The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 27, 2022
Electoral Count Reform Act Passes; ADM Reviews Democracy Wins & Losses for 2022
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
CNN – Congress passes first legislative response to January 6 Capitol attack
Center for Public Integrity – A headlong rush by states to attack voting access — or expand it
The Guardian/Reveal – New US state voting laws present most intense voter suppression threat in decades
Associated Press – No major problems with ballot drop boxes in 2020, AP finds
Groups Taking Action:
League of Women Voters US, When We All Vote, Mi Familia Vota, Protect Democracy
Today’s Script: (Variations occur with audio due to editing for time)
You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.
First, a headline: Congress has passed the Electoral Count Reform Act as part of the $1.7 trillion dollar federal spending bill awaiting President Biden’s signature this week. This is the most significant democracy reform of the year, and helps prevent another subversion attempt in our Presidential election process.
This week, we’re going to recap some of the 2022 democracy wins and losses around the U.S. The Center for Public Integrity reports that 26 states, quote “worsened equity in voting and representation.” Twenty states and Washington, DC improved access to elections, and four other states didn’t change much.
Among the states adding restrictions, 14 added enhanced election policing, with Florida adding an election division to their state police force, and several other states elevating voting infractions to felony offenses. New Hampshire passed legislation to investigate election officials for misconduct. Texas has already proposed a 2023 bill for its own election police force.
Ballot drop boxes and dropping off another person’s ballot also came under attack in several states, mostly due to former President Trump’s accusations and a debunked documentary called 2000 Mules, which suggested that drop boxes were used to drop fraudulent ballots. Nineteen states restricted who could drop off a ballot. In a multi-state investigation, the Associated Press reported that no significant voter fraud occurred as a result of the use of drop boxes.
Articles & details at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. More tomorrow on the American Democracy Minute. I’m Brian Beihl.