The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Jan. 14, 2026

The number of Americans identifying as independents reached a new high, at the expense of both major parties.   An updated Gallup tracking poll found 45% of respondents called themselves political independents, led by younger Americans.

Gallup asked 13,000 people this question over 2025:  “In politics, as of today, do you consider yourself a Republican, a Democrat or an independent? As of today, do you lean more to the Democratic Party or the Republican Party?”

The polling found 54% of Millennials, born from 1981 to 1996, said they were independents, and 56% of GenZ voters.  They were followed by GenX independents at 42%.    

As to how those independents lean, Gallup noted that Democratic – leaning independents were up from 17% in 2024 to 20% in 2025.   Republican – leaning independents were down three points, from 18% to 15% over the same period.  

Voters who said they were solidly Republican or Democratic tied at 27%, down from 30% of Democrats in 2020, and 29% of Republicans.  

When combining the party faithful and leaning independents, 47% of those polled identified or leaned Democrat, while 42% identified or leaned Republican, the first time in three years Democrats have had the edge.

We’ve linked the full Gallup poll at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl. 

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Gallup – New High of 45% in U.S. Identify as Political Independents
Gallup – (2024 -Previous poll results) Independent Party ID Tied for High; Democratic ID at New Low
Pew Research – Party Affiliation Fact Sheet (NPORS)
ASU Morrison Institute for Public Policy – (2017)  Gamechangers? Independent Voters May Rewrite the Political Playbook
Unite America – Research Brief: Significant Share of Young Voters Are Independents 
American Democracy Minute –

Groups Taking Action:

Independent Center, Independent Voter Project, Unite America

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

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

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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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

#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #IndependentVoters #GallupPoll #Polling #2026Midterms

The post Voters Identifying as ‘Independent’ Reaches Record High Led by Younger Americans, Says New Gallup Poll appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Jan. 2, 2026

The American Bar Association has issued a final report and recommendations from its ABA Task Force for American Democracy. The report calls for major reforms to elections, civics education and the role of lawyers in defending constitutional governance.

The two year project was chaired by former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh C. Johnson, a Democrat, and former U.S. Federal Judge J. Michael Luttig, a Republican. 

Among several reforms, the report calls for substantial state and federal investments in K – 12 civics education for a more informed electorate.  It recommends establishing citizen-led independent redistricting commissions to reduce the partisan and racial gerrymandering unfolding right now in Texas, Missouri and other states.  It encourages states to adopt open primaries, ranked choice voting or fusion voting to reduce polarization and increase accountability.  

The report also calls for expanding automatic and same-day registration, standardizing early and mail voting procedures and an election day holiday.  It recommends ways of reducing disinformation and enhancing election security.

For election workers, the report calls for depoliticizing selection of election officials, and setting professional standards and codes of responsibility.  It also asks for stronger protections for those workers, and the funding to support it.  

For lawyers, ABA recommends more law school training and continuing ed on election law, and affirming lawyers’ responsibility to uphold the rule of law.

We’ve linked the full report at AmericanDemocracyminute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Bar Association – American Bar Association releases final report of the ABA Task Force for American Democracy
American Bar Association – Full Report of the ABA Task Force for American Democracy
Task Force for American Democracy  – Website, Task Force Members, Listening Sessions
Task Force for American Democracy – Papers & Resources 

Groups Taking Action:

American Bar Association

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 #ABA #DemocracyReform #AmericanDemocracy #CivicsEducation

The post American Bar Association Report Recommends Major Democracy Reforms to Boost Confidence in Elections & Reduce Partisan Polarization appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Dec. 18, 2025

The U.S. Justice Department filed suits December 12th to compel Massachusetts, Colorado, Hawaii and Nevada to turn over voter registration records, including citizenship records and personal data.  Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington were sued December 2nd, bringing the total to 18. 

DOJ confirmed in September that it is amassing the data in a central database and sharing it with the Department of Homeland Security. To date, only Indiana and Wyoming have fully complied, according to a tracker by the Brennan Center for Justice.  

In a statement concerning the latest suits, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said:  “States have the statutory duty to preserve and protect their constituents from vote dilution.  If states will not fulfill their duty to protect the integrity of the ballot, we will, ” UNQUOTE.  A study of the states President Trump accused of widespread illegal voting during the 2016 election found non citizen voting was an almost non-existent .0001%.   

Two GOP-run states, Nebraska and South Carolina, filed for state injunctions to prevent election officials from releasing the information.  Maine requested its case be dismissed on protected speech grounds, and a class action lawsuit by voters and the League of Women Voters argues the database is a direct violation of the 1974 Privacy Act. 

We have more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl. 

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – Justice Department Sues Maine & Oregon for Withholding State Voter Registration and Voting Data from Trump Administration
American Democracy Minute – Class Action Suit by Voters Claims Personal Data Shared to the Trump Administration’s SAVE Database Violates the Privacy Act of 1974
U.S. Department of Justice – Justice Department Sues Four Additional States and One Locality for Failure to Comply with Federal Elections Laws
U.S. Department of Justice – Justice Department Sues Six Additional States for Failure to Provide Voter Registration Rolls
Brennan Center for Justice – Tracker of Justice Department Requests for Voter Information
Brennan Center for Justice – Noncitizen Voting: The Missing Millions
Maine Morning Star – Maine asks court to throw out DOJ lawsuit seeking access to sensitive voter data

Groups Taking Action:

League of Women Voters,C.R.E.W., Electronic Privacy Information Center,  Fair Elections 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! 

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

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #USDOJ #NonCitizenVoting #PersonalData #TrumpAdministration #PrivacyAct

The post U.S. DOJ Sues MA, CO, HI and NV to Turn Over Voter Registration Files, but Even Red States are Pushing Back appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Dec. 12, 2025

Turnout of younger voters surged in the recent New York City mayoral race and the New Jersey and Virginia races for governor, according to a recent study by the Tufts University CIRCLE research center.

The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, or CIRCLE, conducted exit polling during the November 2025 election and found that in Virginia, 34% of younger voters aged 18 to 29 voted, up 7%, and a 29% turnout in New Jersey, up 9%.   In New York City, an estimated 28% of the age-group voted, compared with a 2013 average of the 30 largest U.S. cities at only 9%.  

Those younger November voters went overwhelmingly to Democratic candidates.  In New Jersey, gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill received 69% support from younger voters.  In Virginia, 70% voted for Abigail Spanberger for governor.  In New York City, 75% voted for Zohran Mamdani over former governor Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa.

In California, 80% of younger voters supported the Proposition 50 redistricting measure.

The surge comes during the passage in other states of strict domicile and voter ID rules targeting college students, under the guise of “election integrity.”  It’s not a coincidence.

We’ve linked the CIRCLE study at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl. 

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

CIRCLE – Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement – Young Voters Power Mamdani Victory, Shape Key 2025 Elections
The Civics Center – These charts will change the way you think about youth voter turnout

State Court Report – (2024) The New Battle Over Youth Disenfranchisement
The Civics Center – Youth turnout in 2026 – Here’s what we already know about the youngest voters.Including a comparative view of the youngest voters in NH, VA, and MI.

Groups Taking Action:

VOTE.org, VoteRiders, RocktheVote.org

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

#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #YouthVote #YoungerVoters #YouthTurnout 

The post Younger Voters Showed Up and Made a Difference in 2025’s High Profile Elections, Says Recent Tufts University Study appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

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

The Trump Department of Justice announced October 24th it would deploy election monitors at five California counties on November 4th. DOJ says it is to ensure transparency & ballot security, but most of the counties are heavily Latino, competitive or lean liberal, and the Proposition 50 redistricting question is on the ballot. 

In a statement, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said, “We will commit the resources necessary to ensure the American people get the fair, free, and transparent elections they deserve.”

Proposition 50 would suspend California’s independent redistricting commission until 2030, allowing the legislature to gerrymander more Democratic Congressional seats, countering five Texas seats gerrymandered at President Trump’s request.  

Kern, Riverside, Fresno, Orange and Los Angeles counties were targeted, largely blue or toss up counties.  CalMatters reports that Fresno, Kern and Riverside counties are majority Latino. A poll shows 54% of Latinos support Proposition 50.  According to the Associated Press, the monitoring was requested by the California GOP.

Governor Gavin Newsom and Hispanic leaders had warned that the Trump administration might deploy Immigration & Customs Enforcement agents at the polls, a charge the administration denies.  Quoted in CalMatters, Christian Arana of the Latino Community Foundation said, “These are citizens of this country. And if they are concerned about immigration or any type of federal presence at in-person voting sites, that is alarming.” 

We have more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

U.S. Department of Justice – Justice Department to Monitor Polling Sites in California, New Jersey
CalMatters – Trump’s DOJ is sending election monitors to California with voting on Prop. 50 underway
CalMatters – California Latinos take pride in casting ballots in person. ICE at polls could deter that
De Los/Los Angeles Times – What are Calfornia’s Latinx voters most concerned about? 
De Los/Los Angeles Times – Poll of California LatinX Voters 
Princeton Gerrymandering Project – California Congressional Districts
LAist – Newsom says Trump is ‘rigging the election’ with federal poll monitors

Groups Taking Action:

Latino Community Foundation

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 #FreedomtoVote #LatinoVote #California #Prop50

The post Trump DOJ Says It Will Monitor Elections Nov. 4th in Five California Counties. Many Fear It’s a Voter Intimidation Tactic. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.