The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 22, 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.

A Gallup poll released this month found 43% of Americans identify as unaffiliated, independent voters. But in some states, they can’t vote in primaries. As voting begins Jan. 23rd in the New Hampshire Presidential Primary, what states are considering closing – or opening – primaries in 2024?

Closed primaries allow only those registered with a party to vote in that party’s primary.  Open primaries allow any voter to take either party’s ballot.  Semi-open primaries allow unaffiliated voters to take one or the other, while registered Democrats or Republicans can only vote in their primary.  

New Hampshire’s Presidential primary is the same as it has been for the last few decades, allowing unaffiliated voters – the state’s largest block of voters – to vote. But the NH GOP is considering closing its future primaries, joining legislators in Louisiana and Ohio.  Wyoming closed its primaries last year, joining Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, and Pennsylvania.  In Wyoming and New Hampshire, attempts to close the primary have been driven by “crossover” voting, where voters became independent to influence the outcome of another party’s primary.

With the ranks of unaffiliated voters growing, ballot initiatives for a fully open primary are under consideration in Nevada, Oregon, Arizona and Idaho.  Pennsylvania has open primary bills pending. 

We have information about your state’s primary system, and the groups taking action at  AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

National Conference of State Legislatures – State Primary Election Types
Gallup – Independent Party ID Tied for High; Democratic ID at New Low
Forbes – Voters Who Identify As Independents Skyrocket—As Democrats And Republicans Dwindle
American Democracy Minute – Fears of Crossover Voting Driving Party Activists to Close Primaries – But at the Expense of Silencing Independent Voters
CBS News –  “Crossover voting” in primaries in Wyoming is about to become more difficult

NBC News – 6 states are rethinking how they run their primaries in 2024
Louisiana Illuminator – (Opinion) Partisan primaries would be a move backward for Louisiana
Public News Service – Bills would open PA primaries to unaffiliated voters
U.S. Vote Foundation – Primary Election Dates and Rules in Your State

Groups Taking Action:
Open Primaries, FairVote, Represent.Us, Unite America,  Yes on 3 Nevada , Open Primaries Arizona, Idahoans for Open Primaries, Ballot PA

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #OpenPrimaries #LetIndependentsVote #IndependentVoters

The post On the Eve of the New Hampshire Presidential Primary, Some States Contemplate Closing their Primaries to Independents, While Others Consider Opening Them in 2024 appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for May 16, 2023

Since this broadcast, the Ohio legislature has passed a state constitutional amendment and a bill re-establishing an August date for a special election in hopes of pushing through its 60% margin for approval of a citizen ballot initiative. Brian Beihl will return with new episodes on Wednesday.

The post Rebroadcast from March 10, 2023: State Legislatures Attempting to Limit Voter Power by Making Citizen Ballot Initiatives Harder to Win appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for May, 11, 2023

Today’s Script:  (Variations occur with audio due to editing for time) 

Today’s Links now below the script

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

In March, Idaho passed a bill discontinuing college-issued IDs as a valid form of identification to vote.  In a leaked video, a GOP legal strategist recently told donors that it should be a GOP priority to stop voting on college campuses, and end same day registration. Are you a college student and want to vote in 2024? Start preparing now.  

Research from Tufts University’s Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, or CIRCLE, shows that turnout of voters aged 18-29 has increased substantially since 2014’s 13% to 2022’s estimated 23%.   

The vast majority of young voters don’t favor conservative candidates. So, in the name of “election integrity,” some states have rolled back laws on the books for years, ending use of college IDs for voting, restricting residency requirements, and eliminating election-day registration.  To overcome those barriers in Wisconsin, campus organizers did registration and turnout organizing, and are credited with an 11% margin for the liberal candidate in the state’s recent Supreme Court election.

According to Voting Rights Lab,  North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and recently Idaho, don’t allow student IDs.  Arizona’s law technically permits it, but no current college IDs meet the requirements.  Other anti-voter state legislatures are trying to ban them.

Read more and learn your state’s requirements for student voting at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  More tomorrow on the American Democracy Minute.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Democracy Docket – Idaho Removes Student IDs from List of Acceptable Voter ID
Washington Post – Top GOP lawyer decries ease of campus voting in private pitch to RNC

Journalist Laura Winsor – Leaked video of GOP Legal Strategist
CNN – Republican-controlled states target college students’ voting power ahead of high-stakes 2024 elections
Seattle Times/Bloomberg – The GOP is making it harder for college students to vote
Tufts University CIRCLE – State-by-State Youth Voter Turnout Data and the Impact of Election Laws in 2022
Tufts University CIRCLE – The Impact of Voting Laws on Youth Turnout and Registration
Washington Post – How Wisconsin liberals set record campus turnout in court election
Wisconsin Public Media – In a pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court race, young voters turned out
Campus Vote Project – What States Allow Student ID as Voter ID
Campus Vote Project – Student Voting Guide by State

Groups Taking Action:
Campus Vote Project, BABEVote (Idaho), All In Democracy Challenge, Students Learn-Students VOTE Partner Directory, GenZforChange, NextGen America

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and SHARE!  

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #StudentsVote

The post After Wisconsin’s Supreme Court Election, Expect More GOP State Laws Restricting College Student Voting  appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 14, 2023

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Alaska Public Media – Why Alaska uses ranked choice voting and what we know about how it affects elections
Reason Magazine – Don’t Blame Ranked Choice Voting. Sarah Palin Was a Bad Candidate.
InForum – North Dakota Gov. Burgum vetoes bill to ban approval voting
Arizona Mirror – Hobbs vetoes bills to bar ranked-choice voting, criminalize immigrant aid groups

Represent.Us – GOVERNORS FROM BOTH PARTIES VETO RANKED CHOICE VOTING BANS
Heritage Foundation – Ranked-Choice Voting Should Be Ranked Dead Last as an Election Reform

Alaska Beacon – Five takeaway lessons from Alaska’s first ranked choice election
Try Out Ranked Choice Voting – Election: Practice Ranked-Choice Voting: Favorite Alaska Wild Animal

FairVote – What is Ranked Choice Voting (video)

Groups Taking Action:
Fair Vote, Voter Choice Arizona,  League of Women Voters ND, ACLU ND, Save Democracy Arizona

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.

In January, we reported on the nine states considering Ranked Choice Voting this year.   We DIDN’T anticipate the wave of state bills BANNING the ranked choice voting system.      

The anti-RCV bills follow a Republican loss in Alaska’s “top 4” congressional election last year which successfully employed RCV.  When Democrat Mary Peltola emerged as the winner, former governor Sarah Palin blamed RCV for her loss. 

The Heritage Foundation, already a vocal opponent of RCV and seeing multiple pro-RCV bills proposed in red states, doubled down.  Calling it a “scheme,” “chaotic” and “confusing,” Heritage called for Republican legislators nationwide to oppose RCV.   

Two of those anti-RCV bills were just vetoed by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.  North Dakota’s HB 1273 would forbid North Dakota municipalities from choosing what form of election system to use for LOCAL elections.  Burgum called the bill a “state overreach” on local control.

Arizona’s HB 2552 was similar, outlawing the use Ranked Choice Voting.   Idaho and South Dakota have already passed bans this year, and Texas and Montana are considering them.   North Dakota’s legislature may shortly consider a veto override, and Arizona Republicans are preparing a constitutional amendment to ban RCV to appear on the 2024 ballot.

Meanwhile, 79% of Alaska voters found Ranked Choice Voting easy, and 60% said the election was more competitive – which may explain the rush to ban it.  

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

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and SHARE!  

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews

The post Conservative Legislatures Rush to Ban Ranked Choice Voting, Despite Its Popularity with Voters appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for March 20, 2023

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Idaho Statesman – Idaho lawmakers move forward with bills limiting ways to vote. Students push back
Idaho Legislature – HB 124
Democracy Docket – Idaho Removes Student IDs from List of Acceptable Voter ID
Democracy Docket – March For Our Lives Sues Idaho Over New Voter Suppression Law
County 10 News – Local legislators divided on crossover voting bill, which will become law without the governor’s signature
Wyoming News Exchange – Crossover voting ban on its way to governor
Op-Ed – Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray – Gray: Ending crossover voting a huge success for election integrity in Wyoming
Politico – Open season on open primaries

Groups Taking Action:

March for Our Lives Idaho, Babe Vote, Open Primaries

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.

We’ve got updates on bills in Idaho and Wyoming we’ve covered recently, both of which make it harder for certain groups of citizens to vote – and one of which spawned two lawsuits.

We told you earlier about an attempt to remove student IDs as a valid form of identification for elections in Idaho, something happening around the country.  HB 124 was signed March 15 by Gov. Brad Little, and now restricts valid voting ID to a state-issued voting ID card, Idaho driver’s license, federal photo ID, tribal ID, or firearms permit.  

The Idaho Statesman reports that within two days, lawsuits were filed by two voting advocacy groups representing young voters, claiming the bill unconstitutionally discriminated against student voters.   

Two other anti-voter bills are pending in the Idaho legislature, including HB 126, limiting the acceptable documents when registering to vote, affecting poor and tribal voters, and HB 137, which blocks the use of a sworn affidavit when the voter doesn’t have an ID.  State data shows 2,400 voters used an affidavit in 2022.    

Meanwhile in Wyoming, a bill restricting primary “crossover voting” on which we recently reported has passed the legislature, and will become law without Governor Mark Gordon’s signature.  HB 103 requires voters changing party affiliation to do so at the candidate filing deadline – realistically BEFORE the public actually knows who is officially running.  

We have articles & groups taking action at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   I’m Brian Beihl.

Remember to Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

The post New Laws in Idaho & Wyoming Target Student Voters, Primary ‘Crossover’ Voters appeared first on American Democracy Minute.