The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Nov. 28, 2025

The new Georgia prosecutor in the election interference racketeering case against President Donald Trump and 17 alleged accomplices has asked the court to dismiss all charges against the defendants accused of trying to overturn a U.S. presidential election. 

The court had asked Peter J. Skandalakis, director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, to find a replacement prosecutor by Nov. 14th.  Ultimately, Skandalakis recommended himself to Judge Scott McAfee.  

On Nov. 26th, after apparently examining over 100 boxes of documents and evidence in less than a month, Skandalakis recommended all charges should be dropped against all 18 defendants.  This included President Trump for his attempt at persuading Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes.”  Also included were chief of staff Mark Meadows, election lawyers Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman and Kenneth Chesebro, three fake electors, and the Coffee County election machine tampering suspects. 

In his 21-page justification, Skandalakis suggested it may be 2029 before President Trump could be prosecuted, and separately prosecuting Trump’s election lawyers would be, QUOTE, “. . . both illogical and unduly burdensome and costly for the State and for Fulton County.”  For the fake electors and tampering suspects, Skandalakis concluded there was no evidence of criminal intent.

We’ve linked the prosecutor’s justification at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.  

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

CNN – Read the full transcript and listen to Trump’s audio call with Georgia secretary of state
American Democracy Minute – Georgia Indictment of Trump & Allies Includes Ties to Breach of Voting Machines in Coffee County, GA
 Against Fake Electors Revived in Georgia and Nevada
Associated Press – Full Searchable Indictment from the Fulton County Superior Court
Associated Press – Video shows ‘unauthorized access’ to Ga. election equipment
ABC News – Who are the 18 co-defendants charged alongside Donald Trump in Georgia?
American Democracy Minute –  Though the President Pardoned Loyalists for 2020 Election Subversion, State Cases
SUPERIOR COURT OF FULTON COUNTY (via CNN) –  STATE’S MOTION TO DISMISS

Groups Taking Action:

Protect Democracy,  States United Democracy Center

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

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

Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, and SHARE! 

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #Georgia #FakeElectors #11780Votes #TrumpCriminalTrials #2020Election 

The post Recently-Appointed Replacement Prosecutor in Georgia Asks Court to Dismiss State Case Against Trump and All Alleged Accomplices appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Nov. 11, 2025

November 7th, President Donald Trump pardoned 77 of his alleged accomplices in the attempt to overturn the outcome of the 2020 Presidential election.  They include his chief of staff Mark Meadows, John Eastman and other lawyers who cooked up the fake electors scheme, and Rudy Giuliani, whose misinformation help fuel an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The pardon affects only future federal charges, since a GOP-majority U.S. House and Trump Department of Justice have not indicted the bad actors identified by the January 6th Commission.   Some state charges remain.

Among those pardoned include the lawyers who masterminded and facilitated the fake electors scheme, including John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro, and Boris Epshtyne. 

Trump personal and campaign lawyer Rudy Giuliani was also pardoned from any future federal charges.  Giuliani repeatedly claimed, with no credible evidence, that widespread fraudulent mail ballots and manipulation of Dominion Voting Systems optical ballot readers were responsible for Joe Biden’s election. He still faces civil suits for defamation.  

Some, but not all of the 84 fake electors from New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, and Nevada were pardoned.  It’s not clear what criteria, other than presidential loyalty, was used, or whether there will be more pardons to come. We have the complete pardon list at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Natinal Archives – 2020 Presidential Election Unofficial Certificates Submitted to The Office of the Federal Register
Georgia Recorder – Trump’s fake electors: Here’s the full list
American Democracy Minute – Developments in GOP Fake Presidential Elector Plots in Nevada & Wisconsin; Investigations Continue in Arizona, New Mexico & Georgia
Trump Administration Pardon Attorney Ed Martin – List of Pardons Posted on X
The Hill – Trump pardons Giuliani, other figures in effort to overturn 2020 election, aide says
Law Forward – The 2020 Fake Electors Scheme: How What Started in Wisconsin Spread Nationally
NBC News – Trump pardons Rudy Giuliani and others involved in bid to overturn 2020 election

Groups Taking Action:

Protect Democracy,  Common Cause WI, States United Democracy Center

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

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

Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, and SHARE! 

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #PresidentialPardons #FakeElectors #2020Election #RudyGiuliani #MarkMeadows #DonaldTrump 

The post President Donald Trump Pardons Many of His Accomplices Accused of Trying to Overturn the 2020 Election appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Sept. 11, 2025

Did the dog catch the car?  We have election denier legal trouble involving voting dogs, former election officials claiming they’re political prisoners, and 2020 fake electors who claim they didn’t know what they were doing was wrong. 

A Costa Mesa, CA woman trying to demonstrate mail-in voter fraud was arraigned September 9th for fraudulently registering her dog Maya to vote, then casting a mail ballot in two elections in 2022.  Laura Lee Yourex self-reported her scheme in 2024, and posted a picture of Maya with an “I Voted” sticker.  She faces up to six years in prison.

Bridge Michigan reports that a circuit court judge dismissed felony charges against Michigan’s GOP fake electors Sept. 2nd.   The judge ruled the state failed to prove the electors knew that signing and sending the alternative presidential slate of electors to the U.S. Senate was illegal.  Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessell has not ruled out an appeal.

Colorado Newsline reports that Mesa County clerk Tina Peters, convicted by a jury of four felonies relating to tampering with her county’s election machines, filed a federal habeas corpus claim in federal court asking to be released on bond pending appeal. Her attorney calls Peters a “political prisoner.”  The state argues the federal government doesn’t have jurisdiction and the case should be dismissed.

We have links to the local reporting at  AmericanDemocracyminute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Orange County District Attorney’s Office – Costa Mesa Woman Charged with Five Felonies for Illegally Registering Her Dog to Vote, Casting Mail-in Ballots Sent to Dog in Two Elections
American Democracy Minute – In Michigan, State AG Charges 16 Fake Electors, Voting Machine Tampering Case Moves Forward
Bridge Michigan – Michigan false electors case dismissed, Nessel not ruling out appeal
American Democracy Minute – CO Election Official Tina Peters Got 9 Years for Tampering with Election Machines to Prove the Big Lie.  Trump is Trying to Set Her Free.
Colorado Newsline –  Colorado AG asks court to dismiss Tina Peters’ habeas corpus petition 
The Daily Sentinel – Prosecution reiterates claim Tina Peters is ineligible for release

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

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

Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, and SHARE! 

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #Colorado #TinaPeters #Michigan #FakeElectors #California #ElectionDeniers 

The post Voting Dogs, Habeas Corpus and Fake Electors:  Updates on Election Deniers and Their Legal Jeopardy appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for July 30, 2025

Last year, we reported that the Georgia State Board of Elections passed new rules aimed at disrupting or overturning the 2024 Presidential election.  One of those rules, allowing members of county election boards to do their own investigation before certifying an election, was just unanimously struck down.

In July and August 2024, the Georgia State Board of Elections laid the groundwork for obstructing or overturning the Presidential election. One element included granting individual members of county election boards the power to do a “reasonable inquiry” of election results prior to certifying, potentially sowing chaos and delaying the outcome.  

The effort by three State Election Board members, all outspoken Trump loyalists, was part of an apparent scheme in swing states using the spectre voting by noncitizens as a pretext.  The Georgia Supreme Court refused to hear a GOP appeal of a stay of the rules before the election.  President Donald Trump won the election in Georgia, so unsurprisingly, no objections to certification materialized.   

June 11th, the Georgia Supreme Court struck down four of the rules.  Another case contesting the “reasonable inquiry” rule was decided by the Georgia Appeals Court July 2nd.  The court unanimously concluded that election officials could voice concerns about an election to state authorities, but QUOTE “Have a mandatory duty to certify all election results,” UNQUOTE.

We’ve linked to more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – (2024) Ninety Days Before the Election Georgia Launches ‘Voter Registration Cancellation Portal’ and Changes Rules on Certifying Elections
American Democracy Minute – (2024) Republicans Appeal to Georgia Supreme Court to Restore Fringe Georgia Election Board Rulings Struck Down by Lower Courts
State Court Report – (2024) Georgia Supreme Court Declines to Reinstate Controversial Election Rules
Georgia Court of Appeals –  Opinion in A25A0685. ADAMS v. FULTON COUNTY et al.
Georgia Pulic Radio – Georgia appeals court agrees: Local election officials must certify results

Groups Taking Action:
Protect Elections, ACLU GA,  Common Cause GA

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

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

Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, and SHARE! 

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ProtectElections #ElectionCertification #Georgia #ElectionSabotage #2024Election

The post Must County Boards Certify an Election?  Yes, Says Unanimous Georgia Appeals Court. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for July 16, 2025

The Brennan Center for Justice released its annual survey of local election officials.  It found continued concerns for threats, intimidation and violence against poll workers, and the loss of election security funding and staff now that the Trump administration has cut federal election security grants.

The survey of over 800 municipal election officials found 60% were very or somewhat concerned about federal cuts to election security services.  We reported in March on DOGE cuts of 300 cybersecurity experts from CISA, the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency, and the suspension of grant funding to states for hardening systems to fight increasing cyber attacks from Russia, China and Iran.  

Of the surveyed officials, 62% were concerned by the loss of CISA’s direct technical support, and 80% said the federal government should be providing the same or more funding, not less.

One third of local election officials are very concerned about political leaders interfering with the work of poll workers, up 4% from a similar question in 2023.  An additional one quarter are somewhat worried about interference. 

Officials overwhelmingly, 81%, are concerned about false election information spread on social media, which contributes to 38% of local election officials saying they have been harassed, abused or threatened – for just doing their job.   

We have links to the full Brennan Center survey at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Brennan Center for Justice – Key Findings – Local Election Officials Survey — July 2025
American Democracy Minute – (2023)  Brennan Center Survey Shows Election Workers Concerned for Threats, Funding & Political Interference in Future Elections
American Democracy Minute – CISA Pauses All Election Security Programs for Full Review.  Hint:  It’s Not About Election Integrity, It’s Reprisal for Telling the Truth.
American Democracy Minute – DOGE Cuts 300 Experts From CISA’s Election Security Team and U.S. Agency Cybersecurity; Funding for State Cybersecurity Also Suspended
InfoSecurity Magazine –  Trump Administration Shakes Up CISA with Staff and Funding Cuts

Groups Taking Action:

Protect Democracy, IssueOne, Election Official Legal Defense Network

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

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

Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, and SHARE! 

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ProtectElections #ProtectPollWorkers #ElectionOfficials

The post Local Election Officials Concerned by Trump Cuts to Election Security Funding and Personnel, According to New Survey appeared first on American Democracy Minute.