The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Feb. 7, 2025

Today’s Script

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

A New Hampshire Senate bill, just killed in committee, would have moved the state’s four presidential electoral votes to a “Winner by District” system, from “Winner Take All”.  Nebraska, the only state besides Maine which apportions its electoral votes by district, is trying to end it.

The National Conference of State Legislatures defines a Winner Take All system as one where the winning candidate’s party, no matter the margin of victory, gets all of the electoral votes.   

Currently in Nebraska, which has 5 electoral votes,  and Maine, which has 4, one electoral vote is awarded for each Congressional district a candidate wins, and the candidate who wins the popular vote statewide gets the rest.  

New Hampshire is currently a winner-take-all state, with two Congressional Districts.  SB11 would have adopted the Nebraska and Maine model, likely in anticipation of gerrymandering a guaranteed GOP congressional district.  But February 5th, the Senate Election and Municipal Affairs committee recommended that it be killed in an upcoming full Senate vote.  

The AP reports that Nebraska’s GOP is irritated that candidates Obama, Biden and Harris won an electoral vote from greater Omaha’s Congressional District 2. Another legislative attempt to end it appears doomed to fail by filibuster, so state Republicans are preparing a ballot measure instead, hoping the voters will change what the legislature could not. 

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

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

National Conference of State Legislators – The Electoral College
National Archives – Distribution of Electoral Votes
New Hampshire Bulletin – Some push for end to New Hampshire ‘winner take all’ Electoral College allocations
American Democracy Minute – GOP-Controlled NH Legislature Proposes Proportional Presidential Electoral Votes. Will Gerrymandered Congressional Districts Follow?

NH General Court – SB 11 , relative to the allocation of electoral college votes
Nebraska Examiner – Lawmaker proposes ‘backup’ winner-take-all measure for Nebraska presidential electors
AP – The GOP keeps failing to make Nebraska a winner-take-all state. Now it might ask voters to do it

Groups Taking Action:

National Popular Vote, Stand Up America, FairVote, Common Cause US

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

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

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ElectoralCollege #NationalPopularVote #NebraskaNews #NHNews

The post Nebraska & New Hampshire Wrestle with “Winner Take All” and “Winner by District” Presidential Electoral Vote Systems appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 21, 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 2020 Alaska ballot initiative took steps to shine a light on dark money campaign funding. The U.S. Supreme Court just turned down a challenge to that law, and it may be good news for an expected case in Maine.

Alaska voters approved Ballot Measure 2 in 2020, which in addition to implementing open primaries and ranked choice voting, also took steps to disclose dark money funding of campaigns and ballot measures.

It requires candidates and ballot measure organizers to disclose the “true source” of funding for any contribution over $2,000 within 24 hours, limiting the ability of donors using 501c nonprofits and other entities to hide their identities.  For any group whose funding is 50% from out of state, a disclaimer must be added for all communications, including advertising. 

Claiming a violation of First Amendment rights, several groups and contributors sued, but November 18th, the U.S. Supreme Court turned down the case without comment. Great news for voters, and it also could bode well for Maine’s recently passed Question 1, limiting contributions to SuperPACs to $5,000 and requiring disclosure of those donations.  Organizers of that initiative expect it will be challenged, and think the U.S. Supreme Court majority could uphold a state’s power to regulate campaign finance contributions.

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

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Alaskans for Better Elections – Greater Transparency in Campaign Financing
BallotPedia – Alaska Ballot Measure 2, Top-Four Ranked-Choice Voting and Campaign Finance Laws Initiative (2020)
U.S. Supreme Court – Appeal Request

Alaska Beacon – U.S. Supreme Court may consider Alaska’s ‘dark money’ disclosure rules
Anchorage Daily News – US Supreme Court rejects challenge to Alaska campaign disclosure rules approved by voters in 2020
Associated Press – A voter-approved Maine limit on PAC contributions sets the stage for a legal challenge

Groups Taking Action:

Alaskans for Better Elections, Maine Citizens to End SuperPACs

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

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

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #Alaska #Maine #Dark Money #EndCitizensUnited #SCOTUS

The post SCOTUS Turns Down Case Challenging Alaska’s Dark Money Disclosure Law. Great News for Voters and a Possibly a Future Case in Maine. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

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

“Do you want to set a $5,000 limit for giving to political action committees that spend money independently to support or defeat candidates for office?”  Almost 75% of Maine voters agreed with that statement November 5th, overwhelmingly passing ballot initiative Question 1.  But its second act may be even more important.

The Conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court allowed unlimited contributions to SuperPACs by corporations and individuals in its Citizens United decision and subsequent rulings, as long as the spending was independent of the candidate.  Attack ads not endorsed by the candidate are a common example. 

Maine’s amendment will limit individual contributions to SuperPACs to be used for such independent expenditures to $5,000, and requires reporting of those contributions.  

Big money donors will undoubtedly challenge the law, which is what Harvard Law money-in-politics expert Lawrence Lessig and his pro-voter group Equal Citizens expect. Lessig points to existing U.S. Supreme Court precedents upholding the right of states to set campaign contribution limits.  In a 2023 statement, Lessig said, “I am confident that when the United States Supreme Court finally gets the chance to rule on the question, it will uphold Maine’s law, and thereby change the law governing SuperPACs across the nation.”

We have links to Maine’s Question 1 language and more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Ballotpedia – Maine Question 1, Limit Contributions to Super PACs Initiative (2024)
Maine Citizens to End SuperPACs – “An Act to Limit Contributions to Political Action Committees That Make Independent Expenditures”
Associated Press – A voter-approved Maine limit on PAC contributions sets the stage for a legal challenge
Equal Citizens – (2023) EqualCitizens.US Announces Maine Effort to Limit SuperPAC Contributions
Brennan Center for Justice – Since Citizens United, a Decade of Super PACs

Groups Taking Action:

Equal Citizens.Us, Maine Citizens to End SuperPACs, End Citizens United, Issue One

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 #BigMoney #EndCitizensUnited #EqualCitizens

The post Maine Voters Overwhelmingly Pass Limits to Individual Contributions to SuperPACs, and Lay the Groundwork for SCOTUS Case appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Sept. 27, 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.

Spoiler alert:  Both major political parties are trying to minimize the impact of voters choosing third party candidates in the 2024 election.  What could fix the “spoiler effect”, and allow third party candidates to still compete?   Ranked choice voting.

CBS News and the Wall Street Journal report that Green Party candidate Jill Stein accepted assistance from Republican affiliated lawyers to keep herself on the ballot in Wisconsin, and be restored to the ballot in Nevada in hopes of siphoning off votes from Kamala Harris.

Earlier this summer, Democrats sued to keep Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. off the ballot in five states.  Though he suspended his candidacy, Kennedy remains on the ballot in 33 states.  

Ranked choice voting, allows third party candidates like Stein, Kennedy, and Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver to compete, without the spoiler effect.  Voters could for example rank Stein first, Harris second and Oliver third.  In ranked choice, if a candidate has a 50% +1 majority, he or she wins outright.  If there is no 50%+1 majority, the lowest vote-getter is eliminated, voters’ second choices are used, and totals are recalculated.  The process continues until the winning candidate reaches a 50% + 1 majority.  

Only Alaska and Maine will use ranked choice for Presidential voting this year, but five states are considering RCV ballot measures in November.

We have more on how ranked choice works at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

CBS News – Republican allies boost longshot candidate Jill Stein as Democrats try to remove her from ballots in battleground states
FairVote – Jill Stein, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and spoiler season

Salon – There’s a solution to Democrats’ RFK Jr. problem: Ranked-choice voting
Politico – Democratic tactics against RFK Jr. are rattling his campaign
CBS News –  Democrats and their allies sue to keep RFK Jr. off the ballot in several states
CNN – How RFK Jr.’s presence on the Maine ballot could delay a projection in the 2024 race
Portland Press Herald/The Fulcrum – Opinion: We’re taking ranked-choice voting national for presidential elections
Ranked Vote – 2024 RCV Ballot Measures and Impact
Represent.Us – Video – How RCV works and the Spoiler Effect

Groups Taking Action:

FairVote, Represent.Us, Rank the Vote

Check Your Voter Registration:

• U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State
• USA Vote Foundation – Registration, Eligibility, State Election Office Links
• Vote.Gov – Register to Vote in Your State
• Vote.Org – Check Your Registration to Vote
  
  

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #RankedChoiceVoting #SpoilerEffect #RCV #InstantRunoff

The post Spoiler Alert: Ranked Choice Voting Could Solve the Green Party and RFK Jr. ‘Spoiler Effect’  appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 19, 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.

Maine became the 17th state to join the National Popular Vote Compact April 15th, pledging the state’s Presidential electoral votes to the candidate with the most overall votes nationally.   It won’t impact the 2024 election, but brings the national effort within 61 votes of having the candidate with the most votes be the winner.

In five U.S. Presidential elections, the winner had fewer citizen votes, but still won in the electoral college.  Most recently, George Bush and Donald Trump had fewer popular votes than Al Gore and Hillary Clinton in 2000 and 2016.

Seventeen states plus the District of Columbia have adopted the National Popular Vote Compact, now representing 209 electoral votes of the 270 needed to activate it.  Essentially, the compact is an end-run around having to amend the Constitution, which empowers state parties to select electors through conventions or party elections.  

The Maine Morning Star reports that opponents argued the Electoral College system gives power to more rural states.  The bill passed only 73-72 in the state House, and 18-12 in the Senate.   Governor Janet Mills let LD 1578 become law without her signature.  

When additional states join the compact and the total of their electoral votes reaches 270, the compact will be in force, theoretically making the electoral college moot.  

Find out more about the National Popular Vote at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
USA.Gov – Electoral College Explainer
National Popular Vote – Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote
League of Women Voters ME – National Popular Vote
Maine Morning Star – Maine Legislature throws support behind national movement to elect president via popular vote
Maine Morning Star – Gov. Mills allows Maine to join National Popular Vote Compact without her signature
Gov. Janet Mills – Governor Mills Allows National Popular Vote Legislation to Become Law Without Her Signature

Groups Taking Action:
National Popular Vote, Stand Up America, FairVote, Common Cause US

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter 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 #NationalPopularVote #Maine 

The post Maine Becomes the 17th State to Join the National Popular Vote Compact appeared first on American Democracy Minute.