American Democracy Minute

Michigan's "Promote the Vote" Initiative Had Required Signatures, But Still Blocked by State Board Today’s Links Articles: Detroit News - Word spacing issue keeps abortion rights amendment from ballot; court fight expected Promote the Vote 2022 Statement - STATE BOARD DEADLOCKS ON KEY MICHIGAN VOTING RIGHTS BALLOT INITIATIVE, CAMPAIGN VOWS TO TAKE CASE TO COURT BallotPedia - Michigan Right to Voti...

Conspiracy by Stop the Steal Activists to Break Into Voting Machines Widens to Georgia Today’s Links Articles: Atlanta Journal Constitution - Special grand jury seeks evidence of Coffee Co. election breach Washington Post - Trump-allied lawyers pursued voting machine data in multiple states, records reveal Reuters - Michigan sheriff sought to seize multiple voting machines, records show Business I...

Who Dunnit?   Arizona Voting Rights Initiative Dies a Suspicious Death Today’s Links Articles : The Arizona Mirror - Whiplash: Free and Fair Elections Act won’t be on the ballot after last-minute math changes BallotPedia - Arizona Election and Voting Policies Initiative (2022) Washington Examiner -  Arizona initiative to overturn several election laws pulled from fall ballot Full Initiative Text -...

Redistricting Stalemate in Ohio Continues; Questions Raised About State Supreme Court Justice Today’s Links Articles: Ohio Capital Journal - Public awaits more redistricting work, but new law gives court little leeway to force it State of Ohio - Redistricting Commission Members The American Independent - Ohio Justice Pat DeWine won't recuse himself from gerrymandering cases involving his dad Princ...

Entire Staff of Texas County Elections Office Resigns, Citing Threats & Harassment Today’s Links Articles: Fredricksburg Standard - Radio Post - Threats, stalking lead to election office resignation VoteBeat Texas - What brought down one Texas county’s entire elections department? It was something in the water. NPR/Texas Public Radio - A Texas county's election administrators all resigned, lea...

Jim Crow Era Mississippi Voter Suppression Law Upheld by Federal Court Today’s Links Articles: Democracy Docket - 5th Circuit Upholds Felony Disenfranchisement in Mississippi ABA Journal - Mississippi scrubbed racial taint from its constitutional ban on voting by some felons, 5th Circuit rules Associated Press - Court: Mississippi can continue blocking felons from voting Mississippi Center for Jus...

Researchers Confirm Gerrymandering Used to Hold Power After Losses & Demographic Shifts Today’s Links Articles: University of California Santa Cruz - Political parties use gerrymandering to counteract shifting voter preferences in key battleground states MIT Press - UC Santa Cruz Study (requires sign-up) - The Targeting and Impact of Partisan Gerrymandering: Evidence from a Legislative Discont...

Federal Court Strikes Down Arkansas Law Limiting Assistance to Voters Today’s Links Articles: New York Times - Arkansas violated the Voting Rights Act by limiting help to voters, a judge rules. Arkansas Times - Judge strikes down restrictive Arkansas law that violates the Voting Rights Act Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund  - FEDERAL COURT RULES ARKANSAS STATUTE ON VOTER ASSIST...

New Poll Show "Threats to Democracy" as Top Issue with Voters, Over the Economy Today’s Links Articles:    NBC News - NBC News poll: 57% of voters say investigations into Trump should continue NBC News - Full  Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies Poll Results Newsweek - 'Threats to Democracy' Overtake 'Cost of Living' as Voters' Top Issue: Poll You’re listening to the American Democr...

Math & Computer Scientists Develop Tools to Prove Cheating in Redistricting Today’s Links Articles: Washington Post - Can computer simulations help fix democracy? CNN - Redistricting in Ohio Kosuke Imai and Cory McCartan, Harvard University -  ``Sequential Monte Carlo for Sampling Balanced and Compact Redistricting Plans" Groups Taking Action: Princeton Gerrymandering Project ,  Moon Duchin &a...

North Carolina Supreme Court May Invalidate Constitutional Amendment Proposed by Gerrymandered Legislature Today’s Links Articles: Charlotte News & Observer - NC’s highest court rules on gerrymandered legislature’s power, but the case isn’t over Southern Environmental Law Center - North Carolina Supreme Court rules that racially gerrymandered legislature does not have unlimited authority to ch...

Arizona Trifecta:  Three Lawsuits for on its Voter Suppression Bills All in One Day Today's Links Articles: Al Dia - Voto Latino partners with allies to sue Arizona over a voter restriction law Washington Examiner - Liberal advocates sue over Arizona law alleged to allow 'targeted voter suppression' Democracy Docket - Voting Rights Groups Sue Arizona Over New Voter Suppression Law Democracy Docket...

After $1 Million and 14 Months, Wisc. Legislature Terminates 2020 Election Fraud Probe Empty Handed Today’s Links Articles: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel  -    Robin Vos Fires Michael Gableman, Ending $1M Review of the 2020 Election Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel - Gableman seeks to jail two mayors if they don't sit for interviews as part of his partisan election review WisPolitics.com - Vos, Gableman re...

Native American Tribe Unrigs County Voting with Court Redistricting Decision Today’s Links Articles:    Native American Rights Fund (NARF) -  LOWER BRULE SIOUX TRIBE VOTERS WIN CRUCIAL LEGAL VICTORY IN VOTING RIGHTS CASE Associated Press - Judge tells Lyman County to work with tribe on election plan U.S. District Court -  Court Order in LOWER BRULE SIOUX TRIBE vs. Lyman County  Groups Taking Actio...

Michigan Big Lie Voting Machine Tampering Conspiracy May Have Involved More States Today’s Links Articles: Washington Post - Michigan plot to breach voting machines points to a national pattern Washington Post - Trump-allied lawyers pursued voting machine data in multiple states, records reveal NBC News - Michigan AG probe alleges GOP opponent involved in unauthorized voting machine access Brennan...

Aug. 16 Alaska Primary Includes Special Election, Regular Primary, and Both Choose One & Ranked Choice Voting Today’s Links Articles: Alaska for Better Elections -  Alaska Elections Timeline Alaska for Better Elections - How do I vote in the primary election? Alaska Public Media - Alaska election guide: Q&As with candidates for U.S. House, U.S. Senate and governor Anchorage Daily News - Ea...

Secretary of State Candidates on Both Sides of the Big Lie Raising Record Campaign Money Today’s Links Articles: CNN - At least 10 Republican nominees for state elections chief have disputed the legitimacy of the 2020 election Brennan Center for Justice - Financing of Races for Offices that Oversee Elections: August 2022 Center for Politics - Secretary of State Races: Election Deniers Carry GOP Ba...

Wisconsin Election Deniers STILL Trying to Decertify the 2020 Results Today’s Links Articles:  Wisconsin Examiner - Ramthun says third lawmaker has joined effort to decertify 2020 election results Associated Press - EXPLAINER: What’s behind efforts to decertify 2020 election? Brennan Center for Justice - Financing of Races for Offices that Oversee Elections: August 2022 Washington Post - Opinion -...

Today’s Links Articles: Associated Press - New USPS election division will oversee mail-in ballots Washington Post -  DeJoy is poised to remake a resurgent USPS. Now comes the hard part. Washington Post  - Senate passes $107 billion overhaul of USPS, lauding mail agency’s role in pandemic response U.S. Postal Service Inspector General Report  - Vote by Mail and the Postal Service: A Primer Groups...

Today’s Links: Articles:    Reuters Exclusive: Trump-backed Michigan attorney general candidate involved in voting-system breach, documents show Detroit News - Nessel's office seeks special prosecutor in election 'conspiracy' probe of DePerno, others Reuters – “Exclusive: Michigan widens probe into voting system breaches by Trump allies” Michigan Live – State Police expand investigation into alleg...

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Upholds No Excuse Mail-in Voting Law Today’s Links Articles :  Pennsylvania Capital-Star  -  Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting law survives constitutional challenge by GOP lawmakers NPR - Pennsylvania's mail-in voting law is upheld by the state's Supreme Court Governor Tom Wolf -  Statement on PA Supreme Court Upholding Mail-in Voting USA Today - Fact check: Pennsylvania mai...

Today’s Links Articles: Associated Press:  Meta quieter on election misinformation as midterms loom Bloomberg:    Meta Pulls Support for Tool Used to Keep Misinformation in Check Washington Post:  The midterms are here. Critics say Facebook is already behind. Groups Taking Action:  Common Cause CORRECTION:   The ADM audio version cites Reuters.  It was in fact Bloomberg News which should have been...

Tin Foil Hat Week - Election Workers Report Conspiracy-Fueled Threats, Harassment & Intimidation Today’s Links Articles: CNN - Election workers reported more than 1,000 'hostile' contacts in past year Washington Post - Over 1,000 election-worker threats reported in past year, official says Washington Post - Threats against election workers could have bad consequences U.S. Dept of Justice Relea...

Tin Foil Hat Week:  Cyber Ninjas Said 282 Dead People in Arizona Voted in 2020 - They Were Dead Wrong Today's Links Articles: Associated Press:  Arizona official refutes review that counted 282 dead voters Arizona Mirror:  Brnovich: Senate ‘audit’ dead wrong it its claims that deceased voters cast 2020 ballots The Hill:  Cyber Ninjas shutting down after judge fines Arizona audit company $50K a day...

Tin Foil Hat Week - Dominion Voting Machine Conspiracy Theories Persist Today's Links: Articles CBS News - 6 conspiracy theories about the 2020 election – debunked Intelligencer - Trump’s New Vote Fraud Theory Is So Much Crazier Than You Realize Reuters - Trump allies breach U.S. voting systems in search of 2020 fraud ‘evidence’ PBS -  Conspiracy theories fuel anger as New Mexico counties try to c...