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

[KingSweden]

WA State Democrats are in the process of passing their voting reform packages this week

[Virginiá]

yayyyy +11111

Finally some movement on election reform. New Jersey should be the next big one this year, hopefully well before November so at least some of the reforms can be in place for the election.

[KingSweden]

yayyyy +11111

Finally some movement on election reform. New Jersey should be the next big one this year, hopefully well before November so at least some of the reforms can be in place for the election.

I should mention I’m unimpressed by what WA Dems are doing, but better than nothing

[Virginiá]

yayyyy +11111

Finally some movement on election reform. New Jersey should be the next big one this year, hopefully well before November so at least some of the reforms can be in place for the election.

I should mention I’m unimpressed by what WA Dems are doing, but better than nothing

What other reforms would you like included?

I'm assuming that what they announced was not watered down, in which case pre-registration for 16/17 year olds, same-day registration and limited auto-reg (commercial licenses only), along with the state VRA for reforming local govt elections, is still in effect.

In general I like all of that, but there are a couple things I wish they'd do: (1) Verify citizenship status to enable full auto voter reg, and (2) Prepaid mail ballot postage so people don't have to look around for stamps and such to send in their ballots. I believe Oregon had at least considered this, but I don't think they did it.

[KingSweden]

yayyyy +11111

Finally some movement on election reform. New Jersey should be the next big one this year, hopefully well before November so at least some of the reforms can be in place for the election.

I should mention I’m unimpressed by what WA Dems are doing, but better than nothing

What other reforms would you like included?

I'm assuming that what they announced was not watered down, in which case pre-registration for 16/17 year olds, same-day registration and limited auto-reg (commercial licenses only), along with the state VRA for reforming local govt elections, is still in effect.

In general I like all of that, but there are a couple things I wish they'd do: (1) Verify citizenship status to enable full auto voter reg, and (2) Prepaid mail ballot postage so people don't have to look around for stamps and such to send in their ballots. I believe Oregon had at least considered this, but I don't think they did it.

You hit the nail on the head. 1 and 2 are exactly my quibbles. This is pseudo AVR, not what Oregon has done.

I also still don’t get how Same Day Registration works when all ballots are mailed or deposited in drop boxes.

[krazen1211]

God is Great! 7-2!

Link

Supreme Court blocks re-drawing of congressional district maps in North Carolina

[KingSweden]

God is Great! 7-2!

Link

Supreme Court blocks re-drawing of congressional district maps in North Carolina

I was wondering when you’d show up again.

Anyways unsurprising considering the number of related cases before the Court currently.

[Virginiá]

You hit the nail on the head. 1 and 2 are exactly my quibbles. This is pseudo AVR, not what Oregon has done.

I also still don’t get how Same Day Registration works when all ballots are mailed or deposited in drop boxes.

I guess it would allow people to walk into some sort of government office to register and vote right then and there. I'm not exactly sure where this would be allowed, though.

[KingSweden]

You hit the nail on the head. 1 and 2 are exactly my quibbles. This is pseudo AVR, not what Oregon has done.

I also still don’t get how Same Day Registration works when all ballots are mailed or deposited in drop boxes.

I guess it would allow people to walk into some sort of government office to register and vote right then and there. I'm not exactly sure where this would be allowed, though.

Right, but how do they know what ballot to give you?

[Virginiá]

Right, but how do they know what ballot to give you?

I suppose they could always keep ballots there for every possible election going on that takes place in that county. Or, and while I'm not sure how the ballots are made and the rules around that, they could make it there based on the address provided by the voter. They wouldn't be the only state that allows same-day registration at a city/county office. There are a handful of SDR states that only allow registration/voting at such places - Montana, California, etc.

[KingSweden]

Right, but how do they know what ballot to give you?

I suppose they could always keep ballots there for every possible election going on that takes place in that county. Or, and while I'm not sure how the ballots are made and the rules around that, they could make it there based on the address provided by the voter. They wouldn't be the only state that allows same-day registration at a city/county office. There are a handful of SDR states that only allow registration/voting at such places - Montana, California, etc.

I’m sure people smarter than me have thought of all this. I just think this is an odd priority when free postage on ballots would probably have a bigger impact

[Virginiá]

I’m sure people smarter than me have thought of all this. I just think this is an odd priority when free postage on ballots would probably have a bigger impact

Yeah, I'm not sure why it doesn't get more consideration. I was thinking that it may be the cost. 2016 would have cost a couple million dollars at least, depending on how many ballots they send out. At least 1.5 million based on the total number of votes. So, off the top of my head, with local elections, midterms and presidential elections throughout the years, you're probably talking about 11 - 13 million per decade, with costs increasing as the electorate grows. With that kind of required budget, lawmakers may want to know if it'll actually boost turnout, or just subsidize the postage of people who were going to vote anyway. AVR would probably boost the costs too if auto-reg'd people automatically get ballots.

Unfortunately, in some states where Democrats actually have power, lawmakers tend to stick to the "big ticket" policies (or worse) that they see working in other states. Few states have all/most-mail voting, and none prepay postage (afaik), so they might be hesitant to pick up tab with no studies on it to back it up.

[KingSweden]

That may be the reason. It’s a fair theory, at least

[Gass3268]

Victory for America!

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[Comrade Funk]

Great news for democracy!!!

[Sestak]

Victory for America!

You must be logged in to read this quote.

WHOOP WHOOP!

[Virginiá]

Such an exciting time for gerrymandering lawsuits!

The federal panel that heard a challenge to 12 Virginia House of Delegates districts (as racial gerrymander) should be issuing a ruling sometime in the next 1 - 2 months, at least based on their schedule from the initial hearing, before SCOTUS asked them to reconsider using a different standard.

[junior chįmp]

Victory for America!

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Krazen was probably having a good day at work at McDonalds till he read the news and choked

[Antonio the Sixth]

Victory for America!

You must be logged in to read this quote.

WHOOP WHOOP!

GLORIOUS NEWS!

[junior chįmp]

NY Dems introduced their voting rights expansion bill today

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Some of the reforms include:

-Making voter suppression and intimidation a crime punishable with a misdemeanor
-Automatic voter registration
-Pre-register 16 & 17 yr olds
-Expansion of absentee voting abilities
-Allowing casting of ballot by mail
-Early voting
-Unification of state and federal party primaries, which are currently split between June and September

[Virginiá]

NY Dems introduced their voting rights expansion bill today

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Some of the reforms include:

-Making voter suppression and intimidation a crime punishable with a misdemeanor
-Automatic voter registration
-Pre-register 16 & 17 yr olds
-Expansion of absentee voting abilities
-Allowing casting of ballot by mail
-Early voting
-Unification of state and federal party primaries, which are currently split between June and September

No same-day registration? I would have thought that SDR would make the cut, given how AVR skews the registration benefits more towards non-city regions, even when you add in other state agencies.

Either way, all of this would be a huge achievement and benefit to New York if enacted, but I'm still skeptical it will pass the state Senate. Time will tell I suppose!

[Virginiá]

^ Digging a little more, I found the press release:

https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/andrea-stewart-cousins/new-yorks-broken-democracy-senate-democrats-fight-fix

It's actually a veritable smorgasbord of reforms that make me salivate, but still skeptical of their chances.

Also something I didn't know that I learned from that link is that New York has a registration deadline baked into the state constitution (10 days prior), so they have to amend it first to enact same-day registration. Fortunately, that is part of their efforts.

[junior chįmp]

^ Digging a little more, I found the press release:

https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/andrea-stewart-cousins/new-yorks-broken-democracy-senate-democrats-fight-fix

It's actually a veritable smorgasbord of reforms that make me salivate, but still skeptical of their chances.

Also something I didn't know that I learned from that link is that New York has a registration deadline baked into the state constitution (10 days prior), so they have to amend it first to enact same-day registration. Fortunately, that is part of their efforts.

I think there's a good chance it passes this time due to a unique circumstances. Cuomo and the IDC can see the writing on the wall with this issue.

Also, independent redistricting commission bill in PA has gained enough GOP and Dem sponsors to pass:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[Virginiá]

Also, independent redistricting commission bill in PA has gained enough GOP and Dem sponsors to pass:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Makes sense. Given that Democrats are actually positioned to pass their own map for legislative districts due to the current commission setup, Wolf's reelection prospects and now the state Supreme Court's ruling on partisan gerrymandering, there is really no upside for Republicans to obstruct reform. Not unless they want to play a long (long) game with no guarantee of success.

Also, is that reform bill just a regular bill or maybe part of a package that includes a constitutional amendment? Doesn't seem right to do it in a way that can be reversed easily by the majority party at the time of redistricting.

[junior chįmp]

You must be logged in to read this quote.