The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for June 17, 2025

May 12th, the U.S. Department of Justice reportedly requested ALL the State of Colorado’s records relating to the 2024 federal election, and the preservation of records related to the 2020 election.  The request may relate to President Trump’s effort to free a convicted Colorado election official. 

The records request is massive.  In Nov. 2024, there were 4.65 million registered Colorado voters, 3.3 million of whom cast ballots in the presidential election.  Then consider the records from every electronic ballot tabulator, precinct reports, county reports, machine testing readouts, voter registration and verification documents for each voter, and other documents.  Colorado’s Secretary of State Jena Griswold told NPR, “What they’re going to do with all this data, I don’t know. But I’m sure they will use it to push their ridiculous disinformation and lies to the American public,” she said.

There is speculation that it may be related to convicted Mesa County elections official Tina Peters, sentenced to 9 years for giving voting machine access to conspiracy theorists tied to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.   The week before the Colorado records request, DOJ was directed by President Trump to, QUOTE “take all necessary action to help secure the release” of Peters. 

To date, Colorado has reportedly provided two copies of its master voter files to DOJ, and its 2024 voter history file.  DOJ has not commented on the request.

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

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – (2024) Colorado Supreme Court Rules Trump was a “Officer of the United States” Participating in Insurrection, and Bars Him from the State’s Ballot.  A SCOTUS Challenge is Likely.
American Democracy Minute – (2024) CO Election Official Tina Peters Got 9 Years for Tampering with Election Machines to Prove the Big Lie.  Trump is Trying to Set Her Free.
NPR – Trump’s DOJ makes its most sweeping demand for election data yet
Colorado Public Radio – Colorado election officials react to federal request for voter data, eye political motives
9 News Denver – DOJ demands Colorado election data

Colorado Sun – Federal request for Colorado voter data seems motivated by politics, election officials say

Groups Taking Action:

Common Cause CO, States United Democracy Center, Issue One 

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

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

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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#News #Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ElectionDeniers #TinaPeters #USDOJ #Colorado

The post U.S. DOJ Demands State of Colorado Turn Over Massive Number of 2024 Election Records. It Could be an Attempt to Prove Conspiracy Theories. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for June 12, 2025

We’re following up on a story from last summer when Georgia’s state elections board voted to allow county election board members to conduct their own investigations before certifying an election, potentially throwing elections into chaos. The state supreme court threw out that and other fringe rules on June 10th.

The Georgia Elections Board approved partisan, conspiracy theory-driven rules just 90 days before the 2024 election, including allowing individual members of county election boards to conduct their own “reasonable inquiry” before certifying an election.   Another rule approved in September required a hand count of paper ballots into stacks of 50 to compare with the machine count total.   

Pro-voter groups challenged the rules, and last October, a district court judge ruled they were enacted too close to the election, and too disruptive.  The Republican National Committee and the Georgia GOP appealed for an emergency order, which was declined until after the election.  

In a victory for voters, the Georgia Supreme Court found June 10th that most of the elections board’s new rules were not enabled by state statute.  The court allowed surveillance cameras at drop boxes, but struck down most others, including “reasonable inquiry” investigations, post-election document examination, hand counting, and IDs for family members dropping off mail ballots.  

We have the 96-page order at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl. 

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – Ninety Days Before the Election Georgia Launches ‘Voter Registration Cancellation Portal’ and Changes Rules on Certifying Elections
American Democracy Minute – Republicans Appeal to Georgia Supreme Court to Restore Fringe Georgia Election Board Rulings Struck Down by Lower Courts
Georgia Recorder – Georgia Supreme Court rejects changes sought by Trump-aligned board ahead of 2024 election
Georgia Supreme Court via Democracy Docket – Opinion on 2024 Georgia Elections Board rules

Groups Taking Action:

ACLU Georgia, Georgia Conference of the NAACP, Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

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 #Georgia #GAElectionsBoard  #VotingRights GASupremeCourt

The post In a Victory for Voters, Georgia Supreme Court Strikes Down 2024 State Election Board Rules Driven by Conspiracy Theories appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for June 2, 2025

Almost five years after the election, impacts of debunked 2020 election fraud claims by President Donald Trump and his allies still reverberate.  We’re back in Shasta County, California, where once again, supervisors have stoked an election-denier dumpster fire. 

We last covered Shasta County when its county supervisors chose to drop electronic ballot tabulators and instead hand count ballots for the 2024 presidential election, against the recommendations of county election officials.  With over 111,000 registered voters, it would have taken days, not hours, to count the ballots.  The State of California forced the county to follow state standards and use tabulators, which are faster, cheaper and more accurate than hand counting. 

Recently, some of those same supervisors appointed an interim Registrar of Voters with no experience, Clint Curtis.  Curtis, after two weeks on the job, fired assistant registrar Joanna Francescut, with 17 years of experience in running elections.  

The Shasta Scout reports that Curtis recently said he needed to train the staff to run an election “the right way,” despite statements that he is suspicious of optical ballot readers, wants to reduce the number of state mandated ballot drop boxes, and wants ballots printed locally, not by a specialized ballot printer.   

Curtis has announced plans to run for the permanent registrar position in June 2026. Francescut has already announced her plans to run against him. 

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

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – (2023) Shasta County Almost Hand-Counted Its Ballots in November. Instead, it Lost an Expensive Game of Election Denial Chicken with the State of California
American Democracy Minute – (2024) Five States Are Considering Conspiracy-Fueled Legislation Which Bans Ballot Tabulators.  But Fed-Up Voters are Pushing Back.
Shasta County Scout – After Four Days in his Appointed Role As Registrar of Voters, Clint Curtis Announces Campaign During Private “Town Hall”
Shasta County Scout – New Shasta County Election Official Terminates Top Staffer
SF Gate – ‘Calm anger’: After 17 years, Shasta elections official suddenly fired 

Groups Taking Action:

Common Cause California,  League of Women Voters Redding

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 #ShastaCounty #ElectionDeniers #ProtectElections #ElectionWorkers

The post Five Years After the 2020 Election, More Election Denier Turmoil in Shasta County, CA appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 5, 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.

Election night is unlikely to be “results night”.  Irresponsible candidates may exploit an extended time to declare a winner and say there’s something illicit about the process.  In fact, it’s our patriotic friends and neighbors who serve as poll workers, taking the time needed to get it right.  

Mail-in ballots require extra steps for election officials, as the ballots are checked-in, outer envelopes opened, and identification documents verified. During 2020, folds in mail ballots slowed the tabulation process.  New rules streamlined processing in some states, allowing mail ballots to be processed before election day.  But in some state more layers of ID have been added, and counting can’t take place until election day.

There are also likely to be more challenges to voter eligibility from partisan poll watchers, a voter suppression tactic expanded by some state legislatures under the guise of “election integrity.”  Addressing challenges consumes election officials’ time.

Close races may also trigger an automatic recount, or a candidate may request a recount.  These generally take place after election night, but delay the results, often for days. Such recounts generally start with a second run through a tabulator, then a hand count, if necessary.  

We need to give the checks and balances of our system the time to work, supported by our heroic poll workers.  Find out more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Reuters – Explainer: Why we may not know the winner of the US presidential election on Nov. 5

538.com – When Will We Know 2024 Election Results?
The Hill – When will we know the results of the presidential election?
CNN – How news outlets are bracing for an election night cliffhanger
Washington State Standard – Final results may lag in deadlocked presidential contest, anxious election officials warn
Protect Democracy – The 2024 Vote Count:  What to Expect

Groups Taking Action:
Protect Democracy, Common Cause, Election Official Legal Defense Fund, Public Citizen

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 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 #ElectionNight #ElectionResults #ProtectElections

The post Close Races, New Rules, Mail-in Ballots and Election Deniers Mean Election Night is Not Likely to Be Results Night appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

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

Our series on the federal Electoral Count Reform Act shows that it does offer protections of Presidential elections from fake electors and rogue legislatures, and clarifies rules, deadlines & responsibilities for the states.  But that doesn’t stop local partisan loyalists from throwing a wrench in the certification works. 

We’ve reported on Otero County, New Mexico and Cochise County, Arizona where partisan loyalists initially refused to certify election results in 2022, using bogus fraud claims as a pretext.  In both cases, their secretaries of state compelled certification through the courts.   Then last week, the Georgia State Election Board voted to ALLOW individual members of county election boards to do their own investigations before certifying results. 

Democracy advocacy organizations are sounding the alarm, citing counties around the U.S. where threatened and harassed professional election officials were replaced by party loyalists, and in some cases, 2020 election deniers. The Washington Post reports that county officials in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Nevada also tried to block certifications in 2022. 

It MAY be that GOP strategists are banking on delaying the national certification, buying time to dig up irregularities – an ineffective tactic in 2020 and 2022. Or more likely, they hope their challenges will end up in enough friendly courtrooms to overturn the results.   

Tomorrow, a new report from ethics watchdog CREW detailing ways to combat this local obstruction.  Find more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Protect Democracy – Election Certification Explained

American Democracy Minute –  (2022) NM County Officials Refuse to Certify Primary Election with No Evidence
American Democracy Minute –  (2022) Election Denier Chaos in Cochise County, Arizona
Associated Press – Election certification disputes in a handful of states spark concerns over 2024 presidential contest
Citizens for Responsible Ethics in Washington (CREW) – Election certification under threat

Groups Taking Action:

CREW, Protect Democracy, Campaign Legal Center

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 #ProtectElections #ElectionCertification

The post The Electoral Count Reform Act Adds Federal and State Protections, But It Won’t Stop Local Loyalists from Throwing a Wrench in the Certification Works appeared first on American Democracy Minute.