The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Nov. 3, 2025

Ohio voters, who voted down a citizen-led independent redistricting commission in 2024, are seeing the consequences, as Ohio’s politician-led commission gerrymanders two more GOP congressional seats.  Democrats say they had no choice but to compromise.

Unlike the other states gerrymandering to game the outcome of the 2026 midterms for control of the U.S. House, Ohio’s constitution requires redistricting after four years when a map isn’t passed with bipartisan support.  But Republicans, who already hold 10 of Ohio’s 15 congressional seats, further gerrymandered the maps to give the GOP a 12 to 3 advantage.

While the Assembly leadership points to a bipartisan unanimous vote in the five-member commission, it came with bare knuckle negotiations.  According to reporting by the Ohio Capital Journal, in return for retaining three of their five current seats and protecting incumbents, Democrats would not back a citizen ballot question to repeal the map.   With a Republican governor, state house, and state senate, Democrats say they had no choice.   Voters giving testimony at hearings on the map overwhelmingly condemned it.

The League of Women Voters OH said in a statement, “The public was shut out, the process rigged, and incumbents favored.  The resulting Congressional map still doesn’t reflect the will of the voters of Ohio.” 

The map is expected to be approved by the Ohio Assembly, and signed by Governor Mike DeWine. 

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

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Princeton Gerrymandering Project – Current Congressional Map, prior to recent proposal

American Democracy Minute – Polling Shows Ohio Voters Lean Toward Passing Citizen-Led Redistricting Commission Ballot Measure, Despite Disinformation from State Officials
American Democracy Minute – High Turnout of Conservative Voters Also Led to Losses for Democracy Reform in Ohio, Nevada, Colorado and Potentially Alaska
Ohio Capital Journal – New Ohio congressional redistricting map introduced to criticism, but may have support to pass
Ohio Capital Journal – Ohio Redistricting Commission unanimously passes congressional map furthering GOP advantage 
League of Women Voters OH – Statement on OH Redistricting Commission’s Congressional Map

Groups Taking Action:

League of Women Voters OH, Citizens Not Politicians, Fair Districts OH, 

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 #FairMaps #Gerrymandering #Ohio #MikeDeWine #RiggedElection

The post Ohio General Assembly to Vote on a Further Gerrymandered Congressional Map Put Forward by Politician-Led Redistricting Commission appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 22, 2025

Two dozen Texas Democrats who fled the state to prevent a quorum in the Texas House returned to the chamber August 18th, resulting in the August 20th passage of further gerrymandered Congressional districts requested by President Donald Trump.  Passage by the Senate is expected by the weekend.

Over 50 legislators traveled to Illinois, New York and Massachusetts, delaying passage of the bill for two weeks, and running out the clock on the special session.  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued arrest warrants and the FBI mobilized to find them, to no avail, protected by their host states.  State officials even petitioned the state supreme court to remove some from office.   

In a state known for embracing freedom, House  Speaker Dustin Burrows required the returning Democratic legislators to sign a permission slip and be escorted by an officer of the Texas Department of Safety, or not be allowed to leave the House chambers. State Representative Nicole Collier chose to sleep in the House chambers, saying in a statement, “I refuse to sign away my dignity as a duly elected representative just so Republicans can control my movements and monitor me with police escorts.”  

Now that the manipulated maps gerrymandering five more GOP Congressional districts have cleared the Texas House, passage is expected in the state senate by the weekend, and the bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott. 

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

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – Will Texas and Ohio Redraw Congressional Districts Before the 2026 Midterms? 
American Democracy Minute –  Texas Legislature Blocked From Enacting Manipulated Congressional Redistricting Maps as 50 Democrats Flee the State and Possible Arrest
KUT Public Radio – The Texas House just passed a new district map designed to give Republicans an edge in Congress
Texas Tribune – Texas House approves GOP congressional map after two-week delay from Democrats’ walkout
The 19th  – How Rep. Nicole Collier’s Capitol protest sparked solidarity among these Texas women
Seattle Medium – Texas Representative Rep. Nicole Collier Files A Writ of Habeas Corpus Saying Texas Republicans Detained Her At State Capitol

Groups Taking Action:

Fair Maps Texas, Common Cause TX,  Represent.Us Texas

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

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

Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, 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

#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #TexasGerrymandering #FairMaps #EndGerrymandering #DonaldTrump 

The post Texas House Passes Further Gerrymandered Districts After Democrats Stalling Quorum Return and are Placed Under Guard appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Aug. 11, 2025

In protest of Congressional redistricting maps blatantly manipulated by the Texas Assembly to gerrymander five more GOP seats, more than 50 Democratic legislators fled the state to prevent a quorum and block the new maps.  Arrest warrants have now been issued for the Texas House Democrats who fled.

August 8th, Governor Greg Abbott told NBC News he was searching for, and preparing to arrest Democrats for refusing to attend the special session.   Aug. 5th, Abbott also petitioned the Texas Supreme Court to remove Democratic Caucus chair Representative Gene Wu from office, asking the court to rule on whether he had QUOTE, “forfeited the office of state representative and created a vacancy,” UNQUOTE.  Attorney General Ken Paxton petitioned to remove Wu and 12 others.

Texas U.S. Senator John Cornyn was granted FBI support in locating legislators who fled to Illinois, New York, Massachusetts and other states hoping to run out the clock on the Texas Assembly’s special session.  Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker vowed he would protect visiting legislators in his state, and said there is no federal law allowing authorities to make such arrests.

President Donald Trump said in an interview with CNBC, QUOTE, “We are entitled to five more seats,” and “we may have to” get involved.  
We will follow these developments in the coming days.  See the legislators’ arrest warrant and more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – A Gerrymandering War is Breaking Out Before the 2026 Midterms with Both Sides Threatening to Cheat on Their Maps

Texas Tribune – The Texas redistricting fight spurring a legislative standoff: What you need to know
Texas Tribune – Texas Democrats know they may lose redistricting protest, but hope to spark a national fight
NBC News – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott moves to amp up the pressure on Democrats who fled in redistricting standoff
Supreme Court of Texas – Petition by Gov. Greg Abbott
Illinois 8th Circuite Court – Arrest Warrant for Texas Legislators in Illinois
The Hill – Pritzker says ‘no way’ FBI can arrest Texas lawmakers in Illinois 
Texas Tribune – Cornyn says FBI will help locate absent Texas Democrats, but scope of feds’ role unclear

Groups Taking Action:

Fair Maps Texas, Common Cause TX,  Represent.Us Texas, 

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

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

#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #Texas #EndGerrymandering #NoQuorum #GregAbbott #CongressionalDistricts  #DonaldTrump

The post Texas Legislature Blocked From Enacting Manipulated Congressional Redistricting Maps as 50 Democrats Flee the State and Possible Arrest appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Sept. 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.

Spoiler alert:  Both major political parties are trying to minimize the impact of voters choosing third party candidates in the 2024 election.  What could fix the “spoiler effect”, and allow third party candidates to still compete?   Ranked choice voting.

CBS News and the Wall Street Journal report that Green Party candidate Jill Stein accepted assistance from Republican affiliated lawyers to keep herself on the ballot in Wisconsin, and be restored to the ballot in Nevada in hopes of siphoning off votes from Kamala Harris.

Earlier this summer, Democrats sued to keep Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. off the ballot in five states.  Though he suspended his candidacy, Kennedy remains on the ballot in 33 states.  

Ranked choice voting, allows third party candidates like Stein, Kennedy, and Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver to compete, without the spoiler effect.  Voters could for example rank Stein first, Harris second and Oliver third.  In ranked choice, if a candidate has a 50% +1 majority, he or she wins outright.  If there is no 50%+1 majority, the lowest vote-getter is eliminated, voters’ second choices are used, and totals are recalculated.  The process continues until the winning candidate reaches a 50% + 1 majority.  

Only Alaska and Maine will use ranked choice for Presidential voting this year, but five states are considering RCV ballot measures in November.

We have more on how ranked choice works at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

CBS News – Republican allies boost longshot candidate Jill Stein as Democrats try to remove her from ballots in battleground states
FairVote – Jill Stein, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and spoiler season

Salon – There’s a solution to Democrats’ RFK Jr. problem: Ranked-choice voting
Politico – Democratic tactics against RFK Jr. are rattling his campaign
CBS News –  Democrats and their allies sue to keep RFK Jr. off the ballot in several states
CNN – How RFK Jr.’s presence on the Maine ballot could delay a projection in the 2024 race
Portland Press Herald/The Fulcrum – Opinion: We’re taking ranked-choice voting national for presidential elections
Ranked Vote – 2024 RCV Ballot Measures and Impact
Represent.Us – Video – How RCV works and the Spoiler Effect

Groups Taking Action:

FairVote, Represent.Us, Rank the Vote

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 #RankedChoiceVoting #SpoilerEffect #RCV #InstantRunoff

The post Spoiler Alert: Ranked Choice Voting Could Solve the Green Party and RFK Jr. ‘Spoiler Effect’  appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 9, 2023

Today’s Script

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

Who Can Vote in a State Primary? Well, that Depends on Where You Live and Sometimes Whether You Belong to a Political Party

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

A New Hampshire GOP resolution recently surfaced to “close” its party primary to the state’s unaffiliated voters. What ARE the types of primaries, who can vote in them, and who decides?  Turns out, it’s complicated.

A state’s primary elections are usually governed by state law, but parties, as in New Hampshire, can dictate their own rules.  “Closed primaries” don’t allow any voter not registered with that party to participate.  “Semi-open” primaries, which New Hampshire has currently, allows unaffiliated voters to take either party’s ballot, but a registered Democrat or Republican can only vote in their own party’s primary.

“Open primaries” allow any registered voter to choose their preferred party ballot, and “single ballot open primaries” put all candidates of all parties on a single ballot for all voters to consider.  Open primaries are sometimes used in combination with ranked choice voting, as is being proposed in Nevada and Arizona, and which has been implemented in Alaska for some elections.   The National Conference of State Legislatures also identifies other flavors as well, such as “partially open” and “partially closed.”   

An April 2023 Gallup poll found 49% of Americans now identify as independent voters.  So movements to close primaries to unaffiliated voters have become a headache for party leaders courting independents to support their candidates. More on that in an upcoming report. 

We have more on types of primaries at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.    I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
InDepthNH – GOP Resolution Would Block 320,000 Undeclared NH Voters from Voting in Republican Primaries
BallotPedia – Partisan affiliations of registered voters
Axios – Record number of Americans say they’re politically independent
NPR – The U.S. has a ‘primary problem,’ say advocates who call for new election systems
Open Primaries – Primary Rules in Your State
National Conference of State Legislatures –  State Primary Election Types

Brennan Center for Justice – Shhh, Or Independents Might Actually Get to Vote

Groups Taking Action:
Open Primaries, FairVote, Represent.Us, Unite America

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and SHARE!  

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #OpenPrimaries #LetUsVote #IndependentVoters

The post Who Can Vote in a State Primary? Well, that Depends on Where You Live and Sometimes Whether You Belong to a Political Party appeared first on American Democracy Minute.