Battles Over Federal Voting Restrictions Continue in Courts, States
Donald Trump is determined to nationalize control of elections and introduce draconian new limits on voting rights, by any means within his power. Fortunately for the future of American democracy, he’s being resisted at every turn.
NCLCV has recently covered Trump’s inability to date to bully enough members of Congress to legislate his power grab into law. Despite disruptions to the legislative process caused by his continued pressure tactics, a critical mass of opponents in both the House and Senate have so far refused to roll over for Trump’s demands.
At the national level, the fight is taking place in the federal courts as well. A federal judge last week held that a Trump executive order attempting to restrict mail-in voting exceeded his Constitutional authority. “The Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections,” wrote U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani.
Voting Rights Upheld in Court
At least four other court rulings went against the Trump Administration’s voter suppression efforts last week. An order by US District Court Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan determined that the Department of Homeland Security’s use of the SAVE database “violates federal privacy laws and was responsible for revoking the voter registrations of some citizens who were wrongly listed as noncitizens.” She wrote, “The federal government has knowingly trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote. This Court cannot stand idly by while that happens.”
The Washington Post notes, the fight is also being waged at the state level, including the ongoing battle in North Carolina. “The fight over how elections are run is particularly acute in the swing state of North Carolina, where Republicans last year took over elections boards after GOP lawmakers put a Republican official [the NC State Auditor] in charge of making appointments. Republicans on county election boards have sought to eliminate early voting sites or move them to more conservative areas. The GOP-controlled state elections board will have the final say on determining the location of many early voting sites.”
As the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) describes in a new research report, a number of other states (including red-voting as well as blue-voting examples) are showing successes in their resistance. The LCV reports on examples in Virginia, Maryland, Utah, and Alaska.
What Does This Mean for NC?
The fight for voting rights in North Carolina is coming to one key inflection point this week in the NC House. House Bill 958 passed out of a key House committee last week, and could receive the first of two House floor votes as early as today (June 29). Despite some changes to respond to criticisms, the bill continues to contain “provisions that could significantly expand the number of challenges to ballots in future elections, including allowing post-election challenges to all early votes – the majority of ballots cast in North Carolina – not just those that are mailed in. And it would also require the state board to conduct a statewide audit after each election to identify any ineligible ballots or voters that are flagged by official government databases, including the controversial SAVE database.”
At present, there are enough “no” votes in the House to keep the bill below the level of support sufficient to overturn an expected veto by Governor Josh Stein, providing leverage to slow down passage, force further amendments, or even block passage altogether so long as all opposing House members hold firm.
Contact Your Legislators
We should not take the opposition for granted, however. We encourage you to contact your legislators and urge them to vote “no” on House Bill 958. Since the bill could receive a second and final House floor vote as early as tomorrow (June 30), fast action is essential to ensure that your voice is heard in time.
