American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast

While Texas Trumpets Finding Noncitizens on Its Voter Registration Rolls, the Reality is Less Clear, and Some May Even Be the State’s Fault

January 5, 2026January 5, 2026

Comparing its registered voter list to the federal SAVE database, the State of Texas announced in October it found over 2,700 purported noncitizens on its voter rolls. An oversight by state officials may have accidentally inflated that number.

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

January 4, 2026January 4, 2026

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.

American Bar Association Report Recommends Major Democracy Reforms to Boost Confidence in Elections & Reduce Partisan Polarization

January 1, 2026January 1, 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.

American Democracy in 2025: Expansion of Presidential Powers has Already Eroded the Independence of Federal Agencies. It May Get Worse.

December 31, 2025December 31, 2025

We’ve been reviewing our most important stories of 2025, and their implications for 2026. Expanded presidential powers, enabled by recent Supreme Court decisions, have eroded independent federal oversight of elections, voter data and campaign finance. It may get worse.

American Democracy in 2025: To Prove Racial Gerrymandering, Minority Voters Must Now Show SCOTUS ‘Intent’ to Discriminate, Not Just ‘Effect’

December 30, 2025December 30, 2025

By any rational measure, the Texas legislature racially gerrymandered its congressional map in 2025 to add five more GOP seats at the request of President Donald Trump. But the U.S. Supreme Court majority allowed it anyway, claiming plaintiffs hadn’t proven their case.