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

[muon2]

At a press conference this morning, a coalition of Democratic activists called out Dem Sec of State White for failing to comply with IL AVR. The current level of implementation means that the opt-out portions of AVR won't be ready for the Chicago and other municipal elections next Feb and Apr.

What a bum! I don't understand, is this just govt incompetence in setting up a new system, or did he not want to do it the way it was intended? Because those statements look like he didn't want to actually do AVR, as he seems to acknowledge that what is implemented right now is AVR to him.

I don't know that it comes solely from the Secretary. My sense is that top staff don't like to do anything with the DMV and DL other than license cars and drivers. It was a fight a few years ago to get DLs to include notation that the holder was a vet and could access state services without bringing their DD-214 (discharge papers). In the case of AVR the DMV is more about the automatic than the tie in to Real ID to get to opt-out.

[Badger]

One cause of the disparity in polling places was section 5 of the VRA. Any changes to polling places that impacted covered minorities were subject to preclearance or judicial review just like redistricting. Many covered states chose to leave them unchanged, even as voting populations grew, rather than deal with the feds. Now that section 5 is inactive those disparities should be open to challenge under section 2, particularly after the precincts are redrawn due to the 2020 Census.

This may be naive, Muon, but surely plans to expand voting locations and machines in minority-majority districts would likely sail through fed review relatively easily? I mean, it is the feds, but still.

[muon2]

One cause of the disparity in polling places was section 5 of the VRA. Any changes to polling places that impacted covered minorities were subject to preclearance or judicial review just like redistricting. Many covered states chose to leave them unchanged, even as voting populations grew, rather than deal with the feds. Now that section 5 is inactive those disparities should be open to challenge under section 2, particularly after the precincts are redrawn due to the 2020 Census.

This may be naive, Muon, but surely plans to expand voting locations and machines in minority-majority districts would likely sail through fed review relatively easily? I mean, it is the feds, but still.

I would think so, too. I suspect that the states in question didn't want to open the whole question of precincts and polling places, so the easy course was to make no changes unless ordered to do so.

[Virginiá]

At any rate, the extent to which AVR in Illinois is important is largely in reducing the number of people who need to use same-day registration at polling places, so as to reduce wait times. That and to help the counties who opted not to allow SDR at the polls and only at the clerk's office. So in the end, voters are still much better off in IL than a majority of the country, registration-wise.

Even with a slow rollout, IL has still been a bright spot for pro-voter reforms (with a big assist from someone in this thread!) in a sea of regressive voter access laws.

[Gass3268]

EPIC-MRA-Michgian:



Also an initiative to reform redistricting up 48-32. If both of these pass, Michigan could go from one of the worst voting states to one of the best.

Also, an initiative to legalize recreational pot is up 56-41.

Source

[Badger]

EPIC-MRA-Michgian:



Also an initiative to reform redistricting up 48-32. If both of these pass, Michigan could go from one of the worst voting states to one of the best.

Also, an initiative to legalize recreational pot is up 56-41.

Source

[jimrtex]

Those Latino wait times are shocking. 10% of Latinos are half an hour away from a polling station and 11% wait half an hour in line? That's with the fact that Latino turnout is awful.

I can't even imagine waiting in line more than 10 minutes to vote, quite frankly.

It would be interesting to see if the respondents could indicate on a map where their polling place is and how they would travel there.

[ON Progressive]

https://twitter.com/AriBerman/status/1049778552013541376

SCOTUS rules 6-2 to essentially disenfranchise Native Americans in North Dakota, and the fact that can't be said to be hyperbole says a lot.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

https://twitter.com/AriBerman/status/1049778552013541376

SCOTUS rules 6-2 to essentially disenfranchise Native Americans in North Dakota, and the fact that can't be said to be hyperbole says a lot.

Do those IDs include a picture and address?  I feel like there’s probably more to this than meets the eye (i.e. some sort of legitimate and important legal basis for this decision) since it was a 6-2 decision.  Some of these guys can be political hacks and I’d argue Roberts is, if not an outright racist, at least someone who is dangerously out-of-touch with and unempathetic about the challenges facing minorities in general and African-Americans in particular due to his own personal prejudices which were very clearly manifested during his time at the Justice Department during the Reagan administration.  That said, these folks are brilliant lawyers and even with the more activist Justices like Ginsberg, Kennedy (before his retirement), post-Bush v. Gore Scalia, etc, I’ll sometimes read decisions I hate for ideological reasons (ex: upholding Trump’s de facto Muslim ban) and find that there was actually a very strong constitutional basis for the court’s decision (as opposed to something like McCutcheon v. FEC or D.C. v. Heller which were simply shameless judicial activism).

[Koharu]

https://twitter.com/AriBerman/status/1049778552013541376

SCOTUS rules 6-2 to essentially disenfranchise Native Americans in North Dakota, and the fact that can't be said to be hyperbole says a lot.

Yeah, this disgusts me.

Do those IDs include a picture and address?  

Yes. They need a street address. However, USPS doesn't deliver on reservations and thus the folks in North Dakota who live on the reservations have post office boxes instead, which do not qualify for addresses for ID purposes, for obvious reasons.


Kavanaugh did not vote, and I don't think we're sure what the tally is, as it doesn't have to be given. RGB and Kagan are known dissents.

https://www.narf.org/cases/nd-voter-id/
http://www.scotusblog.com/2018/10/court-stays-out-of-north-dakota-voting-dispute/

It is important to note that this is not about the constitutionality of this ID law, but whether there should be a hold on enforcement until after the election or not. I am sure the constitutionality of this will probably work its way up to the Supreme Court at some point. That said, I still think it's a huge failing as a change in election laws so close to the election will suppress voter turnout.

[jimrtex]

https://twitter.com/AriBerman/status/1049778552013541376

SCOTUS rules 6-2 to essentially disenfranchise Native Americans in North Dakota, and the fact that can't be said to be hyperbole says a lot.

Do those IDs include a picture and address?  I feel like there’s probably more to this than meets the eye (i.e. some sort of legitimate and important legal basis for this decision) since it was a 6-2 decision.  Some of these guys can be political hacks and I’d argue Roberts is, if not an outright racist, at least someone who is dangerously out-of-touch with and unempathetic about the challenges facing minorities in general and African-Americans in particular due to his own personal prejudices which were very clearly manifested during his time at the Justice Department during the Reagan administration.  That said, these folks are brilliant lawyers and even with the more activist Justices like Ginsberg, Kennedy (before his retirement), post-Bush v. Gore Scalia, etc, I’ll sometimes read decisions I hate for ideological reasons (ex: upholding Trump’s de facto Muslim ban) and find that there was actually a very strong constitutional basis for the court’s decision (as opposed to something like McCutcheon v. FEC or D.C. v. Heller which were simply shameless judicial activism).

North Dakota does not have voter registration. How can you tell which precinct someone lives in?

[jimrtex]

At a press conference this morning, a coalition of Democratic activists called out Dem Sec of State White for failing to comply with IL AVR. The current level of implementation means that the opt-out portions of AVR won't be ready for the Chicago and other municipal elections next Feb and Apr.

What a bum! I don't understand, is this just govt incompetence in setting up a new system, or did he not want to do it the way it was intended? Because those statements look like he didn't want to actually do AVR, as he seems to acknowledge that what is implemented right now is AVR to him.

The California DMV registered 1500 non-citizens under its AVR scheme.

[Virginiá]

The California DMV registered 1500 non-citizens under its AVR scheme.

"scheme"

[jimrtex]

The California DMV registered 1500 non-citizens under its AVR scheme.

"scheme"

n. a large-scale systematic plan or arrangement for attaining some particular object or putting a particular idea into effect

[Virginiá]

Oh I know what it means. I just thought it was an interesting term for a fairly basic change to election registration. The word "scheme" seems pretty negative for such a thing.

It's not like these kinds of mistakes can't be mitigated with changes over time. It's certainly not an unacceptable price to pay. At least no more than voter ID and the thousands of people unable to vote for any number of reasons resulting from the restriction (forgot ID, expired ID, didn't have an ID, etc).

[ON Progressive]

RIP Singletxguyforfun

https://twitter.com/marceelias/status/1054428513468592128

[Gass3268]

RIP Singletxguyforfun

https://twitter.com/marceelias/status/1054428513468592128

Big win for voting rights!

[Virginiá]

Somewhat predictably:

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-hampshire/articles/2018-10-26/legal-fight-continues-over-voter-registration-law

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I really wish these groups/people would file lawsuits sooner. This law was passed in early 2017. How many times do they need to get smacked down weeks from election day before they get that?

[Virginiá]

Do any NJ users know if more election reform bills are on the agenda before 2019's legislative elections? Maybe I missed some more bills, but what Murphy indicated he was going to do and what actually happened seems vast and disappointing. The only major bill I recall passing is automatic voter registration. What about in-person early voting? Same-day registration? Online voter registration? Allowing people on parole/probation to vote?

The way Murphy had talked about voting rights, it seemed like he was going to ram through huge reforms, such as but not limited to the Democracy Act, a bill the legislature already tried to pass under Christie yet seemed to just forget about once they took back the govs office:

https://www.aclu-nj.org/legislation/democracy-act

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[GeorgiaModerate]

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[Virginiá]

Just dropping this here so it's not forgotten:

https://twitter.com/LamarWhiteJr/status/1063192983254822912

It's a disgusting comment for sure, but she isn't unique for saying it. This is what most Republican lawmakers either think/directly support or are willing to indirectly support with little-to-no resistance.

[Dr Oz Lost Party!]

Just dropping this here so it's not forgotten:

https://twitter.com/LamarWhiteJr/status/1063192983254822912

It's a disgusting comment for sure, but she isn't unique for saying it. This is what most Republican lawmakers either think/directly support or are willing to indirectly support with little-to-no resistance.

What is wrong with this woman?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Just dropping this here so it's not forgotten:

https://twitter.com/LamarWhiteJr/status/1063192983254822912

It's a disgusting comment for sure, but she isn't unique for saying it. This is what most Republican lawmakers either think/directly support or are willing to indirectly support with little-to-no resistance.

What is wrong with this woman?

You know, it might not be the "PC" thing to say, but Cindy Hyde-Smith is a world-class bitch.

[Virginiá]

I think it's fair to say that making election day a federal holiday needs to instead be a "semi-holiday," where services critical to the electoral process are kept open:

https://twitter.com/JessicaHuseman/status/1064005663653793792

We might be better off just moving election day to Saturday, although further research on what the net benefits of keeping it on a Tuesday but making it a holiday would be wise.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Here's a radical idea.  Why not open the polling places for two (or even more) days?  Obviously no votes would be counted until polls were closed on the final day.  We already have extensive mail voting in some states that spreads out the time period when ballots are received.  Yes, it would be additional expense for the states conducting the elections.  But this could be mitigated to some degree by not necessarily having them open for the same hours each day.  For example, in Georgia the polls are open from 7am-7pm.  Why not have them something like 7am-5pm one day and 10am-8pm the next day.