The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Feb. 14, 2025
Today’s Script
(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)
While attacks on democracy norms ensue in Washington, state legislatures have also been busy. We have updates from Utah, Kansas, Indiana, and an update on the contested North Carolina Supreme Court race.
Voting Rights Lab reports that the Utah House is considering HB 300, which forces mail-in ballot users to deliver their ballot not by mail, but by hand to an official polling place where ID can be presented. The elderly, disabled, and other voters for whom returning by mail is their only option, would need to seek special permission. HB 332 would withdraw Utah from the cooperative Electronic Registration Data Center, the subject of far right conspiracy theories.
The Kansas Senate passed SB 4, which requires receipt of mail-in ballots by 7 pm election day to count, rather than the current three days after. An Indiana Senate committee advanced SB 284, shortening early in-person voting from 28 days to 14 days, ending at noon the day before election day. The full Senate passed SB 10, ending use of school-issued student identification as ID for voting.
In North Carolina, a district court judge dismissed a claim by a state supreme court candidate that in a race he lost by 734 votes, as many as 65,000 voters were ineligible. A federal appeals court may revisit it.
We’ve linked the Voting Rights Lab’s state tracker at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
Voting Rights Lab – The Markup
Voting Rights Lab – Bill Search
Utah State Legislature – HB 300 – provides that, after a ballot is mailed to a voter, the voter is, subject to certain exceptions, required to return the ballot in person to a polling place where the voter must provide valid voter identification;
Utah State Legislature – HB 289 – authorizes the lieutenant governor to contract with a third-party to maintain voter rolls;
Kansas House (via VRL) – SB 4 – Requiring all advance voting ballots be returned by 7:00 p.m. on election day.
Indiana Senate – SB 284 – Reduces the period during which in person absentee voting may occur to a 14 day period ending at noon on the day before election day.
The Carolina Journal – Trial judge rejects Griffin’s NC Supreme Court ballot challenges
Groups Taking Action:
ACLU of Utah, Democracy NC, Common Cause Indiana, Loud Light Kansas
Register or Check Your Voter Registration:
U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State
Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, and SHARE!
Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org
Want ADM sent to your email? Sign up here!
Are you a radio station? Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX
#Democracy #DemocracyNews #KansasNews #IndianaNews #NCNews, #UtahNews