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Today’s Links

Articles:
ProPublica – The Fight Against an Age-Old Effort to Block Americans From Voting

Groups Taking Action:
ACLU Georgia, FairFight, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, New Georgia Project

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

An investigative report just released by nonprofit news organization ProPublica follows the story of one woman’s quest to provide assistance to low-literacy voters in her community. It also shows the efforts by local and state government to stop that assistance, which is guaranteed by the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The article chronicles the efforts of Olivia Coley-Pearson from Coffee County, Georgia, where one-third of the population reads only at a basic level. Coley-Pearson helps those needing assistance at the polls with voter registration and ballots, as affirmed by Congress in Voting Rights Act changes in 1982.

But ProPublica’s reporting shows that while the literacy tests used to suppress Black voters in the 1960s may be gone, literacy is still wielded as a weapon in some polling places. Ballots and registrations are sometimes invalidated for misspellings in addresses and names, or for errors in dates.

Some state legislatures have even passed laws which require illiterate voters to explain in a WRITTEN affidavit as to why they need assistance. Other states prevent from bringing sample ballots to the polls, and limit the number of volunteers providing assistance.

Coley-Pearson herself has been reported by election officials, investigated, brought up on baseless charges of improperly assisting voters in what smacks of an effort to intimidate her from her work.

That literacy would still be a barrier to Americans who make the effort to exercise their constitutionally-guaranteed right to vote demonstrates just how far we are from a free and fair election system. Find a link to ProPublica’s excellent article at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.

For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl

The post ADM for Sept. 16, 2022: A New ProPublica Report Chronicles One Women’s Quest to Assist Low-Literacy Voters – And the Attempts to Stop Her appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

Listen! https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/americandemocracyminute/episodes/2022-06-21T08_29_56-07_00

Today’s Links:
Articles: 
ProPublica – “Big Lie” Vigilantism Is on the Rise. Big Tech Is Failing to Respond
Pew Charitable Trust – “Voters with Disabilities Face New Ballot Restrictions Ahead of Midterms”
CBS News –  “What is ballot harvesting, where is it allowed and should you hand your ballot to a stranger?”

Groups Taking Action:    Common Cause, Public Citizen, Declaration for American Democracy

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

Unicorn, meet the Ballot Mule. This mythical creature only appears when you’ve lost an election, or if you want to tighten voting restrictions to make it harder for the disabled, the elderly and working parents to vote.

An investigation by ProPublica tracks the term “Ballot Mule” to 2020 election denier allegations of widespread ballot delivery schemes by third-party voter advocacy organizations. The conspiracy theory, amplified by former President Trump, alleges groups and individuals “harvested” ballots from people who might not otherwise vote and dropped multiple ballots off in drop boxes.

ProPublica reports that “Wanted” posters with the images of alleged fraudsters went viral on social media platforms, resulting in online threats. In Arizona, there was a call for vigilantes to find and prosecute alleged Ballot Mules. But Propublica found no evidence of wrongdoing by the individuals pictured, and around the county, election officials found no such activity. ProPublica also found no evidence that the social media platforms did anything to stop the lies from spreading.

Disinformation campaigns like the Ballot Mule conspiracy theory contributed to dozens of states tightening restrictions for voting by mail, delivering ballots to drop boxes, restricting or eliminating drop boxes, and increasing required documentation for voting absentee. All making it harder to vote, and based on a myth.

ProPublica’s article and an article on the impact of voting restrictions on the disability community by the Pew Charitable Trusts are linked at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.

The post American Democracy Minute for June 22, 2022: Unicorn, Meet the Ballot Mule appeared first on American Democracy Minute.