The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 12, 2024

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

Bills in Florida and Kentucky would revoke “no-excuse” absentee voting, despite its popularity with voters of all ages.  Alleged “voter fraud” is cited, but its motivation is likely more partisan than preventative.

In Kentucky, Senate Bill 61 would eliminate both in-person and mail-in no-excuse absentee voting, used by over 260,000 voters in the Nov. 2023 gubernatorial race.  The Kentucky Lantern reports that 133,000 Democrats voted early, and more than 112,000 Republicans.  

SB 61 would return the commonwealth to allowing only four qualifying excuses to vote absentee.  It also adds penalties for those who vote absentee under false pretenses, making it a Class 3 felony subject to fines and imprisonment.

In Florida, no-excuse absentee voting was implemented under former Governor Jeb Bush in 2002.  One third of Florida voters now use it, and a column in the Palm Beach Post notes that more Republicans than Democrats voted by mail in 2014, 2016, and 2018.  In 2016, Donald Trump had over 58,000 more mail-in votes than rival Hillary Clinton.  

Yet SB 1752 would reinstate just four approved excuses to vote by mail, severely curtailing the popular option.  According to a Republican county elections supervisor quoted by WKMG-TV, “It would be a complete disaster.”  

No widespread voter fraud is linked to mail ballots in either state.

We have a link to the bills at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
WHAS – (2020) Early, absentee voting led to big turnout in Kentucky | Will they be here to stay?
Kentucky Lantern – More Kentuckians cast early votes as they decide between Beshear and Cameron
WKRC – New bill would eliminate Kentucky’s ‘no excuse’ in-person absentee voting option
Kentucky Senate – Text of Senate Bill 61
Orlando Sentinel – Florida GOP lawmaker wants to end universal mail-in voting
Florida Senate – Text of SB 1752
WKMG-TV – ‘It would be a complete disaster:’ Florida bill would end no-excuse needed mail-in voting
Palm Beach Post – (Opinion/Analysis) Vote-by-mail in Florida is now a nightmare. Thanks, Donald Trump. Thanks, Ron DeSantis
All Voting is Local – Casting, Rejecting, and Curing Vote-byMail Ballots in Florida’s 2020 General Election

Groups Taking Action:
League of Women Voters FL,  Kentuckians for the Commonwealth

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VotebyMail #VotingRights #AbsenteeVoting #KentuckyPolitics #FloridaPolitics

The post Bills in Florida & Kentucky Would Revoke “No-Excuse” Absentee Voting – Despite its Popularity with Voters appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 14, 2022

Listen!

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

NBC News – Texas Republicans propose a Florida-style election police force as it tees up more changes to voting laws

Texas Tribune – Texas lawmakers target property taxes, election fraud and transgender people in new legislation ahead of 2023 session
The Texan – Illegal Voting Felonies, ‘Save Women’s Sports Act,’ and School Choice Among Bills Filed on First Day of Pre-Filing
Texas Tribution – 2021’s SB1  The hard-fought Texas voting bill is poised to become law. Here’s what it does.

Groups Taking Action:

Texas Voter Protection, Texas Civil Rights Project, Mi Familia Vota

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.

It’s not yet January and the 2023 election and voting bills are already piling up in Texas like tumbleweeds.  Many of these bills are designed to prevent voter fraud, which already is as rare in Texas as the Jackalope.

NBC News and the Texas Tribune report that over 62 bills have been prefiled in the legislature, many designed to increase oversight of elections and step up penalties for voting illegally.   The Houston Chronicle estimates that Texas election officials spent 22,000 hours looking for voter fraud after the 2020 election, resulting in only 16 voters with fraudulent addresses on registration forms.   

HB 39 is one of five Republican-sponsored bills which increases voting related crimes from a misdemeanor to a felony.   SB 220 is one of two bills which creates  “election marshals,” similar to Florida’s new state police division investigating election fraud.   Florida’s force made its first arrests in August, only to have most of the charges dismissed due to the state’s own mistakes.

While states like Nevada & Alaska recently took steps to use a single ballot open primary system, HB 239 would close Texas primaries, requiring separate ballots for each party.   Open ballot primaries offer voters more choice, give third party candidates a chance, and tend to support centrist candidates, rather than extremists.

With a Republican House, Senate & Governor, these restrictions could pass later next year.

See articles outlining other proposed Texas voting bills at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.

The post 2023 Texas Bills Propose More Restrictions, Penalties, Oversight, and an Election Police Force appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

Today’s Links
Articles:
January 6th Committee – CNN – January 6 committee unexpectedly adds new hearing for Tuesday
Delaware – Town Square Live –  Same-day voter registration bill heads to Carney
Missouri – St. Louis Public Radio – Huge bill adds extra steps for voters and those who run Missouri elections
Louisiana – The state of voting: June 27, 2022
Groups:
Delaware – Delaware Voting Rights Coalition, League of Women Voters Delaware
Missouri – Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, League of Women Voters Missouri
Louisiana – ACLU Louisiana, Power Coalition for Equality & Justice

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

We have some voting rights updates for you from Washington, DC, Delaware, Missouri, and Louisiana, some of it good news for a change.  

First to DC, where a Tuesday 1 pm surprise January 6th Committee hearing was announced Monday, after having signaled the committee wouldn’t be meeting again until July.  The committee didn’t indicate who would testify, but reports have now surfaced that Mark Meadow’s executive assistant is expected.

In Delaware, TownSquare Live reports that the legislature has passed a bill implementing same-day voter registration, which Gov. John Carney is expected to sign.  Same-day registration has a track record of increasing voter participation.

Missouri’s Governor Mike Parson is expected to sign an omnibus election & voting rights bill which, while implementing early in-person voting for the first time, has added further restrictions to voter ID laws, absentee voting, and election procedures which have advocates and election workers upset.  More on this in future reports.

The Fulcrum reports Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed two new bills, one allowing the creation of new rules for “curing” mistakes on absentee ballots, and another facilitating voter registration opportunities for 17-year-old high school seniors.

 Links to more information on these bills and groups taking action are at our website, and you can send your comments to WethePeople@AmericanDemocracyMinute.org 

The post American Democracy Minute for June 29, 2022: Voting Rights Updates from DC, DE, MO, & LA – Some are Good News for a Change appeared first on American Democracy Minute.