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

The 2020 redistricting cycle featured several examples of egregious, racist gerrymandering to dilute Black voting power in the South, but also Native American voters in the West.  A 2022 Louisiana case is apparently the vehicle chosen by anti-voter states to strike down what’s left of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Louisiana’s population is 33% Black and should have two majority minority Congressional voting districts under the VRA.  Instead, the state legislature manipulated the maps to dilute Black voting power. Voters challenged the map in March 2022, and after appeals, Gov. Jeff Landry signed off on maps with a second majority-Black district in January 2024.

In May 2024, Justice Samuel Alito granted a stay, keeping the maps from being used in November, pending an appeal in the U.S. Supreme Court. The White plaintiffs argue that the majority Black voting districts violate the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.  In September, 13 attorneys general from southern and western states joined an amicus brief, arguing the VRA had outlived its usefulness, and “clarity” was needed from the high court.

Expect to hear more about the case, now called Robinson v. Callais, in the months to come. It could spell the end of the Voting Rights Act as we know it.

We have links to documents for this important case at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
U.S. Supreme Court – Application for Stay in  Robinson v. Callais
SCOTUS Blog – Timeline and Documents for Robinson v. Callais
U.S. Supreme Court – Amicus brief by 13 State Attorneys General in Robinson v. Callais

U.S. District Court – GALMON PLAINTIFFS’ REPLY IN SUPPORT OF THEIR MOTION TO
RECONSIDER DISMISSAL RULING AND TO SCHEDULE REMEDIAL
PROCEEDINGS
Democracy Docket – Louisiana Congressional Redistricting Challenge (Robinson)

U.S. Justice Department –  Jurisdictions Previously Covered By Section 5 Preclearance Requirements

Groups Taking Action:

NAACP Legal Defense Fund, ACLU Louisiana,  Power Coalition for Equity and Justice

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

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

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #Louisiana #Gerrymandering #BlackVotingPower #SCOTUS

The post Anti-Voter States Line Up for Showdown on 1965 Voting Rights Act at the U.S. Supreme Court appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Sept. 6, 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.

The U.S. Justice Department announced actions against a sophisticated Russian propaganda campaign, designed to influence voting of specific demographic groups in the 2024 election, and shape attitudes toward the war in Ukraine.

September 4th, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland accused groups linked to the Russian government of paying U.S.-based conservative podcasters to push inflammatory and false news stories. 

According to a Department of Justice statement, three organizations under the direction of a first deputy chief of staff in Vladimir Putin’s inner circle also created websites and social media sites intended to trick Americans into thinking they were reading legitimate news sources. 

The organizations created dozens of look-a-like websites with Russian-produced propaganda, including the Washington Post, CNN, Fox News and others.   Other efforts used fake social media sites to target voters in swing states and conservative states, and specific demographic groups such as gamers, Hispanics, American Jews, and others.    

DOJ says 32 of those site domains were seized.  Ten Russians, most of whom are connected to RT, a state-sponsored television network, have been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury department, limiting their ability to continue financial transactions in the U.S.

DOJ cites an unidentified Tennessee-based company as being paid to produce videos used in the effort.

We’ve linked the DOJs statement, some of its evidence, and documents outlining the Russian election interference plans at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

U.S. Department of Justice – Justice Department Disrupts Covert Russian Government-Sponsored Foreign Malign Influence Operation Targeting Audiences in the United States and Elsewhere

U.S. Department of Justice – Exhibit 8A – Translated Russian Outline of Disinformation Plans
U.S. Department of Justice – AFFIDAVIT IN SUPPORT OF SEIZURE WARRANT  (277 Pages)
Forbes – AG Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray Comments to the Election Threats Task Force
PBS NewsHour – Interview with Admiral James Kirby, s pokesperson for the National Security Council

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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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ProtectElections #RussianInterference #USDOJ #ElectionInterference

The post U.S. DOJ Takes Action on Russian Propaganda Campaign to Influence the U.S. Election and Shape American Attitudes Toward Ukraine appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Aug. 28, 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 have updates on two state stories today.  New reporting suggests Georgia officials may seek to remove State Election Board members for recent fringe rule changes.   And the Texas attorney general is under scrutiny for raids on the homes of pro-democracy LatinX activists.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that Governor Brian Kemp asked the state’s attorney general for guidance on removing members of the State Election Board, a majority of whom approved new rules allowing county election board members to do their own investigations before certifying elections.  The move was widely seen as a precursor to obstructing the 2024 election results.  The Georgia Democratic Party also filed suit to dispute that decision and other changes they said were “not just unethical, but illegal.”  

The Texas Tribune reports that at least six raids on the homes of a Texas House candidate and voting advocates from the League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, have LatinX civil rights organizations calling for a federal investigation.  What Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office says is the result of a two-year “election fraud” and “vote harvesting” investigation, LULAC’s Texas State Director Gabriel Rosales said was intended to, QUOTE “suppress the Latino vote through intimidation and any means necessary to tilt the electoral process in favor of his political allies.”

We’ll be following both of these stories.   We’ve linked detailed local reporting at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl. 

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Georgia Secretary of State – Raffensperger Defends Georgia’s Election Integrity Act from Last Minute Changes Delaying Election Results

ProPublica – Officials Voted Down a Controversial Georgia Election Rule, Saying It Violated the Law. Then a Similar Version Passed.

Georgia Recorder – Critics charge GOP Georgia election board members violated state laws in rushed meeting
Georgia Recorder – Congresswoman Lucy McBath, other Dems call for removal of Trump loyalists on Georgia Election Board
Texas Attorney General – Attor­ney Gen­er­al Ken Paxton’s Crim­i­nal Inves­ti­ga­tion Divi­sion Exe­cutes Search War­rants in Frio, Atas­cosa, and Bexar Coun­ties in Ongo­ing Elec­tion Integri­ty Investigation
CBS News – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton raids Latino Democrats’ homes, including those of LULAC members

Texas Tribune – LULAC condemns Paxton’s election fraud raids as “intimidation”

Texas Tribune – Texas Latino leaders label voter fraud investigation “nonsense,” call for federal, state reviews

Texas Tribune – A Fox News host’s debunked election conspiracy appears to have prompted a state investigation

Groups Taking Action:
League of United Latin American Citizens, Fair Fight

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 Twitter and SHARE!  

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #GeorgiaNews #TexasNews #VoterSuppression 

The post Fallout from Georgia State Election Board Decisions; Accusations that Texas AG Paxton’s Raids of LatinX Democracy Activists Were ‘Intimidation’ Tactic appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 26, 2024

Brian’s taking a few days of vacation. Please go to our podcast site to listen to today’s new broadcast.

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.

The U.S. Justice Department announced changes to its voting rights information and violation reporting page on April 17th, including a new guide on voting-related language assistance, and a video explaining protections against voter intimidation.

The page, Justice.gov/voting, includes voting rights guides on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and other voting laws, access for voters with disabilities, election monitoring, state voting rules for people with criminal convictions, the provisions of the National Voter Registration Act and Help America Vote Act and several other topics.

New in this update is an explainer on voter intimidation, including what constitutes threats, obstruction, or deliberately false information about the time, manner, or place of voting to prevent people from casting their ballots. A companion video explains how to report intimidation to the DOJ.

Another new section gives guidance on Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act on accommodations for non-English-speaking voters, referred to as “language minority citizens.” This group includes Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Alaskan Natives.

An existing guide concerning federal constraints on Post-Election “Audits” was also updated, as well as the DOJ’s guide to voting under the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal rules.

Instructions and points of contact for reporting voting rights violations are also listed, along with the DOJ’s District Election Officers for each state.
We have a link to the page at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
U.S. Department of Justice – Justice Department Launches Updated Voting Rights and Elections Website
U.S. Department of Justice –  justice.gov/voting Voting and Elections Guidance Page
U.S. Department of Justice – New Video on Reporting Threats and Harassment

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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 #ProtectElections #USJusticeDept #VoterProtection #FreedomtoVote #VoterSuppression

The post U.S. Justice Department Revamps Site for Voting Rights Information, Violation Reporting appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

Listen!

Today’s Links
Articles:
CNN – Election workers reported more than 1,000 ‘hostile’ contacts in past year
Washington Post – Over 1,000 election-worker threats reported in past year, official says
Washington Post – Threats against election workers could have bad consequences
U.S. Dept of Justice Release – Readout of Election Threats Task Force Briefing with Election Officials and Workers
Brennan Center – Local Election Officials Survey (March 2022)
Groups Taking Action:  Brennan Center for Justice, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Protecting Democracy, Election Official Defense Network

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

While the Tin Foil Hat Week on the American Democracy Minute was a humorous way to spotlight crackpot election fraud theories, a U.S. Senate hearing Wednesday shows the 2020 conspiracy theories have had serious and even life-threatening impacts on our nation’s election workers.

The Judiciary Committee hearings coincided with preliminary findings by the U.S. Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force, which cites over 1,000 cases of “hostile harassing,” 11% of which rose to federal crimes.

A survey of election workers by the Brennan Center for Justice showed that one in five election workers had been harassed, but only 20% of those incidents had been reported, suggesting the 1,000 DOJ total could have been much, much larger. The survey also found that nearly 2 of 3 election officials believed that false information was making their job more dangerous, and one in three knew an election worker who had left the job because of threats or intimidation.

The Justice Department hosted a virtual meeting with 750 election officials around the country on the subject of election threats and intimidation on Monday. But so far, the DOJ has engaged in just five cases, and only one, a Nebraska man, has been brought to trial.

New Mexico’s Secretary of State suggested Wednesday that conspiracy-fueled intimidation may lead to shortages of willing, experienced election workers.

Articles and groups taking action are at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.

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

The post American Democracy Minute for August 5, 2022: Election Workers Report Conspiracy-Fueled Threats, Harassment & Intimidation appeared first on American Democracy Minute.