American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast

Ohio Joins Kansas in Eliminating Grace Periods for Mail-In Ballots; A 2026 Mississippi SCOTUS Case Could Eliminate Them Nationwide

December 28, 2025December 28, 2025

Ohio has joined Kansas in eliminating a grace period for mail-in ballots arriving after election day. A U.S. Supreme Court case from Mississippi could potentially eliminate mail ballot grace periods nationwide, disenfranchising tens of thousands.

The Cheating Side of Redistricting – How Gerrymandering’s Packing, Cracking, and Diluting Voting Districts Rigs Our Electoral System

December 24, 2025December 24, 2025

Brian is on holiday break, but we're reprising an explainer we did last summer on gerrymandering: By manipulating which voters are in a voting district, the party in power can rig the system to guarantee a win for that party. Ronald Reagan called it . . . the antidemocratic and un-American practice of gerrymandering . .

Outlook for the Voting Rights Act Dims, as Court’s Conservatives Appear to Turn Away From Their Own Precedent

December 24, 2025December 24, 2025

The U.S. Supreme Court's Louisiana v. Callais decision will likely be released early next year, and its rehearing in October was one of the big voting rights stories of the year. Brian is off for a couple of days, so we're rebroadcasting this story from October. Happy holidays!

Restrictive Voting Laws Passed in 20 States in 2025. Proof of Citizenship, Limits on Mail-In Voting and Narrower Voter ID Rules Dominated.

December 23, 2025December 23, 2025

Proof of citizenship, limits on voting by mail and narrowed voter ID options dominated the 37 restrictive state election laws passed in 2025, according to democracy legislation tracker Voting Rights Lab. Five states accounted for nearly half of the laws passed.

Can the Feds Require States to Turn Over Voter Data? A New Paper Suggests Federal Law Doesn’t Explicitly Allow It, So Courts Will Decide.

December 22, 2025December 22, 2025

The Trump Department of Justice has tried for months to compel states to turn over voter registration data. A new university research center analysis suggests existing federal law doesn’t explicitly permit it.