The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 4, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia allow citizens to register to vote on election day.   But that doesn’t mean that election-day registration is convenient, simple, or that your vote will count in all cases.  

The National Conference of State Legislatures notes that states with election-day registration have an average 5% higher voter participation, including younger voters and voters of color.  Which is why since 2020 some partisan state legislatures have put in more restrictions on same day registration, disingenuously claiming QUOTE, “election integrity.”  There is no evidence of widespread abuse of election day registration.  

While it’s more challenging than it used to be, election day registration is still better than not voting at all.  These states allow election day registration:  California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia.  Alaska and Rhode Island allow it to vote for President and Vice President.

Restrictions may include use of a provisional ballot if the voter’s eligibility can’t be established on election day  – which may not count if the voter doesn’t return with proof in a specified time.  For voters registering on election day, best practice is to bring your birth certificate or passport, driver’s license, and proof of where you live, such as apartment rental documents, bank statements, tax documents or utility bills.

Links to information on election-day registration and voting requirements can be found at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

National Conference of State Legislatures – Same-Day Voter Registration
Rock the Vote –  Same Day Voter Registration & Requirements

Ballotpedia – Voter Registration Deadlines
Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst – New Study Finds That States with Same Day Voter Registration Have Higher Black and Latinx Turnout
Montana Free Press – Montana Supreme Court says no to Election Day voter registration
Center for Public Integrity – It’s already too late for thousands of would-be voters: Why that matters

Groups Taking Action:
Common Cause US, League of Women Voters US,  Native American Rights Fund

Check Your Voter Registration:

• U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State
• USA Vote Foundation – Registration, Eligibility, State Election Office Links
• Vote.Gov – Register to Vote in Your State
• Vote.Org – Check Your Registration to Vote
  
  

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VoterRegistration #SameDayRegistration #ElectionDayRegistration

The post Not Registered to Vote?  Your State May Be One of Nineteen Which Allows Election Day Registration, But You’ll Need to Be Prepared. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 1, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Ignoring established federal law, the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority overturned two lower court decisions and allowed Virginia to continue its purge of suspected registered non citizen voters. News outlets have since confirmed that eligible Virginia voters were among them. 

Virginia is the latest state which has pushed such purges without adequate investigation to support a national GOP narrative, sweeping up American-born and naturalized citizens in the process.  The National Voter Registration Act prohibits any purges within 90 days of an election.   Virginia Public Radio and NPR have already found eligible voters on the list who apparently check the wrong box at the DMV,  and now have had their registrations canceled. 

A similar purge of over 3,200 purported non citizens in Alabama was halted in federal district court in October.  Court documents showed over 2,000 of them were valid U.S. citizens and eligible voters.  In Texas, after Governor Abbott trumpeted that 6,500 non citizen voters would be purged, the Secretary of State’s office found only 581 were registered illegally, according to the Texas Tribune.

Even more alarming is the Supreme Court’s willingness to ignore established federal law and render a decision which at the very least has an appearance of partisanship, and worse, what that appearance could mean for post-election litigation.

We have local reporting, and links to confirm if you’re still a registered voter, at   AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl. 

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

U.S. Supreme Court – ORDER IN PENDING CASE –  BEALS, SUSAN, ET AL. V. VA COALITION FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS, ET AL.
Virginia Mercury – U.S. Supreme Court grants stay in challenge to Youngkin’s voter purge order
NPR – U.S. citizens are among the voters removed in Virginia’s controversial purge
Slate – The Supreme Court Just Carved an Outrageous Loophole Into a Major Voting Rights Law
Brennan Center for Justice – Courts Confront the Noncitizen Voting Lie
Alabama Reflector – Federal judge blocks Alabama Secretary of State’s voter removal plan
Texas Tribune – Gov. Greg Abbott boasted that Texas removed 6,500 noncitizens from its voter rolls. That number was likely inflated.

Groups Taking Action:

Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, League of Women Voters VA, 

Check Your Voter Registration:

• U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State
• USA Vote Foundation – Registration, Eligibility, State Election Office Links
• Vote.Gov – Register to Vote in Your State
• Vote.Org – Check Your Registration to Vote
  
  

Please follow us on Facebook and SHARE!  

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VoterPurge #Virginia #SCOTUS #USSupremeCourt 

The post U.S. Supreme Court Allows Virginia to Purge of Alleged Non Citizen Voters Only Days Before the Election, Ignoring Established Federal Law. Eligible Voters Were on the List, Too. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 21, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Early voting is well under way in 22 states, and will be joined by another 11 states Oct. 21st and 22nd.   But if you’re not registered in Pennsylvania, Alabama or South Dakota, your time runs out by the end of day on Oct. 21st.  

On Monday and Tuesday, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, South Carolina, Texas, Hawaii, Missouri, Utah, and Wisconsin begin early voting.  Depending on your state’s rules, that could mean early in-person voting, or by mail, or both.   Seven more states, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey and New York begin later in the week.

Monday October 21st, voter registration closes in the battleground state of Pennsylvania for the November 5th general election, as do Alabama and South Dakota.   Other states closing registrations later this week are Nebraska, Massachusetts and New York, none of which, for voters who miss those deadlines, offer election-day registration.

Voter registration has already closed in 22 states, and none of those states offer election day registration, either.    

Voting early can mean shorter lines, less hassle and if you’re voting by mail, sometimes a chance to fix minor mistakes on your ballot. 

We’ve linked information on early voting and registration deadlines for all these states at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

To view the whole script of today’s report, please go to our website.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
BallotPedia – Voter registration deadlines, 2024

BallotPedia –  2024 election and voting dates
National Conference of State Legislatures – Same Day/Election Day Voter Registration
Vote.gov – Register to Vote by State
Pennsylvania Voter Services – Voter Registration Application
Alabama Secretary of State – Register to Vote / Update Your Information
South Dakota Secretary of State –  Register to Vote, Update Voter Registration or Cancel Voter Registration

Check Your Voter Registration/State Information on Registering:

• U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State
• USA Vote Foundation – Registration, Eligibility, State Election Office Links
• Vote.Gov – Register to Vote in Your State
• Vote.Org – Check Your Registration to Vote
  
  

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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #EarlyVoting #VoterRegistration #RegistertoVote 

The post Early Voting Begins in 18 States This Week, But Voter Registration Ends in 6 States.  You Can’t Vote If You’re Not Registered.  appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 18, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

In separate rulings October 16th, courts in Alabama and Nebraska sided with voters over zealous state officials, protecting the right to register and vote in the 2024 election.

In August, the Alabama Secretary of State announced a purge of registered voters who had, or once had, a “noncitizens identification number,” issued with a federal “green card” as a legal resident alien. But many of those registered are now naturalized citizens.

A federal district court judge ruled that Alabama must halt that process, and restore the voting rights to those affected, citing long standing federal law requiring purges to be completed 90 days or earlier from an election.

The Nebraska Supreme Court rejected an attempt by the secretary of state to subvert a 20-year-old state law allowing formerly incarcerated Nebraskans convicted of a felony to register and vote. Secretary of State Robert Evnen cited an opinion by the Nebraska attorney general that only the Nebraska Board of Pardons could restore that right. He directed election officials in July to ignore the law and stop registering those citizens.

The state supreme court’s reversal of that order affects as many as 7,000 returning citizens. Those already registered will automatically be restored, and those eligible have until Oct. 25th to register in person.

We have resources for checking voter registration status at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama (via Democracy Docket) – ALABAMA COALITION FOR IMMIGRANT JUSTICE v. WES ALLEN
Alabama Reflector – Federal judge blocks Alabama Secretary of State’s voter removal plan
NPR – A federal judge has ordered Alabama to stop trying to purge voters before Election Day
Nebraska Supreme Court – Gregory Spung  v. Robert Evnen, Nebraska Secretary of
State
Daily Nebraskan – BREAKING: Nebraska Supreme Court rules felons eligible to vote upon release

Groups Taking Action:

ACLU Nebraska,  Campaign Legal Center, Fair Elections Center, Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice

Check Your Voter Registration:

• U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State
• USA Vote Foundation – Registration, Eligibility, State Election Office Links
• Vote.Gov – Register to Vote in Your State
• Vote.Org – Check Your Registration to Vote
  
  

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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #Alabama #Nebraska #VoterPurge #VotingRights

The post Courts Order Halt to Alabama Voter Purge and to Allow Nebraska’s Formerly Incarcerated Felon Citizens to Register & Vote appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 14, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

The ink wasn’t yet dry on the Indian Citizens Act of 1924 when voter suppression of Native Americans began.  Natives have been fighting for their right to register and vote, proper representation, and fair voting districts ever since.

The Brennan Center for Justice writes that for decades, Arizona disenfranchised Native citizens because they were, QUOTE, “Persons under guardianship.”  New Mexico’s constitution stipulated that people who didn’t pay taxes, including Natives on reservations, could not vote.  

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited these suppression tactics.  But the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 Shelby decision opened a floodgate of new Native suppression in Arizona, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Nevada and other states.

Recently, proof of citizenship and voter ID laws have targeted Natives, some of whom don’t have an ID, or live in remote areas without street numbers.  Counties have used “at-large” voting districts to dilute Native voting power, or removed drop boxes or polling places, forcing voters to drive sometimes more than a hundred miles to vote.  

What can be done?  The federal Native American Voting Rights Act is stuck in Congress, but New Mexico passed its own version in 2023.  The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act restores protections stripped from the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and the Freedom to Vote Act would expand voting access for ALL Americans.  

We have resources at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.  

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Native American Rights Fund – (2020) Obstacles at Every Turn
Brennan Center for Justice – How Voter Suppression Laws Target Native Americans
NPR – Sometimes overlooked by campaigns, Native voters could decide major elections in 2024

Split Ticket – The Largest Native American Voting Blocs
Intermountain Histories – Trujillo v. Garley: The Struggle for Native American Voting Rights
The White House – (2022) REPORT OF THE INTERAGENCY STEERING GROUP ON NATIVE AMERICAN VOTING RIGHTS
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren – Native American Voting Rights Act
U.S. Congress – John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

National Conference of State Legislatures – Recently Enacted Legislation Impacting Native American Voters

Groups Taking Action:

Native American Rights Fund, Native Vote, National Congress of American Indians, Declaration for American Democracy

Check Your Voter Registration:

• U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State
• USA Vote Foundation – Registration, Eligibility, State Election Office Links
• Vote.Gov – Register to Vote in Your State
• Vote.Org – Check Your Registration to Vote
  
  

Please follow us on Facebook 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 #NativeVote #VoterSuppression #JohnLewisAct #FreedomtoVoteAct

The post Suppression of Native American Voters is on the Rise.  Three Pieces of Pending Legislation Could Stop It. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.