The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Nov. 25, 2025

We have state updates on mail-in voting rules today. Hawaii’s election commission recommended ending the state’s mail-in voting system; Ohio’s governor is expected to sign a bill ending its mail-ballot grace period; and Montana’s new law requiring a birth date on mail-in ballots was the number one reason for ballot rejection.

First to Hawaii, where an October 1st, conspiracy-laden hearing convinced a majority of the state election commission to recommend returning the state to one day, in-person voting.  Honolulu Civil Beat reports that only 4.5% of Hawaiians vote in person in 2024.  Since the meeting, legislators have voiced continued support for mail-in voting, and the commission recommendation doesn’t appear to have traction.

The Ohio Capital Journal reports that SB 293, requiring mail ballots be returned by election day regardless of postmark, and eliminating the current four-day grace period, was been sent to Governor Mike DeWine November 19th, who is expected to sign it.

A new Montana law requiring a voter’s birth date be added to a mail-in ballot dramatically increased ballot rejection rates in November. The Daily Montanan reports that rejection rates varied by county, but ranged from 1% to 4.5%, with as many as 80% of rejections due to missing or mismatched birthdates.  Voters were contacted to cure ballots, lowering the final rate to around 2%.

We’ve linked to the local reporting at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Honolulu Civil Beat – Turnout Is Up. People Like It. But Voting By Mail Is Under Attack In Hawaiʻi
Hawaii Elections Commission – Minutes of Meeting for Oct. 1, 2025  
Ohio Capital Journal – Ohio lawmakers send new Election Day deadline for absentee ballots law to governor
Daily Montanan – Thousands of ballots rejected due to new birth year law
American Democracy Minute – Can Mail-In Ballots, Eligible in Every Other Way, Be Counted if They Arrive After Election Day?  The Question will be Heard in the U.S. Supreme Court  
American Democracy Minute – Americans Like Voting Early, and Other Lessons from the 2024 Election U.S. Election Assistance Commission Follow Up Report

Groups Taking Action:

National Vote at Home Institute, Common Cause, League of Women Voters US

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 #VotebyMail #VotingGracePeriod #UniversalMailVoting #Hawaii #Ohio #Montana

The post Hawaii Commission Proposes End to Universal Mail Ballots; Ohio May End Mail Ballot Grace Period; New Montana Law Increased Ballot Rejections appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

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

Early voting is well under way in 22 states, and will be joined by another 11 states Oct. 21st and 22nd.   But if you’re not registered in Pennsylvania, Alabama or South Dakota, your time runs out by the end of day on Oct. 21st.  

On Monday and Tuesday, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, South Carolina, Texas, Hawaii, Missouri, Utah, and Wisconsin begin early voting.  Depending on your state’s rules, that could mean early in-person voting, or by mail, or both.   Seven more states, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey and New York begin later in the week.

Monday October 21st, voter registration closes in the battleground state of Pennsylvania for the November 5th general election, as do Alabama and South Dakota.   Other states closing registrations later this week are Nebraska, Massachusetts and New York, none of which, for voters who miss those deadlines, offer election-day registration.

Voter registration has already closed in 22 states, and none of those states offer election day registration, either.    

Voting early can mean shorter lines, less hassle and if you’re voting by mail, sometimes a chance to fix minor mistakes on your ballot. 

We’ve linked information on early voting and registration deadlines for all these states at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

To view the whole script of today’s report, please go to our website.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
BallotPedia – Voter registration deadlines, 2024

BallotPedia –  2024 election and voting dates
National Conference of State Legislatures – Same Day/Election Day Voter Registration
Vote.gov – Register to Vote by State
Pennsylvania Voter Services – Voter Registration Application
Alabama Secretary of State – Register to Vote / Update Your Information
South Dakota Secretary of State –  Register to Vote, Update Voter Registration or Cancel Voter Registration

Check Your Voter Registration/State Information on Registering:

• 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 #EarlyVoting #VoterRegistration #RegistertoVote 

The post Early Voting Begins in 18 States This Week, But Voter Registration Ends in 6 States.  You Can’t Vote If You’re Not Registered.  appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for November 7, 2022

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Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
The 21 States Which Have Same Day Registration:  California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Washington, DC, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and  Wyoming.
U.S. Election Assistance Commission –  Links to Registration Information in Every State
National Conference of State Legislatures  –  Same Day Voter Registration States

Brennan Center –  Study Showing No Increase in Fraud With Election Day Registration
Univ. of Massachusetts/Demos – NEW STUDY FINDS THAT STATES WITH SAME DAY VOTER REGISTRATION HAVE HIGHER BLACK AND LATINX TURNOUT
Groups Taking Action:
Common Cause MA,  American Academy of Sciences, Student Public Interest Research Groups

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

Election Day is upon us, and voter registration in most states is closed.  But if you’re lucky enough to live in one of the 21 states which allow Same-Day registration, you still may be able to vote on election day.

Used to help make voter registration more accessible since the 1990s, Same Day registration has been attacked recently as unsecure, despite the facts.  New Hampshire, which has used Same Day  registration for decades, recently tightened its restrictions with no justification, making same-day registrants use a provisional, rather than a normal, ballot.

Same day registration is used most often by new residents, younger citizens, and eligible voters who are historically underrepresented, such as the Black and LatinX community.  

To register on Election Day, you need these documents in most states:  A state-issued ID;  proof of your citizenship, like a birth certificate, passport, or naturalization papers;  and proof of your residence, such as rental receipts, property tax bills or utility bills showing your name & address.  Check your state or local election office website before you go.

In some states, you may need to also sign an affidavit, have your picture taken, and may only be able to use a provisional ballot until your address is verified.  But, it may also be your best option to have your voice heard! So use it!

We have links to state Same Day registration information and groups taking action at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org 

Granny D said Democracy isn’t something we HAVE it’s something we DO!

The post <strong>Registration on Election Day Still an Option in 21 States</strong> appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report and Podcast for November 2, 2022

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Today’s Links

Articles: 

National Conference of State Legislators – All-Mail Ballot States
The Conversation – Mail-in voting lessons from Oregon, the state with the longest history of voting by mail
Brennan Center for Justice – Records Show Massive Disenfranchisement and Racial Disparities in 2022 Texas Primary
Pew Research – Two Years After Election Turmoil, GOP Voters Remain Skeptical on Elections, Vote Counts
Groups Taking Action:
National Vote at Home Institute,  Common Cause,  American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)

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

Today, we’re exploring all-mail-in voting, used in eight states with great success and with somewhat higher voter participation.  Mail-in ballot Conspiracy theories are unlikely to stop the states which have successfully implemented it.  Why?  Because both voters and election officials like it.  

Eight states conduct their elections mostly by mail:  California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Washington.  Other states like Alaska, Minnesota and New Mexico, allow for all-mail ballots in small jurisdictions, and in certain kinds of elections.  

An all-mail state sends a ballot to the citizen’s voter registration address.  The voter completes their ballot, signs an affidavit, and returns it in the usually postage-paid return envelope.    

Oregon uses the signature on the ballot to match the signature on the voter registration file, and all states have severe penalties for misuse.  In its three decades of mail-in voting, Oregon officials report only about a dozen cases of actual fraud.   Oregon and other mail-in ballot states also allow online tracking of that ballot, and have embraced convenient, secure drop boxes. 

Like other forms of mail-in ballots, voters say they like the convenience.  “Kitchen table” voting allows citizens to carefully select their candidates from the safety of their own home, and helps elders, the disabled, voters without transportation and voters living in remote areas to exercise their sacred right to vote.  

We have links and articles at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.

The post Eight States Have All-Mail-In Voting. It Works, and it’s Secure appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

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Today’s Links

Articles: 

New York Times – The ‘Cost’ of Voting in America: A Look at Where It’s Easiest and Hardest
The Hill – These are the most difficult states to vote in
Michael J. Pomante II, Ph.D. & Scot Schraufnagel, Ph.D.:   Cost of Voting Index Study website
Study Summary:   Cost of Voting Index summary in PDF

Help for Registering to Vote:
USA.gov – Find Your Local Election Office
U.S. Election Assistance Commission – REGISTER AND VOTE IN YOUR STATE

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

We conclude our week on voter registration with the release of the 2022 Cost of Voting Index, an ongoing study of voting access around the country. Spoiler alert, states with vote-by-mail and automatic voter registration ranked highly, while states with out-of-date voting practices and recent conspiracy-fueled anti-voter legislation finished dead last.

The study follows multiple factors on voting access going back to 1996. For voter registration, rankings weigh state laws on the number of days prior to the election a voter must be registered to be able to vote, a month before for 14 states, to Election Day registration for 23 states. Other negative factors include requiring more documents than federal guidelines to register, mental competency rules, no online voter registration, or not allowing felons to register after incarceration.

Positive factors include allowing 17-year-olds to pre-register, and allowing same-day registration. States like Colorado got points for automatic voter registration, which helped it register 350,000 more voters since 2020, according the New York Times.

Top states for voter access included Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Hawaii, and Colorado. The most difficult states included Texas, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Mississippi and New Hampshire, not coincidentally, where some of the most draconian barriers to voting have been added since the 2020 election.

A link to articles and a summary of the study are available at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.

The post ADM for Sept. 30, 2022: How Hard is it to Register & Vote in Your State? appeared first on American Democracy Minute.