Author: Brian Beihl

Brian Beihl is the founder and host of the American Democracy Minute. He is the former deputy director of Open Democracy, founded by campaign finance reformer Doris "Granny D" Haddock. He has a degree in Journalism from Michigan State University.
Motor-Voter Laws Have Helped Register Millions to Vote, But Accidentally Signed Up a Relative Small Number of Noncitizens. It’s Still a Big Success.

Motor-Voter Laws Have Helped Register Millions to Vote, But Accidentally Signed Up a Relative Small Number of Noncitizens.  It’s Still a Big Success.

As a solution to declining voter registration rates, 24 states and the District of Columbia implemented automatic voter registration, also known as AVR or “motor-voter.” Mistakes including the registration of noncitizens have occurred, but it’s also resulted in helping millions more Americans register to vote.
The Transcript of Former Jan. 6th Prosecutor Jack Smith’s Deposition to the House Judiciary Committee is Released. It’s an Interesting Read.

The Transcript of Former Jan. 6th Prosecutor Jack Smith’s Deposition to the House Judiciary Committee is Released.  It’s an Interesting Read.

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee released the transcript of former Special Prosecutor Jack Smith’s December 17th deposition defending his January 6th insurrection and Mar-a-Lago classified documents cases. The 255-page transcript released New Year’s eve shows Smith was convinced that President Donald Trump was responsible for the insurrection.
Ohio Election Oversight Becomes More Partisan on Jan. 1; Utah Judge Allows Legislature to Appeal Replacement Fair Congressional Map

Ohio Election Oversight Becomes More Partisan on Jan. 1; Utah Judge Allows Legislature to Appeal Replacement Fair Congressional Map

We have state updates today, both with significant implications for voters. Ohio replaced its independent election commission with an “election integrity” commission under the control of the Secretary of State. A Utah judge will allow the legislature to appeal the state’s court-mandated congressional district map, which replaced the legislature’s unconstitutional map last year.