American Democracy Minute A 90 second radio news report & podcast on U.S. democracy issues %

USPS Whistleblower Warns Portal to Verify Citizenship of Mail-In Voters Risks ‘Catastrophic Failure’ and Could ‘Derail the Midterms’

September 2, 2026September 2, 2026

A U.S. Postal Service whistleblower is warning that the new portal to be used to verify citizenship for mail-in voters, risks “catastrophic failure” and could “derail the midterms.” The accusations were brought forward August 31st by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal.

Tarrant County, TX Proposes Eliminating 93 Polling Places Just Before the 2026 Election for Financial Reasons. Voters Aren’t Buying It.

September 1, 2026September 1, 2026

The Tarrant County, Texas Commissioners meet September 1st to vote on reducing polling places for the Nov. 3rd election by 93 locations. In the last two years, the county serving Dallas and Fort Worth has been accused of racially gerrymandering its voting districts, and trying to suppress student voters.

Trump USPS Mail-In Ballot Order Now Faces 2nd Appeal, Now That ‘State Citizenship List Rules’ are Finalized. The Clock is Ticking.

August 31, 2026August 31, 2026

The U.S. Supreme Court lifted an injunction August 24th, blocking the U.S. Postal Service from checking citizenship of mail-in voters, because the rules had not yet been finalized, and states were not yet hurt. Now the rules are final, and the League of Women Voters filed another appeal in the First Circuit.

On the 63rd Anniversary of the March on Washington, ‘Defend the Vote’ Decries Erosion of Voting Rights and Gutting of the Voting Rights Act

August 30, 2026August 30, 2026

On the 63rd anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, civil rights and pro-democracy leaders spoke to supporters gathered for ‘Defend the Vote” at the Lincoln Memorial. Speakers decried the erosion of voting rights by the Trump administration and the U.S. Supreme Court’s majority.

WI District Attorney Punts on Musk Charges; CA Justices Not Buying Sheriff’s Ballot Seizure Defense; Callais Decision Threatens GA Districts

August 27, 2026August 27, 2026

We have updates on stories we’ve been following on Elon Musk “election bribery” accusations in Wisconsin, a state supreme court ballot seizure hearing for a California county sheriff, and a court-ordered review of Georgia’s state voting districts after the Supreme Court’s Callais decision.