The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Feb. 20, 2023

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Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Democracy Docket – Florida Bill Expanding Election Crimes Oversight Heads to Governor
Florida Senate – SB 4B (Enrolled Version)
Brennan Center – Governor DeSantis Signs Election Crimes Law Expanding Statewide Prosecutor’s Power to Target People with Past Convictions; Civil and Voting Rights Groups Respond

ACLU FL – JOINT WRITTEN TESTIMONY IN OPPOSITION TO HB 3B (STATEWIDE PROSECUTION) – HOUSE – 2.9.23
Salon – “Intimidation tactic”: Florida GOP voting bill may “disenfranchise” voters for simple mistakes

Groups Taking Action:

NAACP Florida, ACLU of Florida, Common Cause Florida, League of Women Voters of Florida, Legal Defense Fund

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.

We’re following up on last week’s story on Election Integrity Units.  Florida’s EIU made 19 arrests in August, most of which were dismissed due to mistakes made not by the voters, but by the state.  Now, with SB 4B, the DeSantis administration has doubled down.

The August cases involved paroled felons, many of whom were mistakenly given voter registration cards by state agencies.  But courts also made it clear that Florida’s Office of Statewide Prosecution didn’t have the authority to prosecute the cases, something previously handled by local election officials and DA’s.

Undeterred in his tough-on-voter-fraud narrative, Governor Ron DeSantis expanded his EIU’s budget to $3.1 million dollars for 2023-24, and last week signed SB 4B, a bill escalating cases of alleged illegal voting, signature gathering, or voter registration to the Office of Statewide Prosecution.   

A coalition of pro-voter groups condemned the bill, calling it a clear effort to intimidate formerly incarcerated voters, many of whom are Black.  They argue that while millions are spent on investigating alleged fraud, LITTLE is being spent to PREVENT voters or state agencies from eligibility mistakes, after a 2018 referendum restored rights to 1.4 million formerly-incarcerated citizens. 

The group’s statement said, “Instead, state leaders have doubled down on their fruitless hunt for widespread voter fraud, which doesn’t exist, as evidenced by the Office of Election Crimes and Security’s very own data,” said the pro-voter groups.

We have articles and the groups taking action at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. You can also follow us at Facebook.com/americandemocracyminute.  I’m Brian Beihl.   

The post <strong>Despite Little Intentional Illegal Voting, FL Gov. DeSantis Escalates Election Law Cases to Statewide Prosecutors</strong> appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 27, 2023

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Albuquerque Journal – Democrats launch new campaign for NM voting rights bill

Santa Fe New Mexican – Democrats expected to resurrect voting rights bill killed in last year’s session
New Mexico Legislature – Text of the **2022** version of the SB 8 New Mexico Voting Rights Act.  The text for the 2023 version has not yet been posted.  2022 provisions like allowing 16 & 17 year olds to vote local elections has reportedly been dropped in 2023.

Groups Taking Action:

ACLU NM,  Organizers in the Land of Enchantment (OLE’), NM Native Vote

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.

While there are hundreds of bills around the U.S. making it harder for targeted groups of citizens to vote, we’re highlighting New Mexico, which will be proposing reforms to INCREASE access for all eligible voters.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that the New Mexico Voting Rights Act was proposed at a press conference Tuesday by House Speaker Javier Martínez, and democracy advocates. Among the reforms is automatic registration of eligible voters during Motor Vehicle Department transactions, unless the citizen opts out. This system is similar to that of neighboring Colorado.

For whom mail-in voting is necessary or convenient, the bill creates a permanent absentee voter list to which an absentee ballot would be mailed without a request for every election.

The bill would also restore voting rights to citizens leaving incarceration, changing the current statute which doesn’t restore those rights until after parole.

Unlike neighboring Arizona, which has repeatedly passed laws making it more difficult for Native Americans to vote, the bill creates a Native American Voting Rights Act. Included would be a provision for Natives who don’t have traditional addresses to use official tribal buildings as a voter registration address. It would also facilitate polling locations on tribal nation land.

We have links to articles and groups taking action, at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.

The post New Mexico Voting Rights Act Proposed, Increasing Voting Access & Protecting Native American Voters appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for January 13, 2023

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Minnesota Reformer – Steve Simon wants automatic voter registration, right to vote for people on parole/probation
Minnesota House of Representatives – DFLers Introduce the Democracy for the People Act
Democracy Docket – Minnesota Lawmakers Introduce Omnibus Democracy for the People Act

Minnesota House or Representatives – House Filing 3 Language for the Democracy for the People Act

Groups Taking Action:

Restore the Vote MN,  League of Women Voters MN, ACLU MN, Clean Elections MN, MN Youth Collective

Today’s Script:  (Variations occur with audio due to editing for time)

Minnesota Considers Sweeping Pro-Voter Democracy Reform Package

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

We’re contrasting yesterday’s report on Ohio’s new restrictions on voter ID, drop boxes and early voting, with news of a sweeping PRO-voter bill introduced January 4th in Minnesota, increasing access to the polls and facilitating civic engagement.

The Minnesota Reformer and Democracy Docket report  the HF3 “Democracy for the People Act” would allow 16 & 17-year-olds to preregister to vote, and would restore voting rights to felons on, or having completed, parole.

The bill would also allow eligible voters to be added to a permanent mail-in-voting list, and to register to vote at the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Human Services, and other state agencies. The change would assist as many as 450,000 Minnesotans to register or update their registration each year.

After threats to Minnesota election workers after the 2020 election, the act would establish civil and criminal penalties for such harassment, and does the same for voter intimidation and deception.

In a move against special interest influence, the bill creates a program for small donor funding of elections. Two $25 vouchers are given to each voter, who may donate them to the political party or candidate committee of their choice. 

With a legislature and governor friendly to pro-voter reform after the 2022 midterms, the package is likely to pass. 

We have links to the bill’s language, articles and groups taking action at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.

The post Minnesota Considers Sweeping Pro-Voter Democracy Reform Package appeared first on American Democracy Minute.