Voting rights bills and lawsuits megathread (Updated: April 27th 2020)

[muon2]

Automatic voter registration unanimously passed the IL House today and will return to the Senate for concurrence on the House amendment which became the bill.

[GeorgiaModerate]

The Supreme Court will hear a case next term challenging Ohio’s policy of removing inactive voters from the registration rolls: http://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/335595-supreme-court-to-hear-ohio-voter-purge-case

[Rjjr77]

The Supreme Court will hear a case next term challenging Ohio’s policy of removing inactive voters from the registration rolls: http://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/335595-supreme-court-to-hear-ohio-voter-purge-case

I have a feeling the supreme court will rule this practice as constitutional, and in my opinion rightfully so.

[KingSweden]

Automatic voter registration unanimously passed the IL House today and will return to the Senate for concurrence on the House amendment which became the bill.

Why is everyone (including Rauner) game for this version and not the last one?

[muon2]

Automatic voter registration unanimously passed the IL House today and will return to the Senate for concurrence on the House amendment which became the bill.

Why is everyone (including Rauner) game for this version and not the last one?

The first version was essentially based on the idea that this is a great progressive idea and we ought to pass it. It couldn't be implemented as passed, and likely violated federal law to boot. The current version is based on the idea that we can make the voting process more efficient and secure, especially in light of polling places crowded last year with election day registrants and a state election data base hacked last year exposing over 100 K records.

The Senate has concurred with the amendment and it is on its way to the Gov.

[KingSweden]

Automatic voter registration unanimously passed the IL House today and will return to the Senate for concurrence on the House amendment which became the bill.

Why is everyone (including Rauner) game for this version and not the last one?

The first version was essentially based on the idea that this is a great progressive idea and we ought to pass it. It couldn't be implemented as passed, and likely violated federal law to boot. The current version is based on the idea that we can make the voting process more efficient and secure, especially in light of polling places crowded last year with election day registrants and a state election data base hacked last year exposing over 100 K records.

The Senate has concurred with the amendment and it is on its way to the Gov.

Got it, thanks. AVR I think is a great idea all around for simplicity, IMO.

[Virginiá]

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Abbott signs relaxed voter ID, end of straight-party voting into law
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http://www.statesman.com/news/abbott-signs-voter-end-straight-party-voting-into-law/5vb95W3p0406a5mRgysEyL/

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Honestly, that is a voter ID bill I could get behind, save for the absurd felony provision.

[catographer]

Laws are passed to address issues. When there's a problem, fix it. When there's not a problem, don't fix it. So why are voter ID laws being passed if voter fraud is a nonissue?*

*source: https://www.brennancenter.org/analysis/debunking-voter-fraud-myth

[Virginiá]

Laws are passed to address issues. When there's a problem, fix it. When there's not a problem, don't fix it. So why are voter ID laws being passed if voter fraud is a nonissue?*

*source: https://www.brennancenter.org/analysis/debunking-voter-fraud-myth

Oh, I agree. However in a situation where a voter ID bill is going to get passed one way or another, this is arguably the best outcome. West Virginia also did something similar to this. I believe checking basic documentation, such as a utility bill or bank statement goes far enough in deterring fraud, as in-person voter fraud is already insanely rare. Any other solutions to this non-existent problems can be done in the form of better data collection and management of the voter registration system.

[KingSweden]

==================================================================================
Abbott signs relaxed voter ID, end of straight-party voting into law
==================================================================================

http://www.statesman.com/news/abbott-signs-voter-end-straight-party-voting-into-law/5vb95W3p0406a5mRgysEyL/

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Honestly, that is a voter ID bill I could get behind, save for the absurd felony provision.

Yeah this is honestly not that bad by Southern GOP standards

[Rjjr77]

Automatic voter registration unanimously passed the IL House today and will return to the Senate for concurrence on the House amendment which became the bill.

Why is everyone (including Rauner) game for this version and not the last one?

The first version was essentially based on the idea that this is a great progressive idea and we ought to pass it. It couldn't be implemented as passed, and likely violated federal law to boot. The current version is based on the idea that we can make the voting process more efficient and secure, especially in light of polling places crowded last year with election day registrants and a state election data base hacked last year exposing over 100 K records.

The Senate has concurred with the amendment and it is on its way to the Gov.

Got it, thanks. AVR I think is a great idea all around for simplicity, IMO.

I actually don't agree. Avr is a operations mess

[Virginiá]

I actually don't agree. Avr is a operations mess

How? All it does is automate something that previously required some input from people (although some versions of it still require a modicum of input). Otherwise I can't possibly see why you would say this.

It is only a mess so long as the design and basic implementation is a mess. The idea itself is solid, and there is no reason it couldn't be implemented smoothly.

[KingSweden]

I actually don't agree. Avr is a operations mess

How? All it does is automate something that previously required some input from people (although some versions of it still require a modicum of input). Otherwise I can't possibly see why you would say this.

It is only a mess so long as the design and basic implementation is a mess. The idea itself is solid, and there is no reason it couldn't be implemented smoothly.

Word. Voting is a right that should be available to all law-abiding citizens. It should not be controversial to make it easy for anyone who wishes to vote to do so

[muon2]

I actually don't agree. Avr is a operations mess

How? All it does is automate something that previously required some input from people (although some versions of it still require a modicum of input). Otherwise I can't possibly see why you would say this.

It is only a mess so long as the design and basic implementation is a mess. The idea itself is solid, and there is no reason it couldn't be implemented smoothly.

Correct. It's a mess where states put it through without the planning or resources to implement it. AVR requires coordination between the state agencies (principally Motor Vehicles) and the state election authority, then from the state election authority to local jurisdictions (often counties) that have to run the polls. Making sure data formats and cross-checks are in place are part of a good program. So is setting up a clear and private process for citizens who want to opt out for personal reasons. Done properly, AVR acts like voter ID on the front end, so there is less need for it on the back end at the polling place. The IL law does all those things.

[Rjjr77]

I actually don't agree. Avr is a operations mess

How? All it does is automate something that previously required some input from people (although some versions of it still require a modicum of input). Otherwise I can't possibly see why you would say this.

It is only a mess so long as the design and basic implementation is a mess. The idea itself is solid, and there is no reason it couldn't be implemented smoothly.

It's great in theory hard in practice. People are not stationary, they move around, 40% of eligible voters never vote. We have a moving 40% clogging up rolls making larger voter books that may be registered in places they don't live with no update.

The biggest problem with us voting is illegal voting. It isn't fraud. It's people voting in places they aren't eligible in, this continues this as well as presents people that run elections with additional challenges.

At the end of the day SOME responsibility has to fall on the voter.

[Virginiá]

It's great in theory hard in practice. People are not stationary, they move around, 40% of eligible voters never vote. We have a moving 40% clogging up rolls making larger voter books that may be registered in places they don't live with no update.

The biggest problem with us voting is illegal voting. It isn't fraud. It's people voting in places they aren't eligible in, this continues this as well as presents people that run elections with additional challenges.

At the end of the day SOME responsibility has to fall on the voter.

Honestly, I don't really get what you're saying. The point of AVR is to keep the voter registration database in sync with other state databases, so when people move, their registration follows them. This has been done in other states and it is mostly working as expected.

Second, from a developer's perspective the 'clogging' is completely irrelevant. A database with 700,000 or millions of people in it is not unmanageable. If gmail or outlook can handle millions of users, state systems can be made to handle the same. We're not really talking about a complicated system when it comes to voter registration.

I haven't seen any evidence that AVR is anything but positive for the way elections are handled. People shouldn't have to worry about their registration when the state already has all the relevant information - particularly when someone is already registered and they move, and give the DMV their new information. It's all so redundant and to me, reflects this outdated view that "the gubmint" is always wrong, inefficient and incapable, when it is not, at least in this case. And this is before you factor in lawmakers screwing with the way elections are handled for meager partisan advantage.

[muon2]

I actually don't agree. Avr is a operations mess

How? All it does is automate something that previously required some input from people (although some versions of it still require a modicum of input). Otherwise I can't possibly see why you would say this.

It is only a mess so long as the design and basic implementation is a mess. The idea itself is solid, and there is no reason it couldn't be implemented smoothly.

It's great in theory hard in practice. People are not stationary, they move around, 40% of eligible voters never vote. We have a moving 40% clogging up rolls making larger voter books that may be registered in places they don't live with no update.

The biggest problem with us voting is illegal voting. It isn't fraud. It's people voting in places they aren't eligible in, this continues this as well as presents people that run elections with additional challenges.

At the end of the day SOME responsibility has to fall on the voter.

In IL this was borne out by testimony from county clerks and local election officials. That same testimony talked about how the most important thing to address this was to catch address changes that lead to people showing up in a polling place without registration. Downstate IL counties were particularly affected by this in the 2016 primary when a surprising number of unregistered voters came out for Trump. Those counties spent a lot of time and money processing provisional ballots.

AVR fixes that. Most people will go to the DMV or some other state agency when they move to change their address. In the case of the DMV that change links to their status under the federal Real ID program (which includes citizenship) and uses that to verify their eligibility to vote. The new address and registration goes to the local election jurisdiction, and at the same time the state election board notifies the locals to delete any prior registration. The state can also tie to other states to track moves between states.

[Virginiá]

This is a huge DK "roundup" on voting rights stuff, and it's too large to post here or even properly summarize, so I'd just recommend at least skimming it. It has updates on TX, NC, NH, OH, MD, CT, IL and RI, AL, GA and ME.

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/6/2/1667723/-Voting-Rights-Roundup-Stubborn-Texas-Republicans-face-potential-redistricting-Armageddon

Some highlights:

Illinois: AVR
Rhode Island: AVR
Connecticut: Another push for early voting
Texas: About their redistricting woes
Maryland: Update on a lawsuit over their gerrymandered Congressional map, one that tries to get it thrown out as a partisan gerrymander, which ironically might work in Democrats favor should it succeed.
Alabama: felony disenfranchisement law that makes it slightly easier to get voting rights back, but whose impact may be limited to as little as a few thousand people (out of 300,000+)
North Carolina: Where do I even start? I'd just skim that one for sure. As is usual with the NCGOP, it's a whole lot of lawsuits and drama

[Rjjr77]

I actually don't agree. Avr is a operations mess

How? All it does is automate something that previously required some input from people (although some versions of it still require a modicum of input). Otherwise I can't possibly see why you would say this.

It is only a mess so long as the design and basic implementation is a mess. The idea itself is solid, and there is no reason it couldn't be implemented smoothly.

It's great in theory hard in practice. People are not stationary, they move around, 40% of eligible voters never vote. We have a moving 40% clogging up rolls making larger voter books that may be registered in places they don't live with no update.

The biggest problem with us voting is illegal voting. It isn't fraud. It's people voting in places they aren't eligible in, this continues this as well as presents people that run elections with additional challenges.

At the end of the day SOME responsibility has to fall on the voter.

In IL this was borne out by testimony from county clerks and local election officials. That same testimony talked about how the most important thing to address this was to catch address changes that lead to people showing up in a polling place without registration. Downstate IL counties were particularly affected by this in the 2016 primary when a surprising number of unregistered voters came out for Trump. Those counties spent a lot of time and money processing provisional ballots.

AVR fixes that. Most people will go to the DMV or some other state agency when they move to change their address. In the case of the DMV that change links to their status under the federal Real ID program (which includes citizenship) and uses that to verify their eligibility to vote. The new address and registration goes to the local election jurisdiction, and at the same time the state election board notifies the locals to delete any prior registration. The state can also tie to other states to track moves between states.

Avr doesn't fix this, it actually accentuates the problem. Yes people go to the dmv to change addresses but this actually creates duplicates under AVR, because AVR doesn't automatically remove anyone.and many people who move within state don't go to the dmv in anyway

[Rjjr77]

It's great in theory hard in practice. People are not stationary, they move around, 40% of eligible voters never vote. We have a moving 40% clogging up rolls making larger voter books that may be registered in places they don't live with no update.

The biggest problem with us voting is illegal voting. It isn't fraud. It's people voting in places they aren't eligible in, this continues this as well as presents people that run elections with additional challenges.

At the end of the day SOME responsibility has to fall on the voter.

Honestly, I don't really get what you're saying. The point of AVR is to keep the voter registration database in sync with other state databases, so when people move, their registration follows them. This has been done in other states and it is mostly working as expected.

Second, from a developer's perspective the 'clogging' is completely irrelevant. A database with 700,000 or millions of people in it is not unmanageable. If gmail or outlook can handle millions of users, state systems can be made to handle the same. We're not really talking about a complicated system when it comes to voter registration.

I haven't seen any evidence that AVR is anything but positive for the way elections are handled. People shouldn't have to worry about their registration when the state already has all the relevant information - particularly when someone is already registered and they move, and give the DMV their new information. It's all so redundant and to me, reflects this outdated view that "the gubmint" is always wrong, inefficient and incapable, when it is not, at least in this case. And this is before you factor in lawmakers screwing with the way elections are handled for meager partisan advantage.

You live in this fantasy world where everything is online. Statewide databases are great but that's not how elections are actually run. They are run by underpaid local officials who physically have to create pollbooks. Whether electronic or physically it is up to these individuals to constantly enter early voting into these databases as well as deal with the actual logistics of putting on a physical election.

AVR doesn't keep the books straight in anyway, it actually does the opposite, it puts tons of people with no desire to vote on the rolls, as well as people that move. DMV databases are atrocious full of duplicates and people who live nowhere near where they say there are. The only way AVR works is if a nationwide database is created, using IRS and citizenship data

[Badger]

I actually don't agree. Avr is a operations mess

How? All it does is automate something that previously required some input from people (although some versions of it still require a modicum of input). Otherwise I can't possibly see why you would say this.

It is only a mess so long as the design and basic implementation is a mess. The idea itself is solid, and there is no reason it couldn't be implemented smoothly.

It's great in theory hard in practice. People are not stationary, they move around, 40% of eligible voters never vote. We have a moving 40% clogging up rolls making larger voter books that may be registered in places they don't live with no update.

The biggest problem with us voting is illegal voting. It isn't fraud. It's people voting in places they aren't eligible in, this continues this as well as presents people that run elections with additional challenges.

At the end of the day SOME responsibility has to fall on the voter.

In IL this was borne out by testimony from county clerks and local election officials. That same testimony talked about how the most important thing to address this was to catch address changes that lead to people showing up in a polling place without registration. Downstate IL counties were particularly affected by this in the 2016 primary when a surprising number of unregistered voters came out for Trump. Those counties spent a lot of time and money processing provisional ballots.

AVR fixes that. Most people will go to the DMV or some other state agency when they move to change their address. In the case of the DMV that change links to their status under the federal Real ID program (which includes citizenship) and uses that to verify their eligibility to vote. The new address and registration goes to the local election jurisdiction, and at the same time the state election board notifies the locals to delete any prior registration. The state can also tie to other states to track moves between states.

Avr doesn't fix this, it actually accentuates the problem. Yes people go to the dmv to change addresses but this actually creates duplicates under AVR, because AVR doesn't automatically remove anyone.and many people who move within state don't go to the dmv in anyway

Ummm. You DO realize what Muon does for a living, right? You really should give him the benefit of the doubt in knowing more than you here.

[GeorgiaModerate]

NC Gov. Cooper calls a special session to redraw legislative maps: http://www.wral.com/cooper-tells-lawmakers-to-redraw-voting-maps/16748709/

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[Gass3268]

NC Gov. Cooper calls a special session to redraw legislative maps: http://www.wral.com/cooper-tells-lawmakers-to-redraw-voting-maps/16748709/

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Word is Cooper is trying to get this done as soon as possible in order to try and force an election this year.

[Virginiá]

Word is Cooper is trying to get this done as soon as possible in order to try and force an election this year.

As far as I know, the legislature doesn't seem willing to redraw anything yet. From the article:

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No doubt that they intend to stall for as long as possible to avoid a special election. I wouldn't be surprised if they start ramming through more changes to election law in the comings months, starting with a reworked voter ID bill.

-

Edit: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article155062009.html

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[krazen1211]

California Democrats are trying to change the rules to ensure a tax raising fiend remains in office!


Link


Over impassioned objections from GOP lawmakers, California Democrats on Thursday used a budget maneuver to help out a freshman colleague, Sen. Josh Newman, who faces an ugly recall battle in Southern California after voting for increasing the state’s gas tax less than six months after he was elected.

Slipped into a budget-related bill on a veteran’s cemetery was a provision to add new requirements for qualifying a recall petition for the ballot.