The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Oct. 1, 2025

September 30th, New Hampshire implemented new hurdles for registering to vote by mail and requesting an absentee ballot.  The regulations hit students, elders and the disabled the hardest, and a pending suit claims many could be disenfranchised.

New Hampshire already has some of the strictest absentee voting rules in the country, accepting only a few excuses to vote absentee.  The state had over 99,000 absentee voters in 2024. 

With the added requirements of SB 287 and 218, citizens registering to vote by mail must now submit copies of proof of citizenship documents, age, and residency.  The voter registration application must also be signed by a witness before submission, according to new guidelines from the New Hampshire secretary of state’s office.  The Brennan Center recently found that one in nine Americans don’t have ready access to such documents.  Notably, only ONE noncitizen has ever been convicted for voting illegally in New Hampshire.

Then, after the voter registration is accepted, New Hampshire requires an absentee ballot application be submitted for each election, which now must include a copy of the voter’s state or federally-issued photo identification – even if you’ve provided those documents previously – or a notarized signature.  

A lawsuit filed August 19th argues such restrictions make it difficult for students, elders, the disabled and those without access or means to copy the documents, to vote.  

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

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

NH Secretary of State – Absentee Voter Registration
NH Secretary of State – Absentee Ballots 
NH General Court – SB 287 Text – Final Version
NH General Court – SB 218 Text – Final Version
New Hampshire Bulletin – Ayotte signs bills to tighten absentee voting, ensure accessible voting
NH Superior Court (Via Democracy Docket) – Robertson v. Scanlan

Groups Taking Action:

Open Democracy Action, League of Women Voters NH, NH Campaign for Voting Rights

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

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

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#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VoterSuppression #AbsenteeBallot #VotebyMail #NHPolitics #NewHampshire #VoterRegistration

The post New Hampshire Tightens Absentee Voting to Stop Purported Voter Fraud, But Makes it Harder for Elders, the Disabled and Students to Vote, Too appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 14, 2025

New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte signed three election bills Aug. 1, one a positive reform requiring handicapped-accessible voting machines in all towns.  The others, however, add barriers to disabled, elderly and other mail-in absentee voters. 

House Bill 67 requires voting machines for the visually impaired be made available by the state to all voting precincts.  The legislation is a response to 2024 challenges under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and is effective beginning in 2026.  

But Ayotte also signed two bills adding barriers for vulnerable voters.  She signed SB 218, requiring copies of proof of domicile and age, and a birth certificate, passport, or naturalization papers when registering by mail.  Such requirements disproportionately impact the elderly and disabled, who may not have ready access to the documents or a means of copying them. 

Even though all those documents would then be on file, another bill, SB 287, requires a copy of ID or notarized affidavit each time an absentee voter applies for an absentee ballot.

In a statement, the New Hampshire Campaign for Voting Rights wrote, “With her signature, Governor Ayotte just chose to make it harder for thousands of Granite Staters, especially our most vulnerable, to vote, all without solving a single real problem.”

We have the text of the bills and more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

NH General Court –  Text of HB 67-FN-A – FINAL VERSION
NH General Court –  Text of SB 218 – FINAL VERSION
NH General Court –   Text of SB 287 – FINAL VERSION
Voting Rights Lab – New voting rules in New Hampshire
New Hampshire Bulletin – Ayotte signs bills to tighten absentee voting, ensure accessible voting 
League of Women Voters NH – Issues & Actions – Aug. 1

Groups Taking Action:

NH Campaign for Voting Rights, Open Democracy Action, ACLU NH

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

#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #NHNews #NewHampshire #DisabilityVote #ProofofCitizenship #VotefromHome

The post NH Mandates Visually Disabled-Accessible Voting Machines, But Makes Absentee Registration & Voting Harder for Those Voting From Home appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for March 21, 2025

A Washington State audit of rejected 2020 mail-in ballots offers insight on whose ballots are more likely to be rejected, and recommends actions to reduce that number – over 37,000 in 2024.   

Primary reasons for rejection included ballots received or postmarked after Election Day; a missing signature on the ballot envelope; or the voter’s signature couldn’t be confirmed.   

Auditors found 2020 rates varied from a high of 1.5% in Franklin County to .02% in Columbia County, and agreed with county decisions in 98.7% of cases.  But they also found higher rejections of younger voters 18-21, where 2.6% of ballots were rejected,  and Black voters at 2.5%.  They also found that non-native English speakers were 47% more likely to have ballots rejected.  Signature issues can often be cured, but many voters don’t, or can’t, correct it.  

The auditors recommended outreach programs on college campuses, sending letters and calling voters with curable signature issues, more training on signature verification, opening early voting centers 18 days before election day, an advisory committee for disabled voters, and ballot drop boxes for every 15,000 voters.  

In the 2024 general election, Washington’s statewide rejection rate had dropped to .94%, but of those, over 24,000 were rejected for a mismatched signature.

Find a link to the audit at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   I’m Brian Beihl.  

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Washington Secretary of State – 2024 Annual Report of Washington State Elections
Office of the Washington State Auditor – (2022)  Summary – Evaluating Washington’s Ballot Rejection Rates
Office of the Washington State Auditor – (2022)   Audit –  Evaluating Washington’s Ballot Rejection Rates 
Brennan Center for Justice – (2020) Mail Ballot Security Features: A Primer
Civic Design – Voting by Mail: The Impact of Signature Identity Verification for Voters with Disabilities
National Conference of State Legislatures – How States Verify Voted Absentee/Mail Ballots

MIT Election Data + Science Lab – A Deep Dive into Absentee Ballot Rejection in the 2020 General Election

Groups Taking Action:

ACLU, LULAC, Vet Voice Foundation, The Washington Bus, El Centro de la Raza

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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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #SignatureVerification #Disenfranchisement #WashingtonState #BallotRejection

The post Washington State 2022 Audit of Rejected Mail Ballots Offers Valuable Insights for States Using Signature Verification appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Feb. 21, 2025

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

Mississippi has one of the country’s worst records for protecting voting rights and advancing democracy reforms.  So when pro-voter bills emerge from the state house and senate like in-person early voting and the ability to cure a mismatched absentee signature, democracy advocates take notice.

Mississippi is one of only three states without some form of in-person early voting, along with Alabama & New Hampshire. The Mississippi Free Press reports that February 12th, the Mississippi Senate passed SB 2654, allowing 15 days of early voting, ending the Saturday before the election at noon.  The Republican-sponsored bill passed 39 to 12, but even if the House advances it, it may still be vetoed by Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, who accused the bill’s sponsor of making the state’s elections less secure.

The Mississippi House also took some positive steps.   HB 1419 prohibits moving or closing a polling place location within 60 days of an election, sometimes used as a voter suppression tactic. 

HB 163 sets rules for absentee ballots where the signature on file doesn’t match the signed outer ballot envelope, and would give a voter the chance to “cure” the problem.    And HB 288 would make each county’s five election commissioners nonpartisan positions.  Candidates would be prohibited from campaigning based on party affiliation.  All three bills now move to the Senate. 

We have the text of the bills and local reporting at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Mississippi Free Press – Mississippi Senate Passes Early Voting, Felony Disenfranchisement Bill
Mississippi Legislature – House Bill 1419
Mississippi Legislature – House Bill 163
Mississippi Legislature – House Bill 288
The Marshall Project – (2024) How Mississippi’s Jim Crow Laws Still Haunt Black Voters Today
Democracy Docket – (2023) Stripping Away The Power of a Vote In Mississippi

Groups Taking Action:

League of Women Voters MS, Disability Rights Mississippi, ACLU Mississippi

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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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #Mississippi #DemocracyReform #ProVoter

The post A Glimmer of Hope in Mississippi:  State Senate Advances Early Voting Bill; House Moves Forward Signature Mismatch Curing & Other Bills  appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 10, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

In January 2023, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed HB 458, one of the most restrictive voter ID laws in the country. It also tightened several absentee voting rules.  On January 8th, 2024, a federal court upheld HB 458, affecting thousands of unhoused, elderly, student, and disabled voters.

Using a pretext of “election integrity”, the Ohio legislature eliminated non-ID documentation like utility bills, and mandated a state-issued ID, military ID, or a passport.  It eliminated student IDs, a tactic used by red states to suppress younger voters. And it forces those without ID – including the elderly & disabled – to apply in person and with all the necessary documents, for a state issued ID.

Theoretically, voters without ID can vote, but only by provisional ballot, which counts ONLY if the voter returns with the proper ID.  HB 458 restricted that too, shortening the time to return from 10 days to four.  

Nevertheless, the U.S. District Court judge ruled that voting in Ohio remained “very easy,” the changes were “minimal”, and that the plaintiffs failed to show a burden on voters in the state’s 2023 elections.   

A new challenge filed January 5th by a physically disabled voter and the League of Women Voters challenges HB 458’s restriction of absentee ballot delivery by only immediate family members, and excluding grandchildren, neighbors and caregivers.   

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

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
ACLU OH – HB 458: WHAT CHANGED AND WHY DOES IT HARM OHIO VOTERS?
Courthouse News Service –  Ohio election reform bill that includes ID requirement ruled constitutional by federal judge
Cleveland.com – Federal judge tosses lawsuit challenging Ohio’s voter ID law
Federal District Court, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO, EASTERN DIVISION (via Courthouse News) – NORTHEAST OHIO COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS; OHIO FEDERATION OF TEACHERS; OHIO ALLIANCE FOR RETIRED AMERICANS; UNION VETERANS COUNCIL; AND CIVIC INFLUENCERS, INC. v. FRANK LAROSE
Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles – Securing an Ohio ID
Ohio Capital Journal – Voting, disability rights advocates claim Ohio photo voter ID law violates federal disabilities law

Groups Taking Action:
Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans, Union Veterans Council, Policy Matters Ohio, Ohio Voting Rights Coalition, League of Women Voters OH

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and SHARE!  

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VotingRights #OhioPolitics

The post Another Blow to Ohio’s Unhoused, Elderly, Student and Disabled Voters, This Time from a Federal Court appeared first on American Democracy Minute.