Friday, September 5 |
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THIS WEEK
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MISSOURIMissouri GOPers join the attack on fair maps |
The Missouri legislature convened this week to redraw the state’s congressional map to benefit the GOP, at President Donald Trump’s prodding. Texas lawmakers last month passed a congressional map designed to add five GOP seats. California was the first state to fight back, greenlighting a map that could counter Texas with five new Democratic seats if approved by voters in November.
Now, Missouri has entered the fray. Its eight seats in Congress are currently held by six Republicans and two Democrats. Under the new map unveiled by Gov. Mike Kehoe (R), the GOP could pick up one additional seat, at the expense of Black voters in Kansas City. For good measure, Kehoe also wants lawmakers to pass a separate measure attacking direct democracy — it would make it more difficult for Missourians to pass laws through the state’s ballot measure process.
Missouri’s legislature only needs a majority of members to be present to do business, so Democrats can’t hold up the gerrymander by leaving, as their allies in Texas did.
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NORTH CAROLINANorth Carolina's GOP-controlled elections board works with DOJ to disenfranchise voters |
North Carolina’s election board, now in GOP hands, has teamed up with Trump’s DOJ on a proposed settlement to a lawsuit challenging the state’s voter registration practices. If approved by a judge, the deal would put around 98,000 registered voters at risk of disenfranchisement in state and local elections unless they provide more identification. Read more about the North Carolina plan here.
SOUTH CAROLINASouth Carolina blocked from giving voter data to DOJ |
A South Carolina judge this week temporarily blocked the state from giving the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) its entire voter database, after a lawsuit filed by a voter
The South Carolina lawsuit came after the DOJ demanded the state turn over its entire statewide voter registration list, including every voter’s full name, date of birth, residential address, driver’s license number and Social Security number. A judge issued a temporary restraining order that stopped the South Carolina Election Commission from releasing the voter data until at least a Sept. 10 hearing.
DOJ’s demand to South Carolina is part of a broader effort to gather voter data from states across the country, in order to pressure states to more aggressively purge the rolls.
NORTH DAKOTAU.S. Supreme Court asked to decide if citizens can still enforce Section 2 of the VRA |
It’s a massively consequential question that’s been rising to the surface in the voting world: Can private citizens and organizations still sue to enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), or does only the government have the right to bring those cases?
The answer will have serious implications for the fate of the most successful civil rights law in history.
Native American voters and tribes filed a petition Tuesday asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is enforceable by private plaintiffs. They’re urging the court to overturn a series of Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals rulings that determined citizens no longer have the right to bring lawsuits against racially discriminatory voting laws.
To understand why this matters so much, consider the dramatic transformation at DOJ under Trump, in which the department has flipped its positions in voting lawsuits and switched its objective from protecting voters to searching for voter fraud. If we were forced to rely on today’s DOJ to bring racial discrimination voting cases, then that path to preserving their rights would be all but dead.
If the Supreme Court upholds the Eighth Circuit’s ruling nationwide, it would mark the most significant rollback of voting rights since Shelby County v. Holder in 2013. Read more about the petition here.
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OPINION
Election officials must guard their systems – including from federal overreach
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As we’re seeing in South Carolina, the courts have a role in protecting election systems from federal overreach.
As the 2026 midterm election gets closer, election officials will have to stand their ground to prevent unauthorized access to databases, equipment and other systems. That’s true even if the request is coming from the White House, writes Pamela Smith, president and CEO of Verified Voting, a nonpartisan organization that aims to promote the responsible use of technology in elections.
“Our democracy is only as strong as the people willing to defend it. State and local officials are on the frontlines of this work, and they must stay firm in the tough battles ahead — for the systems they manage and the voters they serve,” Smith says. Read more here.
NEW EPISODENicolle Wallace calls Trump a "weak" man |
The Republican Party has been co-opted by the far-right to enact their radical agenda. Nicolle Wallace joins Marc to discuss the devolution of the GOP, Trump’s weaknesses, and the media‘s role in preventing a fascist takeover. Watch it on YouTube here.
What We’re Doing |
Unlike in Texas – where state lawmakers can push GOP redistricting into law – it will be up to California voters to decide whether the state uses a new congressional map to counter the Texas gerrymander. With five congressional seats possibly at stake, the California special election in November is going to get heated – and probably expensive. That’s why Marc signed up to speak at a YES on Prop 50 fundraiser Sept. 10, to support the effort to counter the GOP gerrymander. We hope you’ll join him. |
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