The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 16, 2025

A North Carolina Supreme Court candidate who lost by 734 votes and refused to concede got help from the state appeals and supreme courts in his partisan battle to invalidate as many as 65,000 voters. His case is now back in federal court.

April 4th, the North Carolina Appeals Court, on which Judge Jefferson Griffin currently sits, supported Griffin’s position that 60,000 voters were never properly registered, and that as many as 5,000 military and overseas voters didn’t supply ID when they registered to receive their special mail-in UOCAVA ballots.

April 11th, the North Carolina Supreme Court allowed the 60,000 voters to stand, but gave the approximately 5,000 military and overseas voters only 30 days to provide missing information or be disqualified, and a federal judge ordered that the race not be certified.  April 12th, the League of Women voters filed a federal class action lawsuit on behalf of those military and overseas voters.  Griffin’s opponent, State Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs appealed in Federal District Court April 14th.  

In a blistering dissent in the state supreme court decision, Justice Anita Earls wrote, “Some would call it stealing the election, others might call it a bloodless coup, but by whatever name, no amount of smoke and mirrors makes it legitimate.”

We’ve linked to more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl. 

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – After losing two recounts in State Supreme Court Race, North Carolina GOP Candidate Is Still Challenging the Eligibility of 60,000 Voters
NC Newsline – Appeals court rules in favor of GOP Supreme Court candidate Griffin’s election challenge
WRAL – NC Supreme Court votes to throw out some, but not all, ballots contested in 2024 race for seat on court       
NC Supreme Court  – Order in Griffin v. NC Board of Elections
U.S. District Court (via Democracy Docket) – League of Women Voters NC class action lawsuit on behalf of 5,000 UOCAVA mail-in ballot military and overseas voters. 

NC Newsline – NC Supreme Court update: Riggs rallies supporters, overseas voters file new lawsuit

Groups Taking Action:

League of Women Voters NC, Protect Democracy, VoteVets 

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

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

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #NorthCaroliona #NCSupremeCourtRace

The post Partisan Saga of North Carolina’s 2024 Supreme Court Race Now Returns to Federal Court.  5,000 Military & Overseas Ballots at Risk of Invalidation appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Oct. 17, 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 two cases with national implications, a Fulton County Superior Court Judge temporarily blocked implementation of new Georgia Election Board rules which appeared designed to delay the certification of the 2024 Presidential election.  

The Georgia Election Board approved controversial new rules – within 90 days of the election – allowing individual members of county election boards to conduct a “reasonable inquiry” before certifying an election.   Another rule approved only September 18th requires a hand count of paper ballots into stacks of 50 to compare with the machine count total.    

Either of the rules could throw the election process into chaos and litigation, and delay the outcome, according to democracy advocates.  Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called the hand counting rule “misguided.” 

Judge Robert McBurney found both rules were decided too close to the election, not leaving enough time to train elections workers, and eroding voter confidence.   “Intervenors have further demonstrated how the 11th-and-one-half hour implementation of the Hand Count Rule will make this coming election inefficient and non-uniform . . .” he said. 

In the “reasonable inquiry” case, McBurney wrote that under Georgia law, no election superintendent may refuse to certify or abstain from certifying election results under any circumstance.  The rulings are in effect for the 2024 election, and other challenges are pending.  We have more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Georgia Recorder – Judge ponders Cobb County challenge to Georgia election board rules OK’d close to start of voting

Fulton County Superior Court – (Hand Counting Case) COBB COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS AND REGISTRATION et al., v. STATE ELECTION BOARD
Georgia Recorder – Fulton judge says Georgia law requires county election officials to certify results
ABC News – Georgia judge blocks ballot counting rule and says county officials must certify election results
Campaign Legal Center – Can Georgia’s Election Board Refuse to Certify Results? The Law Says No

Groups Taking Action:

League of Women Voters GA, Protect Democracy, Brennan Center for Justice

Check Your Voter Registration:

• U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State
• USA Vote Foundation – Registration, Eligibility, State Election Office Links
• Vote.Gov – Register to Vote in Your State
• Vote.Org – Check Your Registration to Vote
  
  

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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ProtectElections #Georgia #Certification 

The post In Case with 2024 Presidential Election Implications, Georgia Judge Blocks Controversial State Election Board Rules for Hand Counting & Certification appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report for Sept. 23, 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.

Against the recommendations of state and county election officials, three Trump loyalists serving on the Georgia State Election Board voted Friday to mandate county election officials to do a hand count reconciliation of machine counted ballots.  The move may unnecessarily delay results and require more personnel. 

The state’s top election official, Secretary of State Brad Raffensburger, spoke against this and other conspiracy theory-driven proposals back in August, calling them “misguided”.  The Georgia Recorder reports that the president of the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials testified that there wasn’t enough time to train local poll workers prior to the Nov. 5th election.   

The requirement approved 3 to 2 Friday does not mandate a hand count of the races.  Instead, it requires a hand count of paper ballots into stacks of 50 to compare with the machine count totals.   Machine-counted ballots are consistently more accurate, faster, require fewer poll workers, and are less expensive.

More last minute election rule changes are expected on Sept. 23rd when the State Election Board meets again.   In response to Governor Brian Kemp’s inquiry as to whether he could take action against the three partisan actors on the board, State Attorney General Chris Carr advised Kemp Sept. 6th that he had no obligation to act on ethics complaints filed against the three board members. 

We’ve linked to the new rule, and groups taking action at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Georgia State Election Board – Revisions to Subject 183-1-12-.12 Tabulating Results
Georgia Recorder – Georgia board’s Trump loyalists OK rule to require ballot hand counts despite warnings by state AG

SOS Brad Raffensperger – Raffensperger Defends Georgia’s Election Integrity Act from Last Minute Changes Delaying Election Results
Associated Press – Raffensperger blasts proposed rule requiring hand count of ballots at Georgia polling places
Georgia Secretary of State – Rules under consideration by the Georgia State Election Board

Brennan Center for Justice – Comment to the Georgia State Election Board: Reject new hand counting procedures despite amendments.

CNN – Gov. Brian Kemp doesn’t need to investigate Georgia election board members who pushed new rule changes, state AG finds
Groups Taking Action:

Fair Fight Action, Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington (CREW), ACLU GA,  Common Cause GA

Check Your Voter Registration:

• Vote.Gov – Register to Vote in Your State
• Vote.Org – Check Your Registration to Vote
  
  

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter 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 #Georgia #ElectionBoard #HandCounting

The post Georgia State Board of Elections Passes Hand Count Reconciliation Rule Against Recommendations of SOS and County Election Officials appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Sept. 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 wins for voters, two Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court rulings confirmed that  so-called ‘naked ballots’ may be cured with a provisional ballot, and that undated or misdated mail ballots must be counted.

The AP reports that 16,000 Pennsylvanians had their mail ballots rejected because of missing information in the 2022 midterms, over 8,000 of which were for missing the outer secrecy envelope – so-called “naked ballots.” Another 7,900 ballots rejected had missing or inaccurate dates.

A 2020 state case confirmed that county authorities could reject naked ballots, and gave election officials latitude to decide whether to notify a voter that a ballot could be fixed, known as “curing.”  Democracy Docket reports that two Butler County voters sued when officials refused to cure their 2024 state primary ballots.  The ACLU argued that if their mail ballots were defective, they should be entitled to cure them with a provisional ballot so they would not be disenfranchised.  A lower court denied the argument, but the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court overturned the decision Sept. 5th. 

This follows another decision from the Commonwealth Court August 30th that Pennsylvania counties must count otherwise valid mail ballots which have no date, or are misdated.  Big wins for Pennsylvanians hoping their vote will count in November.  

We’ve linked to more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Associated Press – (2023)  Majority of 16k canceled Pa. mail-in ballots were from Dems
Votebeat via PA Spotlight – These three court cases could determine how Pennsylvania handles mail ballots this fall
Democracy Docket – Butler County, Pennsylvania Must Count Provisional Votes From Those Who Submitted ‘Naked’ Mail-in Ballots, Court Rules
Democracy Docket – Pennsylvania Counties Must Count Undated and Misdated Mail-in Ballots, Court Rules

Groups Taking Action:

ACLU PA,  PA Conference of the NAACP, Common Cause PA, Black Political Empowerment Project, Public Interest Law Center,  League of Women Voters PA

Check Your Voter Registration:

• U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State
• USA Vote Foundation – Registration, Eligibility, State Election Office Links
• Vote.Gov – Register to Vote in Your State
• Vote.Org – Check Your Registration to Vote
  

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter 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 #FreedomtoVote #LetThemVote #PennsylvaniaNews

The post In Wins for Pennsylvania Voters, Court Rules ‘Naked Ballots’ Can Be Fixed, and Ballots with Date Issues Can Be Counted appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for March 27, 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.

Five states are considering legislation banning electronic ballot tabulators, driven by debunked conspiracy theories that the machines were used to rig the 2020 election.  Where hand counting has been implemented, it’s less accurate, takes longer, and costs more.

Bills in Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Arizona, and South Carolina all propose banning optical ballot tabulators, which would include machines by Dominion Voting Systems and other companies.  

Votebeat Texas reported on Republicans in one Texas county who DID count 8,000 GOP primary ballots by hand.  It took 24 hours, involved 200 workers, and resulted in multiple human errors.   The 2020 primary election in Gillespie County used electronic tabulators, required only 45 workers, and the process took only a few hours.

But voters in some areas are fed up.  Earlier this month, voters in 22 of 23 New Hampshire towns defeated a coordinated effort to ban tabulators at the local level. 

In conspiracy hotbed Shasta County, California, county supervisors doubled down in February, voting to hand count the 2024 Presidential election, despite a new state law restricting when hand counting can be used.   But the Shasta Scout reports that in the March 5th primary, one of those supervisors was ousted, and another is within a few votes of being recalled.  Ironically, a hand recount is likely.

We links to more on hand counting at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Democracy Docket – New Report Sheds Light on Hand Counting Ballots Ahead of 2024
Democracy Docket – The Push for Hand Counting: A Step Back in Responsible Election Practices
Voting Rights Lab – States with pending legislation to ban ballot tabulators
Associated Press – Vote-counting machine foes hoped for a surge of success in New Hampshire. They got barely a ripple
Votebeat Texas – ‘Are you kidding me’: Gillespie County Republican hand count stretched into early morning hours
Votebeat Texas – ‘I can’t believe I did that’: Texas county’s GOP officials found multiple errors after hand count
Democracy Docket – Shasta County, California Wants to Hand Count Votes Again
Shasta County Board of Elections – RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING A LOCAL ORDINANCE MANDATING HAND COUNTED BALLOTS AT PRECINCTS USING PAPER POLLBOOKS
Shasta Scout – With 803 Votes Left to Count, Supervisor Kevin Crye Continues to Resist Recall Attempt

Groups Taking Action:
Brennan Center for Justice, Institute for Responsive Government

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter 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

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #HandCounting 

The post Five States Are Considering Conspiracy-Fueled Legislation Which Bans Ballot Tabulators.  But Fed-Up Voters are Pushing Back. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.