The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for March 28, 2025

President Donald Trump issued an executive order March 25th implementing portions of the likely doomed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or ‘SAVE’ Act.  Among its restrictive provisions are a documentary proof of citizenship to register and vote, potentially disenfranchising millions.

Trump’s new order, entitled PRESERVING AND PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY OF AMERICAN ELECTIONS,  withholds federal funding from any state which does not implement the use of the National Voter Registration Form and mandates proof of citizenship documents, including a birth certificate, naturalization papers, a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or a U.S. Passport.  A 2024 study found one in nine Americans don’t have ready access to those documents, and when they do, the documents often don’t reflect name and address changes over time.

The order also would force states to end mail-in ballot grace periods, restricting ballot deadlines to election day.  It also demands states report illegal voting to the federal government, and directs the Attorney General to withhold federal grants if they don’t.  Such requirements attempt to circumvent state voting rights expansions, such as Michigan’s 2022 passage of Proposition 2.  It allows states access to any federal agency database, including Homeland Security and Social Security, as a means of verifying voter eligibility.

The order will be challenged.  The U.S. Constitution grants the states the power to determine the “Places and Manner of holding Elections”  not the President.   

Find the text of the order at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

The White House – Executive Order:  PRESERVING AND PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY OF AMERICAN ELECTIONS
U.S. Congress – U.S. Constitution ArtI.S4.C1.2 States and Elections Clause
Campaign Legal Center – Voting Is an American Freedom. The President Can’t Change That

Brookings – The SAVE Act: An attempt to restrict voting rights
U.S. Elections Assistance Commission – The National Mail Voter Registration Form
NPR – Legal challenges are expected for President Trump’s voter registration executive order

Groups Taking Action:

Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, League of Women Voters US, National Partnership for New Americans, 

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #DonaldTrump #ExecutiveOrder #NoncitizenVoting #Disenfranchised

The post New Trump Executive Order Attempts to Bypass Congress & States to Require Proof of Citizenship Documents & Mandate Election Deadlines appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

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

An Elon Musk Super PAC is offering a $100 bounty for Wisconsin petition signers in a data collection scheme just days before a state supreme court election.  While it’s illegal under federal and state law to pay someone to register, vote, or not to vote, it’s sadly not illegal to offer a bounty for voters’ personal information.  

Axios reports that Musk has already spent $20 million dollars in the state race to support judge and former state attorney general Brad Schimel, endorsed Friday by President Donald Trump.

Similar to a $47 bounty Musk offered in the 2024 presidential campaign, his America PAC promises $100 for each referral of a qualified Wisconsin voter who then signs a petition opposing activist judges.  The referred voter must include a valid email and phone, likely to be used for get-out-the-vote efforts.

In a March 1st stump speech to supporters, candidate Schimel said, “Donald Trump doesn’t do this by himself.  There has to be a support network around him,” he said.  He noted there were 70 lawsuits filed against Trump’s actions, and QUOTE “The only way we’re going to stop that, is if the courts stop it.” 

Judge Schimel apparently has not signed the petition, which reads, “Judges should interpret laws as written, not rewrite them to fit their personal or political agendas.” 

Find a link to the petition and the Schimel’s stump speech at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   I’m Brian Beihl.  

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Axios – Musk’s PAC offers $100 to Wisconsin voters in pitch against “activist judges”
Wisconsin Examiner – Musk PAC offers Wisconsin voters $100 for signing petition against ‘activist judges’
WISN – Trump, Musk back Brad Schimel ahead of State Supreme Court Election
America PAC – TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR AMERICA PAC’S ACTIVIST JUDGES PETITION PROGRAM FOR WISCONSIN VOTERS

America PAC – Petition in Opposition to Activist Judges

Wisconsin Examiner – Schimel tells canvassers he’ll be ‘support network’ for Trump and rehashes election conspiracies
Schimel Campaign – 2025 03 01 Brad Schimel Speaks at Turning Point USA Waukesha
Influence Watch – America PAC

Groups Taking Action:

Public Citizen, Common Cause

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 #ElonMusk #AmericaPAC #Bounty #Personal Data #Wisconsin

The post Elon Musk Data Collection Scheme in Support of WI Supreme Court Candidate Offers $100 Bounty to Refer Petition Signers appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

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

Prior to the  2024 election, President Donald Trump made baseless allegations of widespread noncitizen voting, spurring election officials in Iowa and other states to identify suspected noncitizens on their voter rolls.  It also generated restrictive proof of citizenship legislation in Iowa and 18 other states.

Two weeks before the election, the Iowa Secretary of State directed county election officials to challenge 2,176 registered voters it suspected were noncitizens, and therefore not eligible to vote by state or federal law. Iowa, like Virginia and Alabama, found most of its alleged illegal voters were actually naturalized citizens.  It’s unclear how many were disenfranchised. 

Of the 277 Iowa noncitizens found to be illegally registered, only 35 voted. Illegal to be sure, but only 0.00209% of the over 1.67 million ballots cast.  Eighteen voted in person, 15 by mail, and 2 cast provisional ballots.  Five others had their ballots rejected, and 22 did not vote.  The 277 have been referred to law enforcement, while Senate Bill 550, requiring citizenship documents at registration, advances in the      legislature.

New Hampshire’s new proof of citizenship law is already in effect.  More on how it negatively impacted eligible Granite State voters in a future report.

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

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Iowa Secretary of State – Iowa Secretary of State’s audit of voter registration lists finds 277 confirmed noncitizens registered to vote
Iowa Capital Dispatch – Iowa secretary of state says 277 noncitizens confirmed to be on Iowa’s voter rolls
Des Moines Register – After flagging 2,000+ ballots, Iowa secretary of state says 35 noncitizens voted in 2024

Iowa Secretary of State – 2024 General Election Turnout Report
Brennan Center for Justice – Why the Myth of Noncitizen Voting Persists
Voting Rights Lab – The Truth about False Claims of Noncitizen Voting

Groups Taking Action:

ACLU, League of United Latin American Citizens

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 #Iowa #NoncitizenVoting #VoterPurge 

The post Iowa’s Secretary of State Challenged 2,176 Suspected Noncitizen Voters in 2024.  Only 35 Noncitizens Actually Voted. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for March 21, 2025

A Washington State audit of rejected 2020 mail-in ballots offers insight on whose ballots are more likely to be rejected, and recommends actions to reduce that number – over 37,000 in 2024.   

Primary reasons for rejection included ballots received or postmarked after Election Day; a missing signature on the ballot envelope; or the voter’s signature couldn’t be confirmed.   

Auditors found 2020 rates varied from a high of 1.5% in Franklin County to .02% in Columbia County, and agreed with county decisions in 98.7% of cases.  But they also found higher rejections of younger voters 18-21, where 2.6% of ballots were rejected,  and Black voters at 2.5%.  They also found that non-native English speakers were 47% more likely to have ballots rejected.  Signature issues can often be cured, but many voters don’t, or can’t, correct it.  

The auditors recommended outreach programs on college campuses, sending letters and calling voters with curable signature issues, more training on signature verification, opening early voting centers 18 days before election day, an advisory committee for disabled voters, and ballot drop boxes for every 15,000 voters.  

In the 2024 general election, Washington’s statewide rejection rate had dropped to .94%, but of those, over 24,000 were rejected for a mismatched signature.

Find a link to the audit at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   I’m Brian Beihl.  

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Washington Secretary of State – 2024 Annual Report of Washington State Elections
Office of the Washington State Auditor – (2022)  Summary – Evaluating Washington’s Ballot Rejection Rates
Office of the Washington State Auditor – (2022)   Audit –  Evaluating Washington’s Ballot Rejection Rates 
Brennan Center for Justice – (2020) Mail Ballot Security Features: A Primer
Civic Design – Voting by Mail: The Impact of Signature Identity Verification for Voters with Disabilities
National Conference of State Legislatures – How States Verify Voted Absentee/Mail Ballots

MIT Election Data + Science Lab – A Deep Dive into Absentee Ballot Rejection in the 2020 General Election

Groups Taking Action:

ACLU, LULAC, Vet Voice Foundation, The Washington Bus, El Centro de la Raza

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 #SignatureVerification #Disenfranchisement #WashingtonState #BallotRejection

The post Washington State 2022 Audit of Rejected Mail Ballots Offers Valuable Insights for States Using Signature Verification appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for March 19, 2025

Utah adopted universal mail-in voting in 2013, with no widespread misuse in its 12 years.  March 6th, the GOP-dominated Utah legislature approved an amended bill to end it in 2029, despite 76% of state voters supporting it. 

HB 300 was even more draconian just weeks ago, requiring voters to return  their ballot in person so ID could be shown.  Such a move would have ended the convenience voters like about mail-in voting, and created a burden for rural and Native American voters, who might live hours from a polling place.

The Utah News Dispatch reports the amended bill phases out universal mail-in voting in 2029, rather than immediately.  But in the interim, voters must obtain state-issued voting ID by 2026, and provide four digits from that ID, with signature matching as a backup.  The voting ID would be free only to those proving they can’t afford it.  

In 2029, voters can opt-in to a semi-permanent 8-year vote-by-mail list, and election officials would rely only on the voting ID number for identification.   Voters could opt in at the DMV, polling places, or the state’s voter portal.  The bill also extends the ballot return deadline to 8 pm on election day.

Replacing universal mail-in voting is expected to cost taxpayers $6 million dollars annually.  Gov. Spencer Cox is likely to sign it. 

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

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Utah News Dispatch – (2024) Deep red Utah wants to keep voting by mail
Utah News Dispatch – Utah Legislature approves bill to require voter ID, phase out automatic voting by mail by 2029
Salt Lake Tribune – Universal vote by mail is popular in Utah. GOP lawmakers continue to move away from it in a revised bill.
Associated Press – Deep-red Utah embraced voting by mail. Then came 2020.
Deseret News – (2024) New poll: Three-quarters of Utah voters confident in vote by mail system
Utah House of Representatives – Fiscal Note – HB 300 

Groups Taking Action:

Rural Utah Project, League of Women Votes UT

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 #Utah #VotebyMail  #HB300

The post Utah Legislature Passes 2029 End to Its Popular Universal Mail-In Voting System, Replacing it With an Opt-In List & More ID appeared first on American Democracy Minute.