enduring years of a rigged system. Today’s Links A...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 6, 2023 Defamation Lawsuit Against Producers of Debunked Drop Box Fraud Case“2000 Mules” Can Proceed in Georgia Court Ruling The debunked documentary “2000 Mules” purported to show evidence of people depositing stacks of fraudulent mail-in and absentee ballots into drop boxes. One of the individuals filmed is suing the producers. Ou...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 5, 2023 Ohio’s Legislative Majority Continues Quest to Lock Down Power, Proposing Bans for Ranked Choice Voting and Ending Open Primaries After ignoring Ohio’s constitutional ban on partisan gerrymandering and attempting to make it harder to pass citizen ballot initiatives, the majority in the Ohio legislature is now attempting to b...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 4, 2023 NY Attorney General Sends Cease & Desist Letter to Group Suspected of Mobilizing Volunteers Impersonating Election Officials to Intimidate Voters Early last month, we reported on activists posing as election officials around New York state who were harassing voters.  After the state’s investigation, we’re getting a clear...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 3, 2023 SCOTUS Said Alabama’s 26% Black Population Should have Two Congressional Districts.  Why is a Federal Court is Holding Up Maps Which Could Give Louisiana’s 33% Black Population Its Two Districts?  Alabama’s population is 26% Black, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s Allen v. Milligan decision mandated two majority minority Congres...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Sept. 29, 2023 Hear a Portion of President Biden’s Speech on the Work We Must Do Together to Strengthen Our Democracy  Today we read a portion of a Sept. 28th speech by President Biden on the legacy of Sen. John McCain, and the challenge we face in preserving our democracy. Today’s Links Articles & Resources: The White House - Remark...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Sept. 29, 2023 With a Partisan State Supreme Court and Veto-Proof Majority, North Carolina Legislature Poised to Take Control of the State Election Board In August, we reported on the North Carolina legislature’s SB 749, stripping the power of the governor to appoint members of the State Board of Elections and giving it to the legislatur...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for September 28, 2023 U.S. Supreme Court Refuses Stay for Alabama’s Defiant Redistricting Map, Despite Alleged Plan to Convince Justice Kavanaugh to Change His Mind The day before the bombshell classified documents indictment of former President Trump, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a bombshell of its own.  Its surprise decision in Alle...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Sept. 26, 2023 Federal Appeals Court Sides With Florida Legislature, Upholding Restrictions on Voter Assistance, Mail-In Voting September 21st, a federal appeals court refused to rehear a challenge to Florida’s restrictive voting law SB 90, letting an April 2023 appeals decision stand. Florida voters who use mail-in voting should be payi...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Sept. 25, 2023 Pennsylvania Citizens Obtaining A Driver’s License or ID at the DMV Are Now Automatically Registered to Vote Eligible citizens in Pennsylvania will now be automatically registered to vote when obtaining a new driver’s license or state ID, unless they opt out of the system.   Such “Automatic Voter Registration” or AVR, syst...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Sept. 21, 2023 Kentucky’s Constitution Mandates “Free & Equal” Elections.  Are the Commonwealth’s Manipulated Voting District Maps Legal? The Kentucky Supreme Court heard arguments September 19th on whether the “free and equal elections” provision in the Commonwealth’s constitution prohibits partisan gerrymandering of its voting dist...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Sept. 21, 2023 Federal Judge Throws Out Arizona’s Additional Proof-of-Citizenship Requirements for Federal Election-Only Voter Registration Form Arizona has a type of voter registration form which allows citizens to register only for Presidential elections, often used by Native Americans. Gov. Doug Ducey signed House Bill 2492 last year,...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Sept. 21, 2023 John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act Back in the U.S. House, Reintroduced by a Black Congresswoman from Alabama September 19th, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, restoring protections stripped from the Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court, was notably reintroduced by a Black Congresswoman from Alabama.  O...

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Sept. 20, 2023 Wisconsin Senate Election Deniers Vote to Oust the State’s Election Director for Recommending 2020 Pandemic Voting Accommodations  Old habits die hard, especially among election deniers.  Last week, the Republican-dominated Wisconsin Senate voted to remove the state’s nonpartisan elections administrator for recommending pa...