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

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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#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.

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

Today’s Script

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Mississippi has one of the country’s worst records for protecting voting rights and advancing democracy reforms.  So when pro-voter bills emerge from the state house and senate like in-person early voting and the ability to cure a mismatched absentee signature, democracy advocates take notice.

Mississippi is one of only three states without some form of in-person early voting, along with Alabama & New Hampshire. The Mississippi Free Press reports that February 12th, the Mississippi Senate passed SB 2654, allowing 15 days of early voting, ending the Saturday before the election at noon.  The Republican-sponsored bill passed 39 to 12, but even if the House advances it, it may still be vetoed by Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, who accused the bill’s sponsor of making the state’s elections less secure.

The Mississippi House also took some positive steps.   HB 1419 prohibits moving or closing a polling place location within 60 days of an election, sometimes used as a voter suppression tactic. 

HB 163 sets rules for absentee ballots where the signature on file doesn’t match the signed outer ballot envelope, and would give a voter the chance to “cure” the problem.    And HB 288 would make each county’s five election commissioners nonpartisan positions.  Candidates would be prohibited from campaigning based on party affiliation.  All three bills now move to the Senate. 

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

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Mississippi Free Press – Mississippi Senate Passes Early Voting, Felony Disenfranchisement Bill
Mississippi Legislature – House Bill 1419
Mississippi Legislature – House Bill 163
Mississippi Legislature – House Bill 288
The Marshall Project – (2024) How Mississippi’s Jim Crow Laws Still Haunt Black Voters Today
Democracy Docket – (2023) Stripping Away The Power of a Vote In Mississippi

Groups Taking Action:

League of Women Voters MS, Disability Rights Mississippi, ACLU Mississippi

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 #Mississippi #DemocracyReform #ProVoter

The post A Glimmer of Hope in Mississippi:  State Senate Advances Early Voting Bill; House Moves Forward Signature Mismatch Curing & Other Bills  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

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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 Feb. 6, 2025

In 2018, Utah voters approved a ballot initiative establishing an independent redistricting commission to create fair voting districts.   The legislature neutralized it, and gerrymandered the maps anyway.  It’s now back before a Utah judge.

Better Boundaries Proposition 4 established a commission independent from the legislature charged with creating fair, communities of interest-driven maps for Congress, state legislature, and school districts.  The Utah News Dispatch reports that in 2020, the Utah legislature passed SB 200, which made the commission advisory, not independent, then gerrymandered the maps to protect seats and consolidate GOP power.  

The Utah Supreme Court found for the voters last July, agreeing that the legislature did not have the authority under state law to override the voters’ decision.  In response, the legislature proposed Amendment D, which, if approved by voters, would give the legislature power to do so. The language of that proposition was deemed deceptive by the court, and ruled “void.” 

Now the case is back in Utah’s 3rd District Court, where Judge Dianna Gibson heard three hours of testimony January 31st.  The League of Women Voters and Mormon Women for Ethical Government argued for the independent commission’s powers to be fully restored, and fair Congressional maps put in place.  A decision is expected within weeks.

We have our past reports, local reporting, court filings, and the groups taking action at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Script

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Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – Utah Voters Fought Back After Their Fair Voting Districts Constitutional Amendment was Gutted by an Anti-Voter Legislature.  They Won.
Utah Supreme Court –  LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF UTAH, et al., v. UTAH STATE LEGISLATURE
American Democracy Minute – After Losing in Court and at the Polls, Utah Legislature Approves Nov. Ballot Measure to Veto or Alter Citizen Ballot Measures to Protect Its Power
Campaign Legal Center – Utahns Score Huge Victory Voiding Amendment D
Utah News Dispatch – Will Utah get new congressional maps? Judge hears oral arguments in Utah redistricting case

Groups Taking Action:

League of Women Voters UT, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, Campaign Legal Center

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 #UtahLegislature #EndGerrymandering #FairMaps

The post Will Utah’s Voter-Approved Independent Redistricting Commission and Fair Maps Prevail Over the Legislature’s Attempt to Rig Them?  appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 30, 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 U.S. Supreme Court will soon hear a Louisiana redistricting case with repercussions for minority voters around the country. It could further dismantle the 1965 Voting Rights Act Section 2.

Louisiana’s legislature drew its six Congressional districts, including only one as a majority-minority Black district. It ignored the fact that Louisiana’s population is almost 33% Black.

A federal district court found that the legislature intentionally drew the districts to dilute Black voting power, and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a new map.  The legislature, under pressure from the courts and the Governor, created a map in January 2024, adding a second long and narrow majority-minority district. Last summer, a group of mostly white voters sued, claiming that using “race predominance” cannot be the main factor when drawing a district.

After initially refusing the case, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case in early 2025.  Justice Alito consistently signals that the Voting Rights Act should be race-neutral, while Justice Jackson points out that the VRA was intended to provide a level playing field for minority voters.  Until the Roberts court’s 2019 Shelby County decision, Louisiana was required by the U.S. Justice Department to pre-clear all election laws due to its history of voting rights discrimination.

We have more on the case 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:

U.S. Justice Department – Brief for LOUISIANA v.  CALLAIS
American Democracy Minute –  (May 2024) U.S. Supreme Court Stays 5th Circuit, Allowing Louisiana’s Fairer Congressional Maps – Apparently Invoking the Purcell Principle
American Democracy Minute – (May 2024)  The Federal 5th Circuit Backtracks on Louisiana Congressional Maps, Throwing Out New Map Which Gave Black Voters & Candidates a Chance
American Democracy Minute – (Jan. 2024) Louisiana Legislature Hashes Out New Court-Ordered Congressional Maps with Two Majority Black Districts
American Democracy Minute – (Nov. 2023) Appeals Court (Finally) Finds Louisiana Congressional Map was Discriminatory; Orders New Maps to Be Drawn by January 15
American Democracy Minute – (June 2022) Federal Appeals Court Forces New Congressional Map in Louisiana 

Groups Taking Action:

Power Coalition for Equity and Justice,  ACLU of Louisiana

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 #VRA #VotingRightsAct #RacialGerrymandering

The post What’s Ahead for 2025:  VRA Majority Minority Voting Districts at Risk in Louisiana Redistricting Case at the U.S. Supreme Court appeared first on American Democracy Minute.