New RNC lawsuit in Pennsylvania over mail-in ballots

 

Wednesday, September 18 We've received dozens of messages from readers about third-party ballot access lawsuits (yes, we mean RFK Jr.) that could cause states to miss critical deadlines to send ballots out to voters. Later tonight, members will receive Marc's thoughts on what happens next — upgrade now for $120/year to get it sent straight to your inbox. RNC files new lawsuit in Pennsylvania over mail-in ballots The Republican National Committee asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to prohibit ballot curing, which allows voters who made mistakes on their mail-in ballots to fix the errors, and ban voters from casting provisional ballots if their mail-in ballots are defective. Federal judges upheld pro- and anti-voting laws this week  In a win for voters, a federal judge rejected a right-wing lawsuit seeking to block a Minnesota law that establishes criminal penalties for knowingly spreading election disinformation or engaging in voter intimidation. The law will remain in place. A federal judge upheld Republican-backed Idaho laws that banned the use of student IDs for voter registration and in-person voting. Lawsuits say the laws discriminate against young voters and violate the U.S. Constitution. South Carolina must give right-wing group access to voter rolls The South Carolina State Election Commission must give a right-wing legal group access to their voter registration list, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday. County officials sue Texas AG for trying to block voter registration efforts Travis County, Texas officials sued state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), alleging his office violated the National Voter Registration Act in its attempt to block the county’s voter registration efforts. THE SCOREBOARD Since Jan. 1, 2023 Mark Meadows receives loss in Arizona 2020 election subversion case A judge rejected Mark Meadows' request on Monday to move his Arizona fake electors criminal case from state court to federal court. This same move was rejected multiple times in Meadow's Georgia election subversion indictment. Deep dive into Trump’s Agenda 47 and what it means for democracy Former President Donald Trump may be trying to distance himself from Project 2025, but his campaign's 16-page plan would wreak just as much havoc on democracy. Read here to learn everything you need to know about Trump’s Agenda 47. “We will implement measures to secure our Elections, including Voter ID, highly sophisticated paper ballots, proof of Citizenship, and same day Voting. We will not allow the Democrats to give Voting Rights to illegal Aliens,” his campaign said in the agenda. The latest on the Pennsylvania undated and misdated ballots case A Pennsylvania court allowed groups to refile their lawsuit to count undated and misdated mail-in ballots after a ruling requiring these ballots to be counted was tossed on technical grounds. The Republican National Committee wants the case to be dismissed to keep the ballots disqualified. Last week, the state Supreme Court said mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania that don’t have a correct handwritten date on the outer return envelope must not be counted. In a new YouTube video, Democracy Docket’s Sophie Feldman breaks down what this means for voters and how it could impact the 2024 election.  This is our free daily newsletter — help keep it that way and support our work. You can upgrade to our premium subscription to unlock exclusive insights, news and more. Want to change how you receive these emails?

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Republicans challenge Georgia election board rules

 

Wednesday, September 11

This morning, Democracy Docket members received Marc’s exclusive analysis on why yesterday was such an important day for democracy (hint: it wasn’t just because of the presidential debate). If you don’t want to miss out on premium content like this, consider upgrading today for $10/month.

Republicans join Democrats in challenging Georgia election board rules Two Georgia Republicans sued the State Election Board over new rules passed by MAGA board members that could delay certification and impose strict rules for drop boxes. The suit claims the board lacks the authority to implement the policies. Harris highlights her dedication to democracy during presidential debate “We cannot afford to have a president of the United States who attempts, as he did in the past, to upend the will of the voters in a free and fair election,” Vice President Kamala Harris said at last night’s debate against former President Donald Trump. Read about Harris’ record on voting rights throughout her career here and learn about other pro-democracy candidates running in the 2024 election here.

THE SCOREBOARD

Since Jan. 1, 2023

3rd Circuit hears right-wing lawsuit in Pennsylvania on noncitizen voting The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral argument today in a right-wing lawsuit seeking access to Pennsylvania's voter registration records to identify alleged noncitizens. Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) filed this case back in 2019, and the group has an extensive history of challenging states’ voter rolls and pushing a false narrative about noncitizen voting. Deep dive into Texas AG’s legal challenges to voter registration efforts Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) is suing two counties to block voter registration efforts, claiming the plans violate state law. In a new YouTube video, Marc and Democracy Docket’s Sophie Feldman break down what the counties’ plans entail and why Paxton is suing over these efforts.

Corrupt Texas AG THREATENS Doctors Over Emergency Abortion

 

A doctor said that carrying the fetus, with a fatal condition, to term could harm Kate Cox for life. John Iadarola, Rayyvana and Jackson White discuss on The Young Turks.

U.S. News Ken Paxton Crime Austin Texas AP Sources: FBI is investigating Texas attorney general

Cape Cod Women for Change

This is the man who has filed the case against the ACA that made it to SCOTUS. His own staff alerted authorities to the issues now being investigated. Most of his staff has now quit or been fired.

huh.

"The FBI is investigating allegations that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton broke the law in using his office to benefit a wealthy donor, according to two people with knowledge of the probe.

Federal agents are looking into claims by former members of Paxton’s staff that the high-profile Republican committed bribery, abuse of office and other crimes to help Austin real estate developer Nate Paul, the people told The Associated Press. They insisted on anonymity to discuss the investigation because it is ongoing."

DALLAS (AP) — The FBI is investigating allegations that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton broke the law in using his office to benefit a wealthy donor, according to two people with knowledge of the probe.

Federal agents are looking into claims by former members of Paxton’s staff that the high-profile Republican committed bribery, abuse of office and other crimes to help Austin real estate developer Nate Paul, the people told The Associated Press. They insisted on anonymity to discuss the investigation because it is ongoing.

Confirmation of the criminal probe marks mounting legal peril for Paxton, who’s denied wrongdoing and refused calls for his resignation since his top deputies reported him to federal authorities at the end of September.

A criminal defense attorney for Paxton, Philip Hilder, declined to comment. Spokespersons in the attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

MORE STORIES:

• – Letter: Top deputies accuse Texas attorney general of crimes
• – Texas congressman calls on state attorney general to resign
• – Judge moves criminal case against Texas attorney general

It’s unclear how far the FBI is into investigating the allegations against Paxton. An agency spokeswoman in San Antonio declined to comment.

Paxton is accused of using his position as Texas’ top law enforcement official to benefit Paul in several ways, according to seven senior lawyers in the attorney general’s office and the agency’s head of law enforcement. Central to their claims is the fact that Paxton hired an outside lawyer to investigate the developer’s allegations that the FBI improperly searched his home and offices last year.

Each of Paxton’s accusers has resigned, been put on leave or been fired since reporting him. Last week, four of them filed a state whistleblower lawsuit against the attorney general, claiming he ousted them as retribution.

The full nature of Paxton and Paul’s connection remains unclear. In 2018, Paul donated $25,000 to the attorney general’s reelection campaign. The developer also said in a recent deposition that Paxton recommended a woman for her job with his company.

Two people previously told The Associated Press that Paxton acknowledged in 2018 having an extramarital affair with the woman, who was then a state Senate aide. The people spoke on condition of anonymity due to fears about retaliation.

Full Coverage: Ken Paxton

Paxton said in a Tuesday statement to the Austin American-Stateman that, “after reviewing the claims made by former employees of this office, their allegations are overblown, based upon assumptions, and to a large degree misrepresent the facts.”

Paxton has spent most of his tenure in office maintaining his innocence in the face of an indictment on unrelated securities fraud charges. The case has been stalled for years over legal challenges.

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