Defending Democracy
One thing is certain after the state Supreme Court ruling on constitutional amendments – more court hearings
North Carolina Republicans’ long desire to impose a photo identification requirement to vote has been threatened by the legislature’s failure in 2011 to draw constitutional election districts. The Democratic majority on the state Supreme Court majority wrote in its opinion last week that constitutional amendments proposed by a legislature with members elected from unconstitutional racially gerrymandered districts aren’t automatically considered valid.
The Trump team’s many claims on classified documents at Mar-a-Lago
When the FBI executed a search warrant (not a raid, as Trump’s text to me claims) of classified documents at the former president’s Mar-A-Lago resort, we’ve been given myriad of reasons for why Donald Trump did what he did, even as he’s facing the likelihood of some serious legal trouble. 1) These documents were taken […]
Election officials can’t access federal funding for security as violent threats mount
Colorado’s election officials, like so many across the country, faced a surge of violent threats after the 2020 election. Federal authorities are prosecuting a man who pled guilty to threatening a Colorado election official on Instagram, where he wrote: “Do you feel safe? You shouldn’t.” And Colorado police arrested a man accused of calling Secretary of State Jena Griswold and saying that “the angel of death is coming for her.”
Breaking: NC Supreme Court keeps alive the NC NAACP challenge to voter ID
The state Supreme Court in a 4-3 vote agreed with a central argument the North Carolina NAACP made in its challenge to controversial constitutional amendments, keeping alive the case against voter ID and an income tax cap. (Click here to read the majority and dissenting opinions.) The Supreme Court’s Democratic majority wrote that proposed constitutional […]
Former Trump attorney worked with Atlanta tech firm to hack Coffee County, Georgia voting system
An attorney connected to former President Donald Trump coordinated with experts from an Atlanta-based computer firm to hack into Coffee County’s voting system in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, according to records obtained in a federal lawsuit challenging the security of Georgia’s voting system. The subpoenaed documents indicate that former Trump attorney Sidney […]
U.S. attorney general says DOJ asked for public release of search warrant for Trump estate
WASHINGTON — U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the U.S. Department of Justice moved Thursday to release the search warrant a federal judge issued earlier this week that allowed federal agents to enter former President Donald Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. DOJ, Garland said, has filed a motion in the Southern District of Florida […]
Experts discuss NC’s next big gerrymandering case and its implications for American democracy — Video
For those who may have missed last Thursday’s NC Policy Watch Crucial Conversation, “Moore v. Harper: The latest NC gerrymandering case and its implications for American democracy,” with experts Allison Riggs, Michael Li and Sailor Jones, you can now check out a video of the event by clicking below.
How election deniers are campaigning to control voting in four critical states
Mark Finchem, an Arizona state representative who has said he would not have certified the 2020 election, won the Republican primary for secretary of state on Tuesday, making him the latest election denier to move closer to controlling his state’s election system. Across the country, Republicans who say the 2020 election was rigged are vying […]
Members of U.S. Senate committee consider bipartisan changes to Electoral Count Act
Proposal seeks to prevent repeat of confusion from January 2021 surrounding Vice President's role and duties WASHINGTON — Lawmakers and legal experts at a U.S. Senate hearing on Wednesday outlined the need to pass legislation clarifying an archaic election law so that the peaceful transfer of presidential power is ensured. The Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act, a bipartisan bill being pushed by 16 senators...
Election officials at U.S. Senate hearing describe threats, spread of misinformation
WASHINGTON — Democrats on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday explored how to combat violent threats lodged against election officials, while Republicans questioned why the Department of Justice isn’t doing more to investigate threats against crisis pregnancy centers and Supreme Court justices. During a hearing on protecting election officials, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite […]
Disenfranchised no more, ‘Second Chance voters’ can register and cast ballots — for now
Allowing those on probation and parole to vote marks the largest expansion of voting rights in North Carolina since the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Daquan Peters didn’t waste any time registering to vote on Wednesday. He hadn’t been fast enough last year, during a 10-day window between court proceedings where people like him, those who were home after spending time imprisoned for a felony but still on probation or parole, were briefly re-enfranchised.
Experts warn of election ‘havoc’ across the U.S. if North Carolina case succeeds
Moore v. Harper case brought by NC GOP could undo key fundamentals of U.S. elections WASHINGTON — Legal experts on Thursday warned lawmakers on the U.S. House Administration Committee that if the U.S. Supreme Court upholds a North Carolina case that embraces a fringe election theory, it would undermine future elections across the country. “To […]