The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 24, 2025

Voting proof of citizenship efforts are afoot in Michigan while voters await the outcome of the federal SAVE Act and a Trump executive order requiring similar restrictions. This, despite no evidence of widespread noncitizen voting in Michigan, or anywhere else in the U.S.

In Michigan, a constitutional amendment which failed to achieve a two-thirds majority in the legislature, just received the go-ahead to collect signatures for a citizen ballot initiative instead.  If organizers meet the signature requirements, it could appear on the 2026 ballot.

The Michigan proposal require any new registering voters to show QUOTE “a birth certificate, passport and/or other documents,”  and would eliminate the use of sworn affidavits for voters without approved IDs.  Voters without citizenship documents could cast a provisional ballot, but must return with the documents within six days for it to count.  

While that may keep the 20 -that “2-0”- alleged Michigan noncitizens from voting,  

one in nine Americans don’t have ready access to citizenship documents, and over 5.8 million Michigan citizens don’t own a U.S. Passport, according to the Center for American Progress.    

On national proof of citizenship front, a federal circuit court ruling on President Donald Trump’s March 25th order is expected by April 24th, and the SAVE Act is in the U.S, Senate but unlikely to overcome the filibuster.

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

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – New Trump Executive Order Attempts to Bypass Congress & States to Require Proof of Citizenship Documents & Mandate Election Deadlines
Michigan Advance/Votebeat – Michigan House GOP proposes proof-of-citizenship requirement for all voters
Michigan Advance – Board of State Canvassers greenlights petition seeking to block noncitizens from voting in Michigan
Center for American Progress – U.S. Passport ownership by state
Michigan Live – See how Michigan’s U.S. House members voted on bill (SAVE Act) requiring voters’ proof of citizenship

Groups Taking Action:
Common Cause MI, League of Women Voters MI, Promote the Vote MI

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

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

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #PromotetheVote #HJR B  #Michigan #ProofofCitizenship

The post Michigan Considers Proof of Citizenship Requirements While Awaiting Outcome of the SAVE Act Vote and Challenge to Trump’s Exec. Order appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 22, 2025

In one of his most bone-chilling orders to date, President Donald Trump directed the U.S. Department of Justice and other agencies to open an investigation of Christopher Krebs, the former head of the Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency. Krebs’ alleged crime? Publicly refuting Trump’s unfounded claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.

Trump’s April 9th memorandum reads in part, “Krebs, through CISA, falsely and baselessly denied that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen, including by inappropriately and categorically dismissing widespread election malfeasance and serious vulnerabilities with voting machines,” UNQUOTE.

On November 12th, 2020, Krebs had posted a joint statement from the Elections Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council & the Election Infrastructure Sector Coordinating Executive Committees, which said, “The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history,” and “There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.” The two groups represent CISA, Secretaries of State, State Election Directors, and numerous election technology and cybersecurity organizations.

In addition to ordering the investigation, Trump stripped Krebs of his security clearance, and that of SentinelOne, the cybersecurity company where Krebs was Chief Intelligence and Public Policy Officer until his resignation April 16th.

We have Trump’s disturbing memo and the 2020 joint statement at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Associated Press – (2020) Repudiating Trump, officials say election ‘most secure’
CISA – (2020) Joint Statement from Elections Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council & the Election Infrastructure Sector Coordinating Executive Committees
Voice of America – (2020)Trump Fires Security Chief Who Said 2020 Vote Was ‘Most Secure’ in US History
CBS News – Fired director of U.S. cyber agency Chris Krebs explains why President Trump’s claims of election interference are false
The White House – Addressing Risks from Chris Krebs and Government Censorship
The White House – Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Addresses Risks from Chris Krebs and Government Censorship
Votebeat – Election officials alarmed as Trump orders probe of former cybersecurity chief​
SentinelOne – An Official Statement in Response to the April 9, 2025 Executive Order, Updated with Krebs Resignation
Cyberscoop – Trump signs order stripping Chris Krebs of security clearance

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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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ExecutiveOrders #CyberSecurity #ChrisKrebs #CISA #Retribution

#Authoritarian

The post Chilling Trump Order Seeks Retribution Against Former CISA Head Who Pushed Back Against Trump’s Unfounded Claims of 2020 Fraud appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 11, 2025

Nineteen states and several pro-voter groups filed suit against a March 25th executive order by President Donald Trump.  The order appears to override Congressional and state jurisdiction granted by the U.S. Constitution, and its noncitizen voting restrictions could actually disenfranchise millions of eligible Americans.

To be clear, there is NO evidence of widespread noncitizen voting in any state.  But the March 25th order requires documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, which in practice would require it for state elections, too.  States who don’t follow the Trump directive could lose federal funding.  

Problem is, one in nine Americans don’t have ready access to their citizenship papers.  An estimated 69 million married women use a name different from their birth certificate, and only half of Americans have a valid U.S. Passport.

The order also requires states to comb their voter rolls for possible noncitizens, gives states access to federal databases, and mandates states report voting infractions to the U.S. Justice Department.  It requires that mail ballots be received by election day, eliminating grace periods.

The U.S. Constitution assigns administration of elections to the states and Congress, which is the basis of states’ challenge.  The Campaign Legal Center and four other pro-democracy groups also challenged the ruling on similar grounds.

We’ve linked to Trump’s order and the legal challenges at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

The White House – Executive Order:  PRESERVING AND PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY OF AMERICAN ELECTIONS
NPR – 19 states sue over Trump’s voting executive order, arguing it’s unconstitutional
PBS – Election watchdog groups sue Trump administration over executive order, calling it unconstitutional
Campaign Legal Center – CLC Sues to Block Trump Administration’s Illegal Election Overreach
Campaign Legal Center  – Complaint in U.S. District Court for DC Against Trump Executive Order
U.S. District Court for MA, via State of NY – Complaint by 19 States Against Trump Executive Order

Groups Taking Action:

Campaign Legal Center, State Democracy Defenders Fund, LULAC, Arizona Students’ Association, Secure Families Initiative

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

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #DonaldTrump #ExecutiveOrders #Unconstitutional #Disenfranchisement

The post Pro-Voter Groups and 19 States Challenge Trump Executive Order on Voting Rules as Unconstitutional and Likely to Disenfranchise Millions appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for March 28, 2025

President Donald Trump issued an executive order March 25th implementing portions of the likely doomed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or ‘SAVE’ Act.  Among its restrictive provisions are a documentary proof of citizenship to register and vote, potentially disenfranchising millions.

Trump’s new order, entitled PRESERVING AND PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY OF AMERICAN ELECTIONS,  withholds federal funding from any state which does not implement the use of the National Voter Registration Form and mandates proof of citizenship documents, including a birth certificate, naturalization papers, a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or a U.S. Passport.  A 2024 study found one in nine Americans don’t have ready access to those documents, and when they do, the documents often don’t reflect name and address changes over time.

The order also would force states to end mail-in ballot grace periods, restricting ballot deadlines to election day.  It also demands states report illegal voting to the federal government, and directs the Attorney General to withhold federal grants if they don’t.  Such requirements attempt to circumvent state voting rights expansions, such as Michigan’s 2022 passage of Proposition 2.  It allows states access to any federal agency database, including Homeland Security and Social Security, as a means of verifying voter eligibility.

The order will be challenged.  The U.S. Constitution grants the states the power to determine the “Places and Manner of holding Elections”  not the President.   

Find the text of the order at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

The White House – Executive Order:  PRESERVING AND PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY OF AMERICAN ELECTIONS
U.S. Congress – U.S. Constitution ArtI.S4.C1.2 States and Elections Clause
Campaign Legal Center – Voting Is an American Freedom. The President Can’t Change That

Brookings – The SAVE Act: An attempt to restrict voting rights
U.S. Elections Assistance Commission – The National Mail Voter Registration Form
NPR – Legal challenges are expected for President Trump’s voter registration executive order

Groups Taking Action:

Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, League of Women Voters US, National Partnership for New Americans, 

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

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #DonaldTrump #ExecutiveOrder #NoncitizenVoting #Disenfranchised

The post New Trump Executive Order Attempts to Bypass Congress & States to Require Proof of Citizenship Documents & Mandate Election Deadlines appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for March 6, 2025

Brian is away today, so we’re rebroadcasting a report from last July, which is particularly apt for the shattering of the norms of the presidency we’ve witnessed in the first weeks of the Trump second term.

Anti-authoritarian feelings ran high in the years before and after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, as the Declaration’s litany of complaints against the King suggests.  So it’s unlikely the founding fathers would have supported expansion of Presidential powers, and absolute immunity for “official acts.”

The July 1st opinion from the so-called “originalist” members of the U.S. Supreme Court invokes Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist Papers vision for a “vigorous” and “energetic” Executive.  Without that, “the President would be chilled from taking the “bold and unhesitating action” required of an independent Executive.”   But that’s not the whole story.

Three other prominent framers of the U.S. Constitution, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and George Mason, feared the opposite, and pushed for a multiple-person executive council to decentralize power.  Ultimately they compromised,  stipulating that the President  seek “advice and consent” from the Senate for appointments and treaties. 

Constitutional Convention delegate James Wilson said during debates on the Constitution,  “Sir, we have a responsibility in the person of our President; he cannot act improperly, and hide either his negligence or inattention; he cannot roll upon any other person the weight of his criminality. He continued, “Far from being above the laws, he is amenable to them in his private character as a citizen, and in his public character by impeachment.” 

We’ve linked those documents and to the text of the Declaration of Independence  at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
National Archives – Declaration of Independence: A Transcription
U.S. Supreme Court – Trump v. United States
Library of Congress – Constitutional Convention Debate Transcripts – James Wilson
Newsweek – The Founding Fathers Didn’t Think Donald Trump Should Get Immunity Either | Opinion
University of Virginia Miller Center – IMPEACHMENT IN THE 1780S – Speech of James Iredell, North Carolina advocate for ratifying the U.S. Constitution
The Hill – Ty Cobb: Founding Fathers would be ‘weeping and stunned’ over Trump guilty verdict
Salon – Historian says Trump lawyer “deliberatively misleading” SCOTUS: Ben Franklin “would be horrified”
Washington Post – (2017) The president was never intended to be the most powerful part of government
Robert J. Reinstein, American University Law Review – (2017) The Limits of Executive Power

Groups Taking Action:
ACLU, Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, International Refugee Assistance Project

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

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #July4th #FoundingFathers #IndependenceDay #PresidentialPowers #OfficialActs

The post Would the Founding Fathers Have Embraced Having Unfettered Power for the Presidency?  Not Likely. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.