The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Feb. 26, 2025

Today’s Script

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

In the coming weeks, Virginia GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin considers multiple pro-voter bills sent to his desk by a Democratic-majority legislature.  A state constitutional amendment also moves to the November ballot which restores voting rights to returning citizens after felony convictions.

Almost a dozen pro-voter bills have advanced in January and February, most recently protecting voters from premature purges.  Last August, Younkin ordered voter registration purges within 90 days of the election, upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court just two weeks before the election.

In response, the Virginia legislature passed House bills 2002 and 2276, prohibiting the purging of a voter using unverified external data as justification, and establishing specific criteria for removal.   SB 813 specifically prohibits voter list purges within 90 days of the election.  

After blocking GOP attempts to shorten early voting in primaries from 45 days to 14 days, the legislature passed SB 760, extending deadlines for returning mail-in ballots to three days after election day and allowing curing of deficient ballots, and passed SB 991, giving more time to voters to register before election day.

In 2023, Governor Youngkin reversed policies of recent governors, and restores voting rights to citizens who’ve completed felony sentences only on a case-by-case basis.   House Resolution 2, now passed in both houses, would  automatically restore those rights, and will appear on the November 2025 ballot.  

Find links to the bills at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – 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.
Virginia Mercury – Senate moves to strengthen protections against voter roll purges
Virginia Mercury – Historic push for constitutional protections in Virginia gains momentum

Virginia Legislature – HB 2002, HB 2276, SB 813, SB 760, SB 991, HR 2

Groups Taking Action:

ACLU Virginia,  Virginia Election Protection, UpVote VA, 

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

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

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #Virginia #RightsRestoration #VotingRights #DemocracyReform

The post VA Legislature Sends Several Pro-Voter Bills to Gov. Youngkin, and a Constitutional Amendment Restoring Returning Citizen Rights to Voters appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Feb. 25, 2025

Today’s Script

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

The North Carolina Supreme Court declined to fast-track a challenge by a GOP Supreme Court candidate who lost in November by 734 votes after two recounts and two court losses.  And Super PACs backed by Elon Musk are pouring millions into Wisconsin’s 2025 supreme court race.

After two recounts, incumbent North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs led by 734 votes, with 5.5 million ballots cast.  Her GOP challenger, Judge Jefferson Griffin claims as many as 65,000 of those voters were ineligible. February 17th, Griffin filed in appeals court, but the state elections board requested a fast track to the state supreme court. February 20th, that request was denied, and the case is likely to be heard later this year. 

The New York Times reported Elon Musk’s America PAC is spending $1 million on GOP voter turnout for an April 1st Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Musk’s Building America’s Future Pack has also booked another $1.5 million dollars supporting former GOP state attorney general Brad Schimel. His opponent, Judge Susan Crawford, raised over $7.7 million dollars so far, with outside spending coming via donations to the Wisconsin Democratic Party.  

The 2023 election of Justice Janet Protasiewicz resulted in fairer state redistricting maps for the first time in over a decade.  In-person voter registration ends March 28th.  

Find more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute –  After losing two recounts in State Supreme Court Race, North Carolina GOP Candidate Is Still Challenging the Eligibility of 60,000 Voters
North Carolina Newsline – NC Supreme Court rejects requests to have GOP Judge Griffin’s case skip appeals court
WRAL – NC Supreme Court won’t fast-track lawsuit challenging 60K ballots in race for one of its own seats
American Democracy Minute – In WI, State Supreme Court Candidate’s Image Altered by AI in Opponent’s Attack Ad

Associated Press – Group backed by Musk pours money into ads on behalf of GOP candidate in Wisconsin Supreme Court race
WISN – Elon Musk-backed group pumps millions into Wisconsin Supreme Court ads

Groups Taking Action:

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

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 #WisconsinNews #NCNews #SupremeCourt #MoneyinPolitics

The post Appeals Continue in 2024 NC Supreme Court Race Challenge; Elon Musk PAC Dumping Millions Into 2025 WI Supreme Court Race appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Feb. 18, 2025

Today’s Script

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

In September 2024, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes announced an error in state voter rolls involving 97,000 voters, revolving around a state DMV data error.  That number has risen to nearly 200,000, and an easy fix still hasn’t been found. 

In 1996, Arizona began requiring proof of citizenship when obtaining a driver’s license.  Since 2005, election officials have asked registered voters with licenses issued before 1996 for proof of citizenship.  But if a driver’s license issued before 1996 needed to be replaced, it was accidentally given a new date of issue, and election officials never knew to ask for citizenship documents. 

Votebeat Arizona and the Arizona Mirror report that the investigation is ongoing, but the number affected has now ballooned to 200,000 voters registered, but without proof of citizenship on file. 

The Arizona Supreme Court allowed affected voters to vote in November’s election, but now the legislature is considering an emergency measure, House Bill 2038, directing election officials to contact the voters and request citizenship documents.  If not supplied within 35 days, the voter’s status would change to “not registered”, though voters could reactivate their registration by providing documentation right up to election day.  After the 2026 general election, those voters would be dropped.  

The Secretary of State’s office is reviewing the proposed legislation.  

We have the text of the bill and Votebeat’s reporting linked at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – (2024) State Data Mistake Puts Voting in Local & State Elections at Risk for 97,000 Arizonans
Votebeat Arizona/Arizona Mirror – Arizona officials struggle to straighten out voter rolls after proof-of-citizenship mixup
Votebeat Arizona/Arizona Mirror – Arizona voters caught up in state’s citizenship-proof error could see their registrations canceled

Arizona House of Representatives – HB 2038 – Voter registrants; satisfactory proof of citizenship; delayed repeal

Groups Taking Action:

All Voting is Local Action – Arizona,  League of Women Voters AZ

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 #ArizonaNews #ProofofCitizenship #VoterRegistration

The post Arizona’s DMV Error May Force Nearly 200,000 Already Registered Voters to Bring In Citizenship Documents – or Be Dropped appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Feb. 13, 2025

Today’s Script

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

The New Hampshire legislature has proposed various schemes over the last decade to keep liberal-leaning college students living in the state from voting in elections.  Most have failed, but no fewer than three voter suppression bills are before the legislature this year.

A 2020 New Hampshire Supreme Court decision overturned a previous bill, SB 3, and preserved the current rules allowing college students to use their dormitory or off-campus address as their legal “domicile” for voting purposes. As of last November, an official student ID could still be used as identification.

That could change with HB 323, which eliminates school-issued identifications as acceptable means of ID for voting, whether from a public or private college or high school.  

SB 223 has been tried before.  It allows any student eligible to vote in New Hampshire to qualify for in-state tuition at any state university system campus, BUT also eliminates college-issued IDs as a form of identification.  The bill could cost the state’s universities $141 million dollars in tuition fees.

HB 289 challenges the definition of “domicile” again.  Previous bills tried to outlaw dormitories as acceptable domicile, a student’s intent to stay in the state long-term, requiring a car registration, or to have a New Hampshire driver’s license.  HB 289’s latest tactic prohibits domicile status for anyone who is legally a dependent at an address outside the state.

We’ve linked to local reporting and the text of the bills at  AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

NH Dept. of Justice – Establishing Domicile/Residence in New Hampshire
NH Supreme Court –  Decision overturning SB 3 – League of Women Voters NH v. Gardner
NH House – HB 323 – AN ACT requiring the presentation of a government-issued photographic means of identification in order to vote. 
NH Senate – SB 223 – AN ACT relative to using college or university student identification cards to obtain a ballot.
NH House  –  HB 289 – Prevents a person from claiming domicile if that person is a legal dependent of a person who does not live in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire Bulletin – Republicans say out-of-state college students should vote back home; students disagree
WMUR – Bill would remove college IDs as qualifying identification to vote in New Hampshire

Groups Taking Action:

Open Democracy NH, League of Women Voters NH, NH Youth Movement, NH Campaign for Voting Rights

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 #NHNews #VotingRights #VoterSuppression #StudentVoters

The post Voter Suppression Bills Aimed at College Students Pushed (Again) by the NH Legislature appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 24, 2025

Today’s Script

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

We have updates on important state supreme court cases involving the outcome of a November 2024 North Carolina Supreme Court election, and whether Pennsylvania can count mail ballots with missing dates.  

First to North Carolina, where after two recounts, a race for supreme court justice is separated by 734 votes, with 5.5 million ballots cast.  Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs was declared the winner over Appeals Court Judge Jefferson Griffin, but Griffin refused to concede and appealed to invalidate as many as 60,000 voters.  

Griffin’s challenge includes voters with felony convictions, despite North Carolina’s returning citizen rights restoration.  He and the North Carolina GOP also challenge voters with incomplete registration information, some of whom are even elected officials and have voted for years. 

Wednesday, the Carolina Journal reported that the North Carolina Supreme Court refused to hear the case in a 5 to 1 decision, sending it back to Wake County Superior Court to consider Judge Griffin’s complaints

Back in October, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court refused to rule whether  on-time mail-in ballots missing a signing date could be counted. Of the two challenges filed, the ACLU’s argument that rejecting the ballots is a violation of the state constitution’s Free and Equal Elections Clause will be considered, and the other dismissed.   No trial date has been set.

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

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – (2024) After losing two recounts in State Supreme Court Race, North Carolina GOP Candidate Is Still Challenging the Eligibility of 60,000 Voters
Carolina Journal – NC Supreme Court sends Griffin’s election complaint back to trial court
Courthouse News – North Carolina Supreme Court sends election challenge for associate justice seat downwards
American Democracy Minute – (2024)  PA Supreme Court Refuses to Rehear Mail-In Ballot Missing Date Appeal and Others As Too Close to the Election
Pennsylvania Supreme Court – BRIAN T. BAXTER AND SUSAN T. KINNIRY  v.  PHILADELPHIA BOARD OF ELECTIONS, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE,, AND REPUBLICAN PARTY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Votebeat PA – Pennsylvania Supreme Court to hear latest case over undated mail ballots

Groups Taking Action:

ACLU PA,  PA Conference of the NAACP, Common Cause PA, Black Political Empowerment Project

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 #NorthCarolina #Pennsylvania #NCSupremeCourt #PASupremeCourt  #VoterSuppression

The post Updates on Two Consequential State Supreme Court Cases in North Carolina and Pennsylvania appeared first on American Democracy Minute.