The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 1, 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.

Ignoring established federal law, the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority overturned two lower court decisions and allowed Virginia to continue its purge of suspected registered non citizen voters. News outlets have since confirmed that eligible Virginia voters were among them. 

Virginia is the latest state which has pushed such purges without adequate investigation to support a national GOP narrative, sweeping up American-born and naturalized citizens in the process.  The National Voter Registration Act prohibits any purges within 90 days of an election.   Virginia Public Radio and NPR have already found eligible voters on the list who apparently check the wrong box at the DMV,  and now have had their registrations canceled. 

A similar purge of over 3,200 purported non citizens in Alabama was halted in federal district court in October.  Court documents showed over 2,000 of them were valid U.S. citizens and eligible voters.  In Texas, after Governor Abbott trumpeted that 6,500 non citizen voters would be purged, the Secretary of State’s office found only 581 were registered illegally, according to the Texas Tribune.

Even more alarming is the Supreme Court’s willingness to ignore established federal law and render a decision which at the very least has an appearance of partisanship, and worse, what that appearance could mean for post-election litigation.

We have local reporting, and links to confirm if you’re still a registered voter, at   AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl. 

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

U.S. Supreme Court – ORDER IN PENDING CASE –  BEALS, SUSAN, ET AL. V. VA COALITION FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS, ET AL.
Virginia Mercury – U.S. Supreme Court grants stay in challenge to Youngkin’s voter purge order
NPR – U.S. citizens are among the voters removed in Virginia’s controversial purge
Slate – The Supreme Court Just Carved an Outrageous Loophole Into a Major Voting Rights Law
Brennan Center for Justice – Courts Confront the Noncitizen Voting Lie
Alabama Reflector – Federal judge blocks Alabama Secretary of State’s voter removal plan
Texas Tribune – Gov. Greg Abbott boasted that Texas removed 6,500 noncitizens from its voter rolls. That number was likely inflated.

Groups Taking Action:

Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, League of Women Voters VA, 

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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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VoterPurge #Virginia #SCOTUS #USSupremeCourt 

The post U.S. Supreme Court Allows Virginia to Purge of Alleged Non Citizen Voters Only Days Before the Election, Ignoring Established Federal Law. Eligible Voters Were on the List, Too. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Sept. 20, 2024

Today’s Script

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

Shortly after taking office, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen directed state election officials to invalidate voter registrations of immigrants who had been issued a Permanent Resident, or “green” card by the U.S. Government.  In his zeal to root out noncitizens, he apparently invalidated eligible U.S. naturalized citizens as well. 

Despite no evidence of widespread illegal voting by noncitizens in Alabama, Allen directed the removal of residents who had a federal “noncitizens identification number” from the state’s voter rolls. The state purged 3,251 people in August, after which Allen said in a statement, “I have been clear that I will not tolerate the participation of noncitizens in our elections.”   

The Alabama Reflector reports that a lawsuit was filed Sept. 13th by democracy groups and four naturalized citizens who had at one time held a green card and noncitizen identification number, and were swept up in Allen’s, QUOTE, “Purge Program.” 

The complaint alleges that it violates the First and Fourteenth amendments, the Voting Rights Act and the National Voter Registration Act, and asks the court to strike down the program.  It also alleges that the announcement and notification of voters violated the VRA’s prohibition of  “attempting to intimidate, threaten, or coerce any person for voting or attempting to vote.”  No hearing has been scheduled.

We’ve linked the complaint and the groups taking action at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

U.S. District Court, Northern District via Democracy Docket – Complaint
Associated Press – Lawsuit says Alabama voter purge targets naturalized citizens
NPR – The GOP is making false claims about noncitizens voting. It’s affecting real voters

Brennan Center for Justice – Noncitizen Voting Isn’t Affecting State or Federal Elections — Here’s Why
Alabama Political Reporter – Undocumented woman charged for voting fraud, but research shows noncitizen voting is rare and overstated

Groups Taking Action:
Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice, League of Women Voters AL,  Alabama State Conference of the NAACP

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 #AlabamaNews #VoterSuppression #NewCitizens

The post Alabama SOS Sweeps Up Naturalized Citizens In Move to Root Out Supposed Noncitizen Voters, Spurs Lawsuit appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Sept. 13, 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.

Reacting to recent partisan voter registration purges and rule changes from state officials, legislatures and election boards, September 10th, the U.S. Department of Justice reminded states of their responsibilities under the federal National Voter Registration Act.  

Following Georgia’s questionable roll-out of its Voter Registration Cancelation Request Portal, and late voter purges by officials in North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and other states, DOJ Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke issued this video statement: 

Simultaneously, DOJ issued a pointed guidance on when, how and under what circumstances a voter’s registration can be purged under the National Voter Registration Act.

We have resources where you can check your registration status, and the DOJ’s contact information, at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
U.S. Department of Justice – Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, Statement on Voter Purges
U.S. Department of Justice – Voting Rights Fact Sheet
U.S. Department of Justice – Voter Registration List Maintenance:  Guidance under Section 8 of the National Voter  Registration Act, 52 U.S.C. § 20507
Campaign Legal Center – How To Prevent Unfair Voter Purges
American Democracy Minute – When Voter Registration Purges Cross the Line from Standard Practice into Suppression
American Democracy Minute – Ninety Days Before the Election Georgia Launches ‘Voter Registration Cancellation Portal’ and Changes Rules on Certifying Elections

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

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 #FreedomtoVote #VoterPurges #VoterSuppression

The post Following Questionable Late Voter Registration Purges, the U.S. DOJ Issues State Guidance and Asks for Help from Impacted Voters appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

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

Maintenance of voter registration lists is a standard practice, to remove voters who’ve died, moved, or are no longer eligible.  But some hyper-partisan legislatures and state officials have weaponized the process.  If you’ve moved or skipped voting in a recent election, your voter registration may no longer be valid.

Wyoming announced the purge of 86,000 of its voters this week, over 30% of its 2022 registered voters.  That’s thanks to a new “use it or lose it” law giving county clerks authority to remove voters if they skip only one federal election.   

In January, Florida removed almost 1 million voters from its rolls as a result of a similar 2023 law.   Last year, just two weeks before the voter registration window closed in Ohio, Secretary of State Frank LaRose purged more than 26,000 voters – just weeks before a ballot question on abortion rights. 

The remedy in many states had been same day registration.  But election day registration has been under attack as well, forcing registrants to vote by provisional ballot, or trying to end same day registration altogether.  

The moral of this story is that under the cloak of “election integrity,” voter purges are being used for voter suppression purposes in several states.   NOW is the time to check your registration, giving you time to re-register before November.  

We have links to tools to check your registration at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Southern Coalition for Social Justice  – Combatting Wrongful Voter Purges
Democracy Docket – In Seven States, Removing Voters from the Rolls Just Got Easier
American Bar Association – (2020)  “Use It or Lose It”: The Problem of Purges from the Registration Rolls of Voters Who Don’t Vote Regularly

CBS News – Eligible voters are being swept up in conservative activists’ efforts to purge voter rolls
Public News Service – WY purged 86,000 voters, must re-register for presidential election
Michigan Advance – Judge dismisses lawsuit claiming Michigan didn’t purge dead voters from election rolls
The Guardian – (2023) Ohio purged 26,000 voters days before abortion referendum deadline

American Democracy Minute – (2023) Florida Just Purged its List of Absentee Ballot Requestors, Forcing Millions of Voters to Reapply
WMNF – Almost 1 million Florida voters declared inactive after law purging voter lists
U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

Groups Taking Action:
The Voter Purge Project,  Brennan Center for Justice,  Campaign Legal Center, League of Women Voters U.S.

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and SHARE!  

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ProtectElections #FreedomtoVote #JohnLewisAct

The post Have You Been Purged?  States Have Stepped Up Removals of Inactive Voters – Sometimes for Partisan Advantage. It’s Time to Check Your Registration appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 6, 2023

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.

News broke recently that the State of Virginia mistakenly revoked voting rights for 270 formerly incarcerated felons whose rights had previously  been restored.  An investigation shows that number has ballooned to 3,400 Virginians.

Governors Ralph Northam and Terry McAuliffe had relaxed rules, with McAuliffe taking executive action to restore rights to felons upon release.  In March 2023, Governor Glenn Youngkin decreed that any felon, no matter what type of offense, would be banned from voting for life, and could only have voting rights restored by an action of the governor.  Virginia is the only state to revoke rights for any type of felony, and more states have recently restored, rather than revoked, those rights. 

In late September, Virginia Public Media reported that formerly incarcerated felons who had only minor parole violations had been reported by Virginia State Police to the Virginia Department of Elections as being ineligible.  The state initially said 270 Virginians were affected.  The list of voters affected later climbed to 3,400, which the state maintains was accidental. 

WRIC reports that the Virginia Department of Elections is scrambling to restore those voters, but it is unclear how many other eligible voters remain disenfranchised.  Investigation is ongoing, but an election for General Assembly and local offices is Tuesday, Nov. 7th.

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

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Bolt Magazine – “Back to 1902”: Virginia Governor Revives Lifetime Ban on Voting
Virginia Mercury – Youngkin administration now requires felons to apply to get their voting rights back
Democracy Docket – Virginia Governor Sued Over Revised Felony Disenfranchisement Policy
Virginia Public Media – Virginia voter removals raise concerns among rights groups
Virginia Public Media – Virginia reinstates nearly 3,400 voters after accidental purge
WRIC –  Issue led some eligible Virginians to be mistakenly removed from voter rolls

WUSA – Thousands of voters wrongly purged from Virginia rolls

Groups Taking Action:
ACLU Virginia, The Sentencing Project, League of Women Voters VA

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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VirginiaPolitics #VotingRights #FreedomtoVote

The post Virginia’s Governor Ended Automatic Voting Rights Restoration for 12,000 Returning Felons this Year.  A State Error Almost Disenfranchised 3,400 More. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.