The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for March 20, 2025

Washington State implemented their universal vote-by-mail system in 2013, and built in signature-matching for identity verification.  A March ruling by the state supreme court upholds that rule as constitutional because voters can cure discrepancies. 

Before the 2022 midterms, a state-commissioned audit found that younger voters, voters of color, and non-English speakers were far more likely to have their ballots rejected, and the rate of rejection varied by county.    

Two recent lawsuits challenged the signature matching rule, claiming that the lack of handwriting standards and the inconsistent science for signature verification, resulted in the rejection of 4,500 Hispanic ballots in the 2020 primary, and 36,000 ballots from all voters in the 2022 midterms.

In the court’s recent opinion, Justice Steven C. González acknowledged those rejections: “All too many ballots are not counted because election workers cannot verify the voter’s signatures and the voter does not or cannot cure their ballot in time.”

But the court found no bias, evidence of partisan malfeasance, or that voters were intentionally blocked from voting.  It also found counties offered opportunities to cure those ballots.   The state’s auditor recommended more training for county election officials, outreach to the most affected voter groups to prevent discrepancies, and more valuable advice for any state verifying signatures.  We’ll have more on that in our next report.  

Find links at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   I’m Brian Beihl.  

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Office of the Washington State Auditor – (2022) Evaluating Washington’s Ballot Rejection Rates
Democracy Docket – (2021)  Washington Signature Matching Challenge (LULAC)
Democracy Docket – Washington Supreme Court Upholds State’s Ballot Signature Verification System
Washington Supreme Court – Opinion in Vet Voice Foundation v. Hobbs
Washington State Standard – Washington Supreme Court upholds ballot signature verification system
Washington Secretary of State – Signature Verification & Compliance Tool Training Manual

Groups Taking Action:

LULAC, Vet Voice Foundation, The Washington Bus, El Centro de la Raza

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

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

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #StateofWashington #VotingRights #VotebyMail #SignatureVerification

The post Washington Supreme Court Rules Signature Matching Can Be Used to Disqualify Ballots But Acknowledges It Impacts Too Many Voters appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 4, 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.

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia allow citizens to register to vote on election day.   But that doesn’t mean that election-day registration is convenient, simple, or that your vote will count in all cases.  

The National Conference of State Legislatures notes that states with election-day registration have an average 5% higher voter participation, including younger voters and voters of color.  Which is why since 2020 some partisan state legislatures have put in more restrictions on same day registration, disingenuously claiming QUOTE, “election integrity.”  There is no evidence of widespread abuse of election day registration.  

While it’s more challenging than it used to be, election day registration is still better than not voting at all.  These states allow election day registration:  California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia.  Alaska and Rhode Island allow it to vote for President and Vice President.

Restrictions may include use of a provisional ballot if the voter’s eligibility can’t be established on election day  – which may not count if the voter doesn’t return with proof in a specified time.  For voters registering on election day, best practice is to bring your birth certificate or passport, driver’s license, and proof of where you live, such as apartment rental documents, bank statements, tax documents or utility bills.

Links to information on election-day registration and voting requirements can be found at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

National Conference of State Legislatures – Same-Day Voter Registration
Rock the Vote –  Same Day Voter Registration & Requirements

Ballotpedia – Voter Registration Deadlines
Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst – New Study Finds That States with Same Day Voter Registration Have Higher Black and Latinx Turnout
Montana Free Press – Montana Supreme Court says no to Election Day voter registration
Center for Public Integrity – It’s already too late for thousands of would-be voters: Why that matters

Groups Taking Action:
Common Cause US, League of Women Voters US,  Native American Rights Fund

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 #VoterRegistration #SameDayRegistration #ElectionDayRegistration

The post Not Registered to Vote?  Your State May Be One of Nineteen Which Allows Election Day Registration, But You’ll Need to Be Prepared. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for July 29, 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.

In 21 states plus DC, election-day voter registration has a proven record of enabling younger, nonwhite, and frequently moving citizens to vote – which is why anti-voter legislatures are scrambling to end or neutralize it.  Use it if you must, but registering early is a better way to make sure your vote counts.

The MIT Election Data & Science Lab finds that while results vary by state, election-day registration boosts turnout 3 – 6%.   Pew Research found earlier this year that 57% of Americans approve of election-day registration, but a perception that election-day registrants lean liberal, mobilized some anti-voter state legislatures to tighten its rules or eliminate it altogether.

Montana eliminated its same-day registration in 2021. New Hampshire has had same-day registration since 1994, but state Republicans now claim, without merit, that it’s vulnerable to fraud. Their true target is keeping college students from voting.   For other anti-voter legislatures, it’s Black or Hispanic voters. New Hampshire changed its rules to require same-day registrants to use provisional ballots, pending verification of citizenship and residency documents.  Five more states now allow same-day only during early voting. 

If it’s a choice over whether you vote or not, by all means register same-day.   But registering NOW, or during an early in-person voting period, ensures you can get  the right documents to register, vote, and have that vote COUNT.    

We’ve linked to the rules for your state at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl

Articles & Resources:
Voting Rights Lab – Availability of Same-Day Voter Registration
Brennan Center for Justice- Election Day Registration Could Cut Through Many of the Arguments in the Voting Wars
MIT Election Data & Science Lab – Same-day registration
University of Massachusetts Amherst – NEW STUDY FINDS THAT STATES WITH SAME DAY VOTER REGISTRATION HAVE HIGHER BLACK AND LATINX TURNOUT

BallotPedia – Arguments for and against same-day 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

Groups Taking Action:
Rock the Vote, Mi Familia Vota, Black Voters Matter, League of Women Voters Vote 411,  Brennan Center for Justice, ACLU, Center for Voter Information, Native Vote, APIAVote

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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #EarlyVoterRegistration #SameDayRegistration #ElectionDayRegistration #RegisterandVote

The post Election-Day Voter Registration Does Help People Vote, But it’s Better to Register Early to Make Sure Your Vote Counts appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

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

April 22nd, the U.S. Supreme Court declined a 2020 Texas case testing whether the state’s no-excuse mail-in voting law for seniors discriminated against younger voters.

Texas offers mail-in absentee voting to all seniors 65 and older, as do eight other states.  For anyone else in Texas, you must be sick or disabled; expecting to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day; absent from the county during early voting or election day; or legally confined but otherwise eligible. 

A group of Texas voters under 65 brought suit, arguing that allowing seniors to vote by mail without an excuse but offering it to other able-bodied adults amounted to age discrimination under the 26th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. It reads:

“The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.”

Democracy Docket reports that a federal district judge temporarily agreed with the plaintiffs, but later dismissed the case. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower court, and the voters appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.  

Monday, the court declined to hear the case, leaving Texas voters to continue the fight for equal access to mail-in ballots.

We have more on Texas mail-in ballot rules at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
State of Connecticut Legislative Research:  States Which Allow Absentee Without an Excuse for Seniors Based on Age
VoteTexas.Gov –  Voting by Mail
Democracy Docket – US Supreme Court Will Not Review Texas’ Age-Based Mail-In Voting Restrictions

U.S. Supreme Court via Democracy Docket – Brief by Plaintiffs
U.S. Supreme Court via Democracy Docket – Brief by State of Texas
Op-Ed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton – Mail-In Bal­lots: A Threat to Democracy
Bipartisan Policy Center – Mail Voting is Safe and Secure
Center for Public Integrity – In Texas, polling place closures, absentee ballot rules make it harder to vote

Groups Taking Action:
National Vote at Home Institute, League of Women Voters TX,  Disability Rights Texas, ACLU of Texas

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VoteatHome #VotingRights #VotebyMail

The post U.S. Supreme Court Passes on Texas Access to Mail-In Voting Case appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 2, 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.

In a victory for voters, Montana’s Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision March 27th, striking down four anti-voter laws which disproportionately impacted younger, disabled and Native American voters.

Montana’s constitution contains a “Right of Suffrage” clause which reads, “All elections shall be free and open, and no power, civil or military, shall at any time interfere to prevent the free exercise of the right of suffrage.”  The court affirmed that the legislature’s four bills passed in 2021 infringed on that right, among other deficiencies.

HB 176 eliminated the ability to register and vote on election day, in place since 2005 and often used by students and first-time Native American voters.  HB 530 banned paid ballot collection, making it impossible for paid get-out-the-vote workers to assist Native voters, students, the elderly, and the disabled in submitting their mail-in ballots.   

HB 506 prohibited sending mail-in ballots to voters who would be 18 by election day.  And SB 169 ended use of official student IDs as identification for voting purposes – revoking a law which had been in place for almost 20 years.  

“Election integrity” activists began pushing such cookie cutter suppression laws, after robust turnout of younger voters in recent elections.

We have links to the decision and the groups taking action at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Montana Constitution – II.13.  Right of Suffrage Provision
Montana Judicial Branch –  Opinion in Democratic Party v. Jacobsen
Montana Free Press – Montana Supreme Court declares 2021 voting laws unconstitutional
Flathead Beacon – Montana Supreme Court Strikes Down Election Laws
Election Law Blog – “The Montana Supreme Court Correctly Recognizes a Robust Right to Vote Under the State Constitution”
New Jersey Beacon – A top GOP lawyer wants to crack down on the college vote. States already are.


Groups Taking Action:
Montana Native Vote,  Native American Rights Fund, Montana Youth Action, Forward Montana Foundation, and Montana Public Interest Research Group

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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #FreedomtoVote #YouthVoting #NativeVote #Montana #MontanaPolitics

The post Montana Supreme Court Throws Out Four Anti-Voter Laws Targeting Native American, Younger, Elderly, and Disabled Voters appeared first on American Democracy Minute.