The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 24, 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.

As voters turn to ballot initiatives to bypass extreme legislatures, legislatures are manipulating initiative rules to protect their partisan power.  Expect more such attacks on direct democracy in 2025.

In 2024 alone, 10 reproductive rights measures qualified for the ballot, with only two failing, in Nebraska, and Florida.  Another passed in Ohio in 2023.   

Not willing to let extreme agendas get overridden by those pesky voters, legislatures are trying to de-fang direct democracy by trying to raise constitutional amendment thresholds to 60% or higher, and requiring minimum numbers of qualifying signatures from each county, rather than a statewide percentage. To keep Ohio voters from passing abortion protections in 2023, the legislature proposed a 60% threshold, using a low-turnout August special election it had deemed too expensive to run.  It lost, and abortion rights prevailed four months later.   In 2024, the Ohio Secretary of State helped derail a citizen-led redistricting measure by rewriting its ballot description to mislead voters.

The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center reports there were three 2024 measures attacking direct democracy.  Arizonans voted down a measure requiring minimum signatures from every county, and another allowing a pre-election litigation on measures.  North Dakota would have raised the signatures required, and winning both a primary AND a general election.  It, too, failed.    

Expect more such attacks on direct democracy in 2025.  Find more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – (2023) Ohio Legislature Forcing Through Restoration of Aug. 8th Election to Pass Hurdles for Citizen Ballot Initiatives & Block Potential Abortion Rights Measure
American Democracy Minute – (2023) Ohio Voters Defeat Republican Effort to Raise Citizen Ballot Initiative Passage to 60% in Pro-Voter Victory
Route 50 – States look to rein in ballot initiatives with more ballot initiatives
The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center – 2024 Election Results

KFF – Outcome of Abortion-Related State Constitutional Amendment Measures in the 2024 Election
Reuters – Florida, two other states defy trend and vote down abortion rights
State Court Report – Direct Democracy Under Attack 

Groups Taking Action:

Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, League of Women Voters US, Common Cause US

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

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #DirectDemocracy #FreedomtoVote #WethePeople

The post Citizen Ballot Initiatives Help Voters Bypass Extreme Legislatures.  But Expect More Attempts to Block Those Initiatives in 2025 appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 18, 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.

Gerrymandering, the manipulation of voting district boundaries to engineer an election outcome which benefits a particular party, had a significant impact on control of the new Congress, according to a new report. 

The Brennan Center for Justice found over four of five Congressional districts were won by a margin over 10%, including 90 percent of the GOP House majority.   Within that number, 132 GOP winners were in districts with winning margins of 25% or more, and 112 by a Democrat.  

In comparison, only 37 districts nationwide were decided by five percent or less, and only 19 districts were competitive enough to flip.  

The Brennan Center points to North Carolina as a state which, after a more liberal Supreme Court was flipped conservative in 2022, replaced the previous court’s 7 to 7 competitive maps, with the legislature’s gerrymandered version, resulting in a 10 to 4 GOP Congressional seat advantage.   

The most effective solution to gerrymandering at the moment is citizen-led independent redistricting, which has been successful in producing fairer and more competitive maps in California, Michigan, Utah and a handful of other states. In November, Ohio voters rejected such a commission, due in part to an attempt by elected officials to derail it.   Brennan found that independent commissions, citizen-led or otherwise, drew only 82 Congressional districts this cycle, but those districts were three times more competitive. 

We have the Brennan Center’s report at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Brennan Center for Justice – How Gerrymandering and Fair Maps Affected the Battle for the House
FactCheck.org – Speaker Johnson’s Partisan Spin on Gerrymandering in the 2024 Election
National Conference of State Legislatures – Redistricting Commissions: State Legislative Plans
Campaign Legal Center – Independent Redistricting Commissions

Campaign Legal Center – Movement to Establish Citizen-Led Redistricting Commissions in the States
California Citizens Redistricting Commission – What is the Commission?

Groups Taking Action:
Common Cause, Represent.Us, League of Women Voters US

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

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #EndGerrymandering #FairMaps #RiggedDistricts

The post New Report Shows Gerrymandering’s Impact on Control of the New Congress  appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 17, 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.

Following up our report on states which have passed a voting rights act comes an authorization to collect signatures for the Ohio Voters Bill of Rights, protecting voters from suppression tactics, and implementing reforms like automatic voter registration.  The State of Ohio tried to reject it.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost twice objected to the title of the measure, tactically delaying the measure beginning in early 2024 so it couldn’t make the November ballot.  October 30th, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the AG did NOT have the authority to reject it on the basis of its title.  Then in mid-November, the Ohio Ballot Board, headed by Secretary of State Frank LaRose, approved the measure to collect signatures, AFTER complaining about its content.  

If passed, the constitutional measure, similar to Michigan’s 2022 initiative, would enshrine Ohio voters’ right to vote: Early in person, by mail or on election day, and to do so without intimidation or harassment. It allows voter registration online, at the DMV, or on election day.  It gives municipalities flexibility to expand polling locations and use drop boxes, and directs that state government and the courts should defer to supporting voters’ rights. 

Given the state’s derailment of November’s citizen-led redistricting commission, expect more state-sponsored shenanigans before voters weigh in.  

We have the full text of the Ohio Voters Bill of Rights at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Ohio Attorney General – Full Text of the Ohio Voters Bill of Rights
State of Ohio – Summary – Ohio Voters Bill of Rights
Court News Ohio – Attorney General Not Authorized To Review Proposed Amendment Titles

Ohio Supreme Court – Decision in Dudley v. Yost

Ohio Capital Journal – Ballot board clears Ohio Voters Bill of Rights, organizers can begin collecting signatures

Groups Taking Action:

Ohio Voters Rights Coalition, Ohio Organizing Collaborative, Ohio Unity Coalition, Ohio NAACP 

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

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #Ohio #VRA #OHVotersBillofRights #VotingRights

The post Ohio Voters Bill of Rights Ballot Measure Finally Authorized to Collect Signatures appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

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

Democracy reform-related citizen ballot initiatives failed November 5th, as high turnout of GOP voters and deceptive messaging overwhelmed a citizen-led redistricting commission, open primaries and ranked choice voting.

Ohio’s Issue 1 citizen-led redistricting commission could not overcome high turnout and a deceptive rewriting of the issue’s ballot description by Ohio’s Secretary of State and Ballot Board.  That effort portrayed the reform itself as gerrymandering in an effort to confuse voters, and it failed 46 to 54 percent.  The measure proposed a 15-member, cross-partisan independent commission without politicians or lobbyists in an effort to create fair maps, rather than the current flawed politician-led system.

As part of a two-vote constitutional amendment process, Nevada voters considered Question 3, establishing a “top 5” open primary and ranked choice voting system. The second vote failed 45.5 to 54.5 percent after passing it two years ago.  

Colorado’s open primary initiative, Proposition 131, received only 44 percent approval, after being opposed by both the Democratic and Republican parties.

As of early November 6th, votes supporting Alaska’s Ballot Measure 2 to REPEAL its “top 4” open primary and ranked choice voting system had edged ahead, with 100,000 votes remaining to be counted.  

We’ll update that result and other democracy measures in a future report.

We have links to local analysis and the groups taking action at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Ohio Capital Journal – Ohio voters reject Issue 1, leaving politicians in control over map-making process

Nevada Current – Nevada voters reject open primaries, ranked choice voting system
Colorado Newsline – Colorado voters appear to reject sweeping elections overhaul backed by wealthy donors
Alaska Beacon – Votes to repeal Alaska’s open primaries, ranked choice voting are narrowly ahead

Groups Taking Action:
Yes on Issue 1 Ohio, Yes on 3 Nevada, Yes on 131 Colorado, Alaskans for Better Elections

Check Your Voter Registration:

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

Please follow us on Facebook and SHARE!  

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #CitizensNotPoliticians #FairMaps #RankedChoiceVoting

The post High Turnout of Conservative Voters Also Led to Losses for Democracy Reform in Ohio, Nevada, Colorado and Potentially Alaska appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 16, 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.

We’ve reported for months about state officials in heavily-gerrymandered Ohio attempting to derail a citizen-led redistricting commission ballot measure.  Despite disinformation from those state officials, polling shows voters are leaning toward passing the constitutional amendment in November. 

Issue 1 would ditch the current politician-led commission, which resulted in two years of litigation, as redistricting maps ping-ponged between the commission, legislature, and the courts.  Replacing it would be a new citizen-led commission which would include five Democrats, five Republicans and five independents, none of whom can be current or former politicians, party officials or lobbyists.  It expressly forbids drawing voting districts for partisan gain, and importantly, has a completely open and transparent process. 

The Ohio Ballot Commission, led by Secretary of State Frank LaRose, attempted to mislead voters by rewriting Issue 1’s description, saying that Issue 1 was itself gerrymandering.  Signs by opponents of Issue 1 echo that misdirection. 

Thanks to reporting and endorsements by the state’s major newspapers and an advertising push to inoculate voters from election day confusion, 60% percent of Ohioans say they plan to vote for Issue 1, 20% no, and 20% undecided in a Bowling Green State University poll.  Another Baldwin Wallace University poll has 69% of Ohio voters opposing gerrymandering. 

We have links to accurate explainers, local reporting, our past reports, and the groups taking action  at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Citizens Not Politicians – Summary and Fully Text of Issue 1

Citizens No Politicians –  Proposed Description and Full Text as Submitted
Ohio Secretary of State –  Rewritten Description of Issue One

Brennan Center for Justice – Ohio’s Legacy of Gerrymandering Could End This November
Cincinnati Enquirer – Ohio Issue 1: Will it end gerrymandering? Top FAQs answered
Columbus Dispatch – State of Ohio Issue 1 explained: What is it? Would it stop gerrymandering?
WCMH Columbus – Majority of Ohio voters favor Issue 1 redistricting amendment, poll shows

Groups Taking Action:

Yes on Issue 1,  League of Women Voters OH,  Supporting Organizations

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
  
  

Please follow us on Facebook and SHARE!  

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #Ohio #CitizensNotPoliticians #FairMaps

The post Polling Shows Ohio Voters Lean Toward Passing Citizen-Led Redistricting Commission Ballot Measure, Despite Disinformation from State Officials appeared first on American Democracy Minute.