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

A Washington State audit of rejected 2020 mail-in ballots offers insight on whose ballots are more likely to be rejected, and recommends actions to reduce that number – over 37,000 in 2024.   

Primary reasons for rejection included ballots received or postmarked after Election Day; a missing signature on the ballot envelope; or the voter’s signature couldn’t be confirmed.   

Auditors found 2020 rates varied from a high of 1.5% in Franklin County to .02% in Columbia County, and agreed with county decisions in 98.7% of cases.  But they also found higher rejections of younger voters 18-21, where 2.6% of ballots were rejected,  and Black voters at 2.5%.  They also found that non-native English speakers were 47% more likely to have ballots rejected.  Signature issues can often be cured, but many voters don’t, or can’t, correct it.  

The auditors recommended outreach programs on college campuses, sending letters and calling voters with curable signature issues, more training on signature verification, opening early voting centers 18 days before election day, an advisory committee for disabled voters, and ballot drop boxes for every 15,000 voters.  

In the 2024 general election, Washington’s statewide rejection rate had dropped to .94%, but of those, over 24,000 were rejected for a mismatched signature.

Find a link to the audit at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   I’m Brian Beihl.  

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Washington Secretary of State – 2024 Annual Report of Washington State Elections
Office of the Washington State Auditor – (2022)  Summary – Evaluating Washington’s Ballot Rejection Rates
Office of the Washington State Auditor – (2022)   Audit –  Evaluating Washington’s Ballot Rejection Rates 
Brennan Center for Justice – (2020) Mail Ballot Security Features: A Primer
Civic Design – Voting by Mail: The Impact of Signature Identity Verification for Voters with Disabilities
National Conference of State Legislatures – How States Verify Voted Absentee/Mail Ballots

MIT Election Data + Science Lab – A Deep Dive into Absentee Ballot Rejection in the 2020 General Election

Groups Taking Action:

ACLU, LULAC, Vet Voice Foundation, The Washington Bus, El Centro de la Raza

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

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

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #SignatureVerification #Disenfranchisement #WashingtonState #BallotRejection

The post Washington State 2022 Audit of Rejected Mail Ballots Offers Valuable Insights for States Using Signature Verification appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for March 20, 2025

Washington State implemented their universal vote-by-mail system in 2013, and built in signature-matching for identity verification.  A March ruling by the state supreme court upholds that rule as constitutional because voters can cure discrepancies. 

Before the 2022 midterms, a state-commissioned audit found that younger voters, voters of color, and non-English speakers were far more likely to have their ballots rejected, and the rate of rejection varied by county.    

Two recent lawsuits challenged the signature matching rule, claiming that the lack of handwriting standards and the inconsistent science for signature verification, resulted in the rejection of 4,500 Hispanic ballots in the 2020 primary, and 36,000 ballots from all voters in the 2022 midterms.

In the court’s recent opinion, Justice Steven C. González acknowledged those rejections: “All too many ballots are not counted because election workers cannot verify the voter’s signatures and the voter does not or cannot cure their ballot in time.”

But the court found no bias, evidence of partisan malfeasance, or that voters were intentionally blocked from voting.  It also found counties offered opportunities to cure those ballots.   The state’s auditor recommended more training for county election officials, outreach to the most affected voter groups to prevent discrepancies, and more valuable advice for any state verifying signatures.  We’ll have more on that in our next report.  

Find links at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   I’m Brian Beihl.  

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Office of the Washington State Auditor – (2022) Evaluating Washington’s Ballot Rejection Rates
Democracy Docket – (2021)  Washington Signature Matching Challenge (LULAC)
Democracy Docket – Washington Supreme Court Upholds State’s Ballot Signature Verification System
Washington Supreme Court – Opinion in Vet Voice Foundation v. Hobbs
Washington State Standard – Washington Supreme Court upholds ballot signature verification system
Washington Secretary of State – Signature Verification & Compliance Tool Training Manual

Groups Taking Action:

LULAC, Vet Voice Foundation, The Washington Bus, El Centro de la Raza

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 #StateofWashington #VotingRights #VotebyMail #SignatureVerification

The post Washington Supreme Court Rules Signature Matching Can Be Used to Disqualify Ballots But Acknowledges It Impacts Too Many Voters appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

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

Today’s Script

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

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 Nov. 12, 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.

November 6th, the Mesa County, Colorado district attorney’s office announced charges against two women who allegedly stole mail-in ballots, filled them out and submitted them in an attempt to test the ballot signature verification process.

News site Colorado Politics reports that a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier, Vicki Lyn Stuart, allegedly provided Sally Jane Smith with 16 mail-in ballots intended for citizens in Grand Junction Colorado. 

When county election officials found signature discrepancies, one intended voter contacted by the election office said they had not voted, and another voter, using the state’s ballot tracking system, said the system showed he had voted, when he had not.  Local officials alerted the Colorado Secretary of State’s office, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation launched an inquiry in late October. 

Smith is accused of filling out and returning the ballots, and faces six counts of felony identity theft, two felony counts of attempting to influence a public servant, and six counts of forgery.    Mail carrier Stuart faces 16 counts of felony identity theft, 16 felony counts of forgery, and attempting to influence a public servant.   If convicted, both women face substantial fines and/or prison time.   Smith is a registered Republican, and Stuart, an independent.

Such election fraud is so infrequent, it rarely if ever affects election outcomes. 

We have links to the detailed local reporting at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Colorado Secretary of State – Ballot Fraud Scheme Under Investigation in Mesa County
Colorado Newsline – Multiple fraudulent ballots returned in Mesa County, Colorado election officials say
Colorado Politics – Two Mesa County women arrested in alleged fraudulent mail-in ballot scheme
Colorado Newsline – 2 Mesa County women arrested in fraudulent ballot scheme

Brennan Center for Justice – Extensive research reveals that fraud is very rare.

Register or 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

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

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VotebyMail #Colorado #VoterFraudArrests

The post Colorado Women Arrested for Allegedly Stealing and Submitting Mail-In Ballots to ‘Test’ Election Security appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 8, 2023

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.

In defense of two restrictive voting laws, the State of Kansas argued to the Kansas Supreme Court Friday that voting is NOT a fundamental state constitutional right, as an appeals court had ruled.  

Democracy groups challenged 2021 laws implementing notoriously inaccurate signature matching for mail-in voting, and restricting third party handling of ballots. Both impede the right to vote for elderly and disabled citizens. 

The Kansas Reflector reports that a district court judge dismissed the case, but an appeals court panel ruled in March 2023 that the Kansas Constitution and Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights guarantee voting as a fundamental constitutional right. 

In Friday’s arguments, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said, “If any of us wishes to exercise our freedom of speech, we may do so whenever we choose. If we wish to worship, we may do so whenever we choose.  We have absolute autonomy, and we really don’t rely on anyone or any entity for us to do that. The same cannot be said of voting.”

In the appellate decision, Judge Stephen Hill wrote:  “It was by free elections that we gained statehood. Thus, voting rights are preserved in the Kansas Constitution. Great care must be taken when trying to limit or infringe on those rights. Voting was important then. Voting is important now.”

The Kansas Supreme Court’s ruling is pending.  We have the appellate decision and more on the case at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.    I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Democracy Docket – Kansas Voter Suppression Law Challenge
Kansas Reflector – Court of Appeals reverses lower court on Kansas lawsuit challenging restraint of voting rights
Kansas Reflector – Voting rights case sent to Kansas Supreme Court, challenging 2021 election law
Kansas Reflector – Kansas Supreme Court set to consider protections for voting rights
Kansas State Constitution – Suffrage
Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights –  Kansas Bill of Rights

Kansas Court of Appeals – League of Women Voters of Kansas v. Schwab

Groups Taking Action:
League of Women Voters of Kansas, Loud Light, Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice,  Topeka Independent Living Resource Center

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and SHARE!  

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VotingRights #FreedomtoVote #DisabilityRights #VoterSuppression

The post Is Voting a Fundamental Right? The Kansas Supreme Court Hears a Case Where the State Argues It’s Not. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.