The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for March 7, 2025

In a brief to the North Carolina Court of Appeals, a bipartisan group of former county election directors urged the court to reject a claim that as many as 65,000 voters were ineligible last November.  And a former state supreme court justice is arguing in another appeals case that gerrymandering by the state legislature is akin to ‘stuffing the ballot box.” 

We’ve followed the claims from state supreme court candidate Jefferson Griffin that as many as 65,000 registered, eligible voters had incomplete registrations in a race he lost by 734 votes to incumbent justice Allison Riggs.  The race is the only unresolved election in the country.   

In late February, a bipartisan group of 42 former county election directors filed a brief outlining why the voters should be considered valid, and concluding:  “The citizens of North Carolina who obeyed the laws and the direction of the elections administrators should not have their votes discarded.” 

In another North Carolina case, former state supreme court justice Bob Orr is arguing in state appeals court that the legislature’s gerrymandered voting districts manipulate election outcomes.  By ‘packing’ voters by party into a district, he argues, it violates the state constitution’s guarantee of free elections with a fair count.  Orr told the Charlotte News & Observer, “If they can’t stuff the ballot box, how can they stuff the voter pool?”

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

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – Appeals Continue in 2024 NC Supreme Court Race Challenge
NC Newsline – NC Supreme Court rejects requests to have GOP Judge Griffin’s case skip appeals court
NC Newsline – (Commentary) Documenting the damage of Judge Jefferson Griffin’s Supreme Court election challenge
North Carolina Court of Appeals – Brief by Bipartisan Group of 42 Former County Election Directors

News & Observer – Bob Orr pushes NC courts to answer an essential question: Do we have a right to fair elections? | Opinion

Groups Taking Action:

Democracy North Carolina, ACLU NC, League of Women Voters NC

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 #NorthCarolina #FairMaps #EndGerrymandering

The post North Carolina: Former Election Directors Weigh In On Unresolved Supreme Court Race; Former Justice Argues Partisan Gerrymandering Akin to ‘Stuffing the Ballot Box’ appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

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

In 2018, Utah voters approved a ballot initiative establishing an independent redistricting commission to create fair voting districts.   The legislature neutralized it, and gerrymandered the maps anyway.  It’s now back before a Utah judge.

Better Boundaries Proposition 4 established a commission independent from the legislature charged with creating fair, communities of interest-driven maps for Congress, state legislature, and school districts.  The Utah News Dispatch reports that in 2020, the Utah legislature passed SB 200, which made the commission advisory, not independent, then gerrymandered the maps to protect seats and consolidate GOP power.  

The Utah Supreme Court found for the voters last July, agreeing that the legislature did not have the authority under state law to override the voters’ decision.  In response, the legislature proposed Amendment D, which, if approved by voters, would give the legislature power to do so. The language of that proposition was deemed deceptive by the court, and ruled “void.” 

Now the case is back in Utah’s 3rd District Court, where Judge Dianna Gibson heard three hours of testimony January 31st.  The League of Women Voters and Mormon Women for Ethical Government argued for the independent commission’s powers to be fully restored, and fair Congressional maps put in place.  A decision is expected within weeks.

We have our past reports, local reporting, court filings, and the groups taking action at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Script

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

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – Utah Voters Fought Back After Their Fair Voting Districts Constitutional Amendment was Gutted by an Anti-Voter Legislature.  They Won.
Utah Supreme Court –  LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF UTAH, et al., v. UTAH STATE LEGISLATURE
American Democracy Minute – After Losing in Court and at the Polls, Utah Legislature Approves Nov. Ballot Measure to Veto or Alter Citizen Ballot Measures to Protect Its Power
Campaign Legal Center – Utahns Score Huge Victory Voiding Amendment D
Utah News Dispatch – Will Utah get new congressional maps? Judge hears oral arguments in Utah redistricting case

Groups Taking Action:

League of Women Voters UT, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, Campaign Legal Center

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 #UtahLegislature #EndGerrymandering #FairMaps

The post Will Utah’s Voter-Approved Independent Redistricting Commission and Fair Maps Prevail Over the Legislature’s Attempt to Rig Them?  appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 27, 2025

Today’s Script

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

The Biden administration’s solicitor general submitted a Supreme Court brief in 2024, supporting fair Congressional voting maps in Louisiana under the 1965 Voting Rights Act.  January 24th, a Trump DOJ official rescinded that brief, saying it no longer represented the U.S. Government.

Oral arguments begin in February for Robinson v. Callais.  After the state was forced to draw two minority-majority congressional districts, Republicans appealed, employing an argument tailored for the conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court.  The appellants argue the VRA Section 2 minority-majority district violates the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause because it was drawn on the basis of race.  Louisiana’s population is almost 33% Black, yet only one of six Congressional districts was a minority-majority district where voters could reasonably elect the candidate of their choice. 

Biden’s solicitor general told the court, QUOTE, “In particular, the United States has an interest in ensuring that States have latitude to adopt districts that comply with both Section 2 and the Equal Protection Clause.”  

But in a letter to the Supreme Court just four days after inaugeration, Trump’s acting solicitor general Sarah Harris revoked it, saying, QUOTE, “. . .the previously filed brief no longer represents the position of the United States.”  

If you’re a Black, Hispanic, Native American, or other minority voter who wants to elect a candidate of your choice, that’s bad news.   

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

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Biden Administration U.S. Supreme Court Brief – Robinson v. Callais / Louisiana v. Callais
U.S. Supreme Court –  All Briefs for Robinson v. Callais / Louisiana v. Callais

American Democracy Minute – What’s Ahead for 2025:  VRA Majority Minority Voting Districts at Risk in Louisiana Redistricting Case at the U.S. Supreme Court
Louisiana Illuminator –  (Separate case – Nairne v. Ardoin) Republican AGs seek to use Louisiana redistricting case to weaken Voting Rights Act

The Guardian – Fears grow for voting rights as Trump plots to reshape US justice department
U.S. Justice Department – Letter from Acting Solicitor General Revoking Previous Briefs in Robinson v. Callais

Groups Taking Action:

Power Coalition for Equity and Justice,  ACLU of Louisiana

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 #Louisiana #VotingRightsAct #VRA #FairMaps

The post Trump’s DOJ Reverses Position on Pending Voting Rights Act Case, Signaling Further Attacks on Fair Voting Districts for Minority Voters appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 17, 2025

Today’s Script

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

Native American voters prevailed in federal court against the State of North Dakota, protecting the ability to elect the candidate of their choice.  The state has a history of diluting Native voting power.

January 13th, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a redistricting case we covered back in May 2024, affirming a North Dakota Federal Appeals Court decision.  The appeals court had dismissed a state house district challenge by two non-native residents, who claimed their rights were infringed.

The case dates back to 2021, when the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara nations, also known as the MHA Nation, negotiated with the State to protect Native voting power under the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Section 2.  After an agreement, State GOP officials later shamefully reversed positions in 2022, embracing a new GOP tactic which argues such majority-minority districts are a violation of the Equal Protection Clause under the U.S. Constitution.  The same argument has been made in Robinson v. Callais over Louisiana’s now two majority-minority districts. 

The MHA Nation decision protects North Dakota State House District 4A and three other districts –  great news for Native voters. But the Louisiana case is expected to be heard in the high court early in 2025, and the conservative justices seem to have made it their mission to dismantle the VRA.   

We have links to the history of the case at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl. 

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
North Dakota Legislature – District 4

North Dakota Monitor – North Dakota changes course on tribal redistricting case, asks US Supreme Court to rule

North Dakota Monitor – Supreme Court upholds North Dakota’s majority-Native legislative subdistricts
Campaign Legal Center – Supreme Court Upholds Fair Map for Native Voters in North Dakota
Native American Rights Fund – North Dakota Native voting rights upheld by Supreme Court

U.S. District Court for North Dakota – (2023 – Via Democracy Docket) District Court Decision

Groups Taking Action:

Native American Rights Fund, Campaign Legal Center, Election Law Group , ACLU North Dakota

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 #NativeVote #VotingRightsAct #VRA #FreedomtoVote

The post ND Native American Nation Prevails in Protecting Majority-Minority Voting Districts.  A Victory for Minority Voters, But GOP Efforts to Neutralize the VRA Continue appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 9, 2025

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.

Legislation unveiled Monday by the New Hampshire Senate would change the state’s four Presidential electoral votes from “winner take all” to “proportional,” based on which party wins its two Congressional districts. Gerrymander the districts, and you guarantee more votes for your Presidential candidate. 

Senate Bill 11 would have New Hampshire join Maine and Nebraska as the only states which have proportional electoral votes, and would apportion them based on which party wins Congressional district 1 or 2.   

In November, the state’s Congressional seats went to Democrats reps Chris Pappas, and newcomer Maggie Goodlander, yet the state house, senate, governorship, and governor’s executive council all went red, in large part to gerrymandered voting districts.  Gerrymandered, except the districts for Congress.

A 2022 proposal by the NH House Election Law Committee radically gerrymandered the districts, guaranteeing the District 1 congressional seat for Republicans. So radical, in fact, that Republican Governor and possible Presidential candidate Chris Sununu surprised his own party by vetoing the map, and proposing his own competitive map similar to that of previous decades.

New Hampshire’s incoming governor, former U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte, may not have such competitive compulsions.  With a Republican House & Senate behind her, a gerrymandered Congressional district could be a two-fer for Republicans, both in New Hampshire and in the Presidential race. 

We have more 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:

National Archives – Distribution of Electoral Votes
New Hampshire Legislature – Senate Bill 11
WMUR – Senate Republicans propose bill to reallocate New Hampshire’s electoral votes
New Hampshire Bulletin – 2022 House Republicans stand by proposed overhaul of state’s congressional districts
New Hampshire Bulletin – (2022) Sununu says he will veto congressional district maps
 
Groups Taking Action:

Open Democracy Map-a-Thon Project, League of Women Voters NH, NH Campaign for Voting Rights,  ACLU NH

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 #NationalPopularVote #ProportionalRepresentation #ElectoralCollege #NH #603 #NHPolitics

The post GOP-Controlled NH Legislature Proposes Proportional Presidential Electoral Votes. Will Gerrymandered Congressional Districts Follow? appeared first on American Democracy Minute.