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

Georgia law allows unlimited challenges by voters to the eligibility of other citizens registering or voting. Before a hotly-contested U.S. Senate runoff elections in 2021, an activist group challenged over 364,000 voters.  The case is now before an appeals court. 

Remember the Georgia legislature’s notorious SB 202, prohibiting “line warming”, the giving out of food and water for voters forced to wait in long lines to vote?  That is only one of many barriers in the law targeting voters of color.   Another allows citizen activists unlimited challenges to the eligibility of other citizens to register and vote, often using inaccurate, unreliable or hearsay information.  

At issue are mass challenges to over 364,000 mostly Black and Hispanic voters by True the Vote, the Texas group which brought you the discredited “2000 Mules” conspiracy theory documentary.  Georgia’s Fair Fight Action sued, but a federal district court said voters testifying didn’t provide enough evidence to rise to a Voting Rights Act violation.  

In Fair Fight’s 11th Circuit appeal on May 13th, two judges in the three judge panel voiced concern over the legal foundation of the lower court’s decision.  One judge suggested that the intent of voter suppression was enough to be a violation of the VRA, even if citizens voted successfully, according to reporting by the Georgia Recorder.  Expect a decision in the coming weeks.
We have more on the case at  AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl. 

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Legal Defense Fund – LDF’s Lawsuit Challenging Georgia’s Voter Suppression Law
Brennan Center for Justice – (2024) New Georgia Law Spurs Bogus Challenges to Voter Eligibility
U.S. District Court via Democracy Docket – 2020 Complaint by Fair Fight Action

Texas Tribune – (2022) She helped create the Big Lie. Records suggest she turned it into a big grift.
NBC News – Conservative activists find errors in software they hoped would root out voter fraud
Georgia Recorder – Federal court might revive Georgia lawsuit claiming mass challenges violate Voting Rights Act
Court House News – 11th Circuit looks for voter intimidation in 2020 election challenges by conservatives

Groups Taking Action:

Fair Fight Action, Legal Defense Fund, ACLU GA

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

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

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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #Georgia #VoterSuppression #SB202 #VoterChallenges

The post 2020 Mass Challenges of 364,000 Georgia Voters Under Scrutiny by Federal Appeals Court appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for May 8, 2025

Breaking: The AP reported after we had posted our story that Judge Griffin conceded May 7th, ending any prospect of appeal.

The November 2024 North Carolina Supreme Court race contested by the Republican candidate Judge Jefferson Griffin has finally been settled in federal district court.  Associate Justice Allison Riggs was declared the winner on May 5th.

It took 180 days, likely hundreds of thousands in legal fees, and multiple state and federal courtrooms to adjudicate Riggs’ 734-vote win, the last unsettled major 2024 race in the country.  Jefferson initially argued that 65,000 voters were ineligible due to voter ID and other registration issues, some of them for years before the election.  Lower courts ordered an examination of 5,000 military and overseas voters, of which a thousand were deficient of ID information, and a handful identified as never having domiciled in North Carolina.  Pro-voter groups argued that those voters followed state rules at the time they registered, and shouldn’t be penalized. 

Trump-appointed U.S. District Court Chief Judge Richard Meyers II said in his finding, “ . . . effectuation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals and Supreme Court’s orders would violate the equal protection and substantive due process rights of overseas military and civilian voters. The court further finds that discarding the votes of Never Residents without any process for those who may have been misclassified as ineligible violates procedural due process and represents an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote.”   

We’ve linked to the full decision at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.  

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – Partisan Saga of North Carolina’s 2024 Supreme Court Race Now Returns to Federal Court.  5,000 Military & Overseas Ballots at Risk of Invalidation
Courthouse News Service – Judge loses bid for seat on North Carolina Supreme Court bench
U.S. District Court for Eastern NC (via Courthouse News) – Opinion in Griffin v. North Carolina Board of Elections
NC Newsline – Federal judge rules for Riggs in Supreme Court voter case 

Groups Taking Action:

League of Women Voters, Protect Democracy, VoteVets , Democracy North Carolina

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

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

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #NorthCarolina #NCSupremeCourt #VoterSuppression #FederalCourt

The post Federal Court Settles North Carolina Supreme Court Race, Heading Off a Dangerous Precedent of Retroactively Questioning Election Rules appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for May 2, 2025

We’re in North Carolina today with updates on the partisan attempt to overturn the 2024 state supreme court election, and the legislature’s attempt to strip the governor’s power to appoint the state election board.

It’s now been six months since Judge Jefferson Griffin contested his 734 vote loss in the North Carolina Supreme Court race, complaining that 65,000 voters were ineligible.  

The state Supreme Court allowed 60,000 of those voter registrations to stand, but also allowed 5,000 of those voters to be scrutinized.  It gave 30 days for just over a thousand military and overseas voters to fix their registrations. A federal appeals court ruled April 22nd to stay that order until further review.  Pro-voter groups say a federal court precedent of disqualifying voters AFTER the election would greenlight more partisan efforts to overturn elections.

April 30th, the North Carolina Court of Appeals upheld a 2024 bill, stripping the governor’s power to appoint the state board of elections and transferring it to the state auditor, a Republican. The bare-knuckle provision was embedded in a hurricane relief bill, passed only weeks before the new Democratic governor, Josh Stein, took office.  Former Governor Roy Cooper called the provision “a sham” and unconstitutional.  It’s likely to be challenged in the North Carolina Supreme Court.

We have more on both these North Carolina cases at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – Partisan Saga of North Carolina’s 2024 Supreme Court Race Now Returns to Federal Court.  5,000 Military & Overseas Ballots at Risk of InvalidationNC Newsline – US appeals court pauses NC elections board action in the Supreme Court election case
U.S. District Court (via Democracy Docket) – Stay in Griffin v. North Carolina State Board of Elections

American Democracy Minute – (2024) Before it Loses its Supermajority, the North Carolina Legislature Strips Election Powers from Its Governor, Bans AG from Opposing the Legislature.  Will the House Override the Veto?
Courthouse News Service – (2024)  North Carolina Republicans successfully strip power from incoming Democrats
Courthouse News Service – North Carolina court grants control of elections boards to state auditor

Groups Taking Action:

Democracy North Carolina, League of Women Voters NC

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

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

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #NorthCarolina #NCSupremeCourt #ElectionSubversion #NCGOP #JoshStein

The post Updates from North Carolina: Fed Court Stays Retroactive Registration Cures; State Court Upholds Shifting Control of Elections Board appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 11, 2025

Nineteen states and several pro-voter groups filed suit against a March 25th executive order by President Donald Trump.  The order appears to override Congressional and state jurisdiction granted by the U.S. Constitution, and its noncitizen voting restrictions could actually disenfranchise millions of eligible Americans.

To be clear, there is NO evidence of widespread noncitizen voting in any state.  But the March 25th order requires documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, which in practice would require it for state elections, too.  States who don’t follow the Trump directive could lose federal funding.  

Problem is, one in nine Americans don’t have ready access to their citizenship papers.  An estimated 69 million married women use a name different from their birth certificate, and only half of Americans have a valid U.S. Passport.

The order also requires states to comb their voter rolls for possible noncitizens, gives states access to federal databases, and mandates states report voting infractions to the U.S. Justice Department.  It requires that mail ballots be received by election day, eliminating grace periods.

The U.S. Constitution assigns administration of elections to the states and Congress, which is the basis of states’ challenge.  The Campaign Legal Center and four other pro-democracy groups also challenged the ruling on similar grounds.

We’ve linked to Trump’s order and the legal challenges at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

The White House – Executive Order:  PRESERVING AND PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY OF AMERICAN ELECTIONS
NPR – 19 states sue over Trump’s voting executive order, arguing it’s unconstitutional
PBS – Election watchdog groups sue Trump administration over executive order, calling it unconstitutional
Campaign Legal Center – CLC Sues to Block Trump Administration’s Illegal Election Overreach
Campaign Legal Center  – Complaint in U.S. District Court for DC Against Trump Executive Order
U.S. District Court for MA, via State of NY – Complaint by 19 States Against Trump Executive Order

Groups Taking Action:

Campaign Legal Center, State Democracy Defenders Fund, LULAC, Arizona Students’ Association, Secure Families Initiative

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

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

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #DonaldTrump #ExecutiveOrders #Unconstitutional #Disenfranchisement

The post Pro-Voter Groups and 19 States Challenge Trump Executive Order on Voting Rules as Unconstitutional and Likely to Disenfranchise Millions appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 2, 2024

Voter list maintenance is a part of our election system.  People die, change their names, or move out of state.   Local, state and county officials use sophisticated voter registration data services such as ERIC, the Electronic Registration Information Center, to aid them, or less effectively, agreements with nearby states and other internal software.

Georgia is preparing to purge an estimated 500,000 of its voters in 2025 – 6% of those registered, employing recommendations from ERIC and other sources. Of those, and estimated 100,000 will be purged not because they’ve moved, but because they haven’t voted recently, under Georgia’s ”use it or lose it” law.  Voters who have not voted for five years are put on an “inactive list.” Then, if there’s no contact with election officials in 9 years and two presidential cycles, those voters are purged from the rolls.

Election officials typically notify voters by mail of such actions.   But several studies have found that since the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder Voting Rights Act decision, purges sometimes target urban communities of color, as found in Ohio’s 2024 purge and a study of 2014 to 2018 purges in Michigan. 

Anti-voter legislatures are doubling down, shortening the “use it or lose it” window, and allowing purges closer to the election.   More on those tactics in an upcoming report.    

We have links to more on the purge in Georgia and other states at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Brennan Center for Justice – (2018) Purges: A Growing Threat to the Right to Vote
States News – (2019) The Messy Politics of Voter Purges
Savannah Tribune – Georgia Set to Purge 100K Voters Under “Use It or Lose It” Law
Brennan Center for Justice – (2024)  Attacks on Voter Rolls and How to Protect Them
NBC News 21 – Do Voter Purges Discriminate Against the Poor and Minorities?
Ohio Capital Journal – (2024) Ohio’s voter purge “disproportionately targets voters of color”, civil rights organizations say

Michigan State University – New MSU Research Sheds Light on Impact and Bias of Voter Purging in Michigan

Groups Taking Action:

Legal Defense Fund,  The Voter Purge Project,  Campaign Legal Center

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

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

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VoterPurge #Georgia #VoterSuppression

The post Georgia Prepares to Purge a Half Million Voters – 6% of Its Voter Rolls.  Even if You Haven’t Moved, You Can Be Purged Just For Not Voting. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.