June 2023 | American Democracy Minute

Challenge to Portions of Kansas Voter Suppression Laws Reach the State’s High Court

June 29, 2023June 29, 2023

Fueled by 2020 election conspiracy theories, the Kansas legislature overrode the Governor’s veto on two 2021 bills erecting barriers to voting by mail. Citizens and freedom to vote groups are fighting back in the Kansas Supreme Court.

U.S. Supreme Court Tamps Down the Fringe “Independent State Legislature” Theory in an Important Decision for Democracy

June 28, 2023June 28, 2023

We now have a decision in Moore v. Harper, the “Independent State Legislature” theory case which had pro-voter advocates concerned for the future of voting rights. June 28th, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that state courts DO have a say in election law, and that power doesn’t reside exclusively in state legislatures.

In Another Step Backwards, New Hampshire Legislators Kill Online Voter Registration & Remove Limits on Political Group Donations to Candidates

June 27, 2023June 27, 2023

New Hampshire’s former Secretary of State once said, “You can’t hack a pencil.” That 19th century philosophy resulted in the Granite State falling behind most of the country in its voting technology and election law. Last week, it got worse, not better.

Oregon Legislature Sends Ranked Choice Voting Proposal to Voters on the November 2024 Ballot

June 26, 2023June 26, 2023

Oregon voters will have an opportunity to approve statewide Ranked Choice Voting, after the Oregon Senate referred it Sunday to the November 2024 ballot.

How the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder Decision Re-Opened the Door to State Voter Suppression Legislation

June 25, 2023June 25, 2023

June 25th, 2023 was the tenth anniversary of Shelby County v. Holder, a U.S. Supreme Court decision gutting a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. What was this decision about, and how has it contributed to the erosion of our democracy?