The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for March 9, 2023

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

PolitiFact – Arizona’s Mark Finchem falsely links George Soros to voter roll program
Votebeat Arizona – The truth about ERIC, the voter roll program targeted by extremists
Insider – An Alabama ‘election denier’ is leading efforts in the state to withdraw from a national organization that combats voter fraud
Associated Press – 3 GOP states pull out of effort to thwart voter fraud
Alabama Today – Three more states follow Alabama out of ERIC system
Statehouse News Bureau (Ohio) – LaRose says Ohio may drop out of voter registration program he praised last month
Electronic Registration Information Center – Letter from the Director
Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) – Frequently Asked Questions

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.

For 31 states, the ERIC voter registration change database provides real election integrity, not the made-up kind.  Now, it’s under attack by conspiracy theorists.

The Electronic Registration Information Center, commonly known as ERIC, is a nonpartisan nonprofit cooperative of states which uses sophisticated computer matching to cross reference voters who’ve moved, were duplicated, or have died.  This helps keep voter rolls up to date, and minimizes the chance that someone would vote in more than one place.  Its governing board is made up of state officials themselves.   The nonprofit was founded in 2012 with a grant from the Pew Trusts.

In January, Alabama’s incoming Secretary of State withdrew from ERIC, citing protection of its citizens’ data.  It was followed in March by Florida, Missouri, and West Virginia.  Ohio’s Frank LaRose last month praised ERIC, but now he too has voiced concerns.

Why?  The Ohio Statehouse News Bureau reports that a non-voting board member formerly of Pew Trusts now works for Mark Zuckerberg’s foundation, which provided grants to fund municipal election offices during the pandemic.  The Associated Press writes that another conspiracy theory claims the original funding from Pew Trusts for ERIC, came in part from Billionaire philanthropist George Soros.  

Secretaries of state pulling out of the program appear to be bowing to election denier activists, and hurting, not improving, election security. 

We have articles and ERIC’s FAQs at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.

The post <strong>States Are Leaving the ERIC Voter Registration Cross Referencing System.  Why?  Conspiracy Theories.</strong> appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

Listen!

Today’s Links
Articles
Kansas City Star – Missouri Gov. Parson signs sweeping new law requiring voters to show photo ID at polls
St. Louis Public Radio – Huge bill adds extra steps for voters and those who run Missouri elections
Text of Missouri’s now signed HB 1878
Groups Taking Action
Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, League of Women Voters Missouri, MALDEF,  Missouri Protection & Advocacy Services

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

Earlier this week we mentioned that the Missouri legislature had passed an omnibus–and ominous– voting and election bill, and that pro-voter groups and election officials were not happy with the additional barriers to voting and burdens to election workers. That bill was signed Wednesday by Republican Governor Mike Parson.

Sponsors of the bill hailed the provision to implement a voter ID requirement, common among many states, but they limited the allowable ID to only state or federal IDs, not other commonly-accepted options such as student IDs and other institutional documents. The State of Missouri charges for non-driver IDs, a barrier for low-income voters.

Changes to current law will allow no-excuse absentee ballot voting for a two week period prior to the election, but only in person, not by mail. Disabled and elderly voters would be forced to come into election offices to vote during this period.

St. Louis Public Radio reports that the bill also bans third-party assistance with voter registration, restricting groups like the League of Women Voters and other pro-voter groups from helping voters register. Nor can groups facilitate absentee voting.

Election officials voiced concern over the potential disruption of election-day auditing, and the banning of private grants to offset the costs of elections, which, like most of these new restrictions, were based on false claims of widespread election fraud.

Links to more information on this restrictive Missouri bill and groups taking action are at our website, AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we have, it’s something we DO.” For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.

The post American Democracy Minute for July 1, 2022: Missouri Governor Signs Omnibus – and Ominous – Voting & Elections Bill appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/americandemocracyminute/episodes/2022-05-02T07_34_02-07_00

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

We noted yesterday that Governor Ron Desantis just signed a bill which banned ranked choice voting in Florida. But ballot initiatives to implement RCV in Missouri and Nevada are picking up steam.

Ranked choice voting allows a voter to support a candidate they like but wouldn’t otherwise win vs. the more likely candidate. This gives dark horse, independent or third party candidates a chance without the voter throwing a vote away. RCV often leads to more congeniality between candidates, particularly in primaries, because they have to appeal to a wider array of voters, not just to the extremes of their party.

Ballotpedia reports that a pro ranked choice voting citizens initiative PAC in Missouri reported contributions of $4.3 million dollars as of March 31 as the initiative approaches a May 8th deadline for signatures. The Missouri proposal would use RCV in primaries to determine the top four candidates, which would all advance to the general election.

In Nevada, a similar PAC reports donations of $2.26 million dollars to fund the initiative’s signature drive, which concludes June 21^st. Nevada’s proposal would advance the top 5 candidates out of the primaries.

Visit AmericanDemocracyMinute.org to find links to the organizations behind these citizen initiatives, and learn more about RCV.

Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it’s something we DO.” For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.

Fair Vote, a national resource on Ranked Choice Voting: 
Nevadans for Election Reform:  https://nevadansforelectionreform.org/
Better Elections Missouri:  https://betterelectionsmo.org/

The post American Democracy Minute for May 3, 2022: Ranked Choice Voting on the Move in MO, NV appeared first on American Democracy Minute.