Kim Newlin’s Post

Daily Democracy Report - #1 today. Why are Republicans attempting to Surpress the Vote? 5th Circuit leaves fate of mail-in ballot deadlines uncertain 11 days from election The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a Mississippi law allowing mail-in ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and received by election officials up to five business days later. But the 5th Circuit says a lower court will determine what the state’s ballot receipt deadline will be this year. If this case or other cases raising similar claims are appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, an order from the justices could have nationwide implications. Approximately 20 other states and U.S. territories — including consequential mail-in voting heavy states like Nevada, New York and Ohio — permit ballots to be received after Election Day. Judges deliver wins for voters in Georgia and Virginia A federal judge blocked Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) voter purge program for illegally removing naturalized citizens from the rolls within 90 days of an election. The state must notify all eligible voters whose registrations were canceled. Virginia state officials immediately appealed this ruling to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Youngkin said the state is prepared to bring the case up to the U.S. Supreme Court if needed. A Georgia court declined to expedite a GOP appeal of a ruling that said election officials are required by state law to certify elections. The pro-democracy ruling will remain in place. Thanks to the Daily Docket for their Updates and efforts to support democracy.

BREAKING: Despite clear facts and law, SCOTUS overturned two carefully reasoned federal court rulings in our lawsuit challenging Virginia’s illegal voter-purge program w/o explaining their decision. Bottom line: We know this program removes eligible voters. The facts here remain simple: Virginia is keeping eligible citizens from voting by chasing conspiracy theories to score political points — a blatant attempt to deceive the American public and undermine confidence in our safe and secure elections. Virginia has not presented ANY evidence of noncitizens participating in elections. Because there is none. AND it’s actually eligible VA voters that have been caught in the middle of this election-subversion scheme. This hurts people like Nadra Wilson, who got swept up in the purge: “I was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. — I'm a citizen," Wilson said in an interview with NPR before showing her American passport as proof: https://lnkd.in/eqhHfFe2 Or citizens like Rina Shaw who have lived in Central VA nearly her whole life: “I think it’s ridiculous," she said after promising to vote early as soon as possible. "Like, I’m supposed to elect [Gov. Youngkin], he’s not supposed to choose whether I can vote or not.” https://lnkd.in/eYTiMS5b Because of SCOTUS, Virginia will not be required to add eligible voters back to the rolls. We want to be clear: those voters can still register and vote via same-day registration. So what’s this really about? The eligible-voter purge is part of a three-part plan to lay the groundwork to overturn election results: 1️⃣ Deceive voters through lies 2️⃣ Use those lies to disrupt the election 3️⃣ Deny election outcomes they don’t like: https://lnkd.in/eppH72Uw

Voter Suppression & The Apostles     Voter suppression is clearly in the minds of Trump and the Republican Party, having lost the White House, the Senate, and failed to capture the House of Representatives in the November 2020 elections. In 2022, they narrowly took control of the House with a current voting majority of 6 out of the 435 seats. It is generally agreed by the GOP, removing the franchise or making voting difficult for potential opposition voters is the only means by which they can keep their House majority or regain the Senate and the White House in November this year. In Addlestone the first book in the series, The Addlestone Chronicles, James has been invited to deliver a discussion paper to the Marxist leaning Cambridge secret society called the Apostles. The topic he assigned to address is voter suppression. What follows is an excerpt from the novel:I’d like to propose an immutable principle: "Voting should be restricted to those who understand and actively embrace our British psyche. On this basis, we should withdraw the franchise from first generation immigrants even if they are naturalised citizens. If earlier arrivals have failed to adopt our way of life, they too must be excluded. It would be a simple matter to discover how successfully foreigners have assimilated. For example, we could require they pass an English literacy examination before being placed on the Electoral Register. It is interesting to note, a literacy test is currently employed in many American southern states where it has been particularly effective in disenfranchising racial minorities or poor whites. Our test should contain questions about British law, customs, and history. Adjusting the pass level, the difficulty of the questions, or even the intricacy of the wording could limit the amount of, shall we say, foreignness and ignorance that is allowed to influence our electoral outcomes. We should also investigate the primary language used in their household. That question presently appears on the US Federal census. If it is not English, that in itself, could justify their removal from the voting lists.” While James’s proposals are meant to be extreme to appeal to the Marxist Apostles, all have been employed at one time or another in the US and Nazi Germany. Would anybody be surprised if the MAGA planners were considering several or all of the above to try, against all odds, to secure election victories in November 2024?

Passing of SB24-210 - "Election Clean Up Bill" If you’ve been following the news, you’ve heard a lot about SB24-210, a bill sponsored by the county clerks to clarify and clean up election laws in a number of areas. Language in this bill clarifies the role of the County Clerk and the Board of County Commissioners and ensures county commissioners cannot remove a clerk as the designated election official. It also gives County Clerks greater ability to set hours during an election without needed approval from county commissioners, ensuring that voters have appropriate access to the ballot. This bill includes a provision that allows the Governor to move the convening of Presidential Electors after the election if it is deemed necessary to protect the ability of lawful electors to carry out their duty. This provision is necessary given current and ongoing threats to our electoral process and gives the Governor the ability to ensure that meeting of electors, mandated by federal and state law, can occur. For the last several years, bad actors have abused open records laws here in Colorado and across the country to overwhelm election officials in hopes of causing issues with elections. These efforts have only been increasing. The requests are essentially denial of service attacks on election offices. County Clerks worked with the Colorado Press and Broadcaster Associations to draft language in this bill that protects the public’s right to information, but clamps down on the ability of bad actors to use the law as a weapon against elections. This bill clarifies and expands emergency voting and makes it clear how a qualified voter can cast their ballot during an emergency situation such as following a natural disaster where they have been displaced from their residence or if a first responder is unable to vote due to their job. This bill expands the use of drop boxes on college campuses, ensuring that students have the same ease of access to voting as other communities. Finally, this bill clarifies who can challenge a recount by ensuring that only parties directly connected to the candidate or issue involved in the recount can make the challenge. Currently, any bad actor could insert themselves in a Colorado election and request a recount of any outcome. https://lnkd.in/gKpDqrjE

Now that the election is over, some thoughts on reforms needed Term Limits Too many professional politicians operate in Washington. This gives them the opportunity to entrench themselves in the system, and leads to influence peddling at best, and having special interests literally buy federal officials. The Constitution needs to be amended so that no one person serves more than 6 years in any one office. I suggest the term of the President be increased to 6 years, splitting the difference between the current one term and two term presidents. I suggest the terms of Senators be limited to one 6 year term. I suggest the House of representatives be limited to a total of 6 years, either in two-year terms, or increasing to a 6 year term, staggered in the same fashion as the senate. We need a citizen government, and frankly anyone who cannot move their agenda forward in 6 years needs to be replaced. Campaign Finance Reform The Constitution needs to be amended to reverse Citizen’s United. This Supreme Court ruling opened the floodgates to corporate spending in elections, with the power to overwhelm individual constituent contributions. The result was PACs, Super PACs and dark money. In 1787 the word "citizen" referred only to natural persons and therefore that corporations cannot be considered "citizens" within the original public meaning of Article III, of the Constitution. Throughout the Constitution there are references to citizens, and while corporations are considered "persons" under the law, known as “corporate personhood,” nowhere is a corporation considered a citizen. This is amplified by Amendment 15, 19, 24 and 26, which states that only citizens may vote. It says nothing about persons, by design. One of the results of Citizen’s United is that organizations are permitted to pour millions into elections for which they are not a constituent. PACs seek to overwhelm locals and shift the balance in spending to their advantage, often to influence the voting blocks in the Senate and House. This undermines citizen participation in elections. Accordingly, in concert with the removal of the impact of Citizen’s United, Congress should pass a law, or add to the Constitutional Amendment, that only citizens of a state, including elections for Senate and the House, can only be funded by citizens from that state.

The idea of deteriorating democracy and the notion of paying individuals to vote are both troubling concepts that can have damaging effects on the integrity of a democratic society. First and foremost, democracy is built on the concept of free and fair elections where individuals have the right to vote for their preferred candidate without any external influence or coercion. When individuals are paid to vote for a particular candidate or party, this fundamental principle is compromised, as it undermines the notion of a free and fair electoral process. It essentially reduces the act of voting to a transaction rather than an exercise of civic duty and responsibility. Moreover, paying individuals to vote can also lead to a skewed electoral outcome, where candidates with more financial resources are able to buy votes rather than earn them through their policies and principles. This can result in the election of candidates who may not necessarily have the best interests of the people at heart, but rather those who can afford to pay for votes. Furthermore, paying individuals to vote can also create a culture of dependency and entitlement, where individuals may come to expect payment in exchange for their vote rather than voting based on their own beliefs and values. This can contribute to a loss of political engagement and a lack of critical thinking among voters, as they may be more concerned about the monetary incentive rather than the actual issues at hand. In conclusion, the deteriorating democracy and the practice of paying individuals to vote are both detrimental to the democratic process and can have far-reaching consequences on the legitimacy and effectiveness of elections. It is essential that steps are taken to uphold the principles of free and fair elections and to combat any attempts to manipulate or buy votes in order to ensure the integrity of our democratic institutions.

A call-out for my Missouri friends. Your legislature has placed a proposed state constitutional amendment (Amendment 7) on your ballot this fall. The headline they want you to see is that it will prohibit non-citizens from voting in Missouri elections (a clarification that is not needed as voting is only granted to "all citizens" currently). The real purpose of this amendment is to make Missouri the first state to have a constitutional prohibition against using ranked-choice voting and requiring plurality winner systems in primaries, effectively pre-empting reforms like single primaries with multiple top vote-getters going on to the general election. This is a transparent effort by the State's current majority to retain power even if a clear majority of voters find that such reforms (which are on the ballots in seven other states this cycle) desirable. These reforms are, in fact, good for business. They address the excesses of current political machinery which are bogging us down in culture wars and inability to make progress on core economic challenges. With ten minutes to explain these reforms, I have found only a very small minority of voters (off all stripes) don't think they represent an improvement on the status quo. Don't let them tie your hands. Vote against this amendment and repost this to help get the word out. https://lnkd.in/gRjHpDCc)

OK! We're just one week away!! Are you prepared to vote? Somehow, the election is next week — and there’s lots to consider as we approach the big day. To help you out, here’s a quick rundown of things to think about to get you ready 🗳️ ☑️ Are you registered to vote? Most states have already closed registration but states like Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, and more still have open registration. Check your state’s deadline and register with @Vote.org → https://lnkd.in/e-Yn9q7x 📚 Don’t forget to do your research on local elections! Local voting guides can help, which are typically offered by local newspapers and activist groups. For example, the @NAACP offers guides for select states on things to consider → https://lnkd.in/epuiAecV 🪪 Identification is key. Ensure your driver’s license and or passport are up to date. As a safe measure, bring proof of address like a utility bill or bank statement to prevent being turned away. 🪑 As lines may be long, bring a collapsible chair: consider a sturdy, totable chair like those made by @Helinox. Bring an umbrella too, in case of rain or strong sun. 🚰 In case of lines, bring a (non-plastic) water bottle and snacks. Why is this important? Because you won’t want to get out of line (as those in line are guaranteed a vote, even after polls close). 🪭A portable neck fan can help keep you cool—even if (as per Wirecutter) “you don’t necessarily look that cool when you’re wearing one.” ✨ Obviously a very cute, very patriotic outfit. Perhaps a small American brand like @LA Relaxed? Tag someone who may need a voting prep reminder! And save this post for future elections, along with the election protection hotline: 1-866-OUR-VOTE 🇺🇸

VOTE USING TECHNOLOGY With low voter turn out to the state based Voice to parliament resulting in situations where more staff worked at booths than the number of voters per day, Voice's small voter turnout, The Advertiser, 11/5/24, Liberal Opposition Aboriginal Affairs spokesman, Josh Teague, questioned the decision to push ahead with the vote, despite 64% of South Australians voting NO at the earlier federal Voice referendum. Less than 10% of eligible voters participated in the state Voice elections, a further indication that there was minimal interest in providing a state based Voice to our South Australian parliament. In reacting to this criticism of the low voter turnout, and the $10m cost, a Labor spokesman questioned why there was a double standard, given that the opposition remained silent on local council election turnouts, particularly where no votes were cast. This however ignores the fact, that at Local Government Elections, ballot papers are mailed out to the postal address included in your enrolment, which must then be mailed back to the electoral commission before the due date, requiring no voting booths or staff, therefore reducing the running costs of an election substantially. Perhaps this same process, utilising digital technology with the necessary safeguards, should be adopted at our Federal and State elections, considering that the AEC on 18/5/22 reported that the 2019 Federal Election cost taxpayers approximately $303 million to run. Once initial set up costs for introducing this new method were deducted from the cost of elections under the old format, the siginificant surplus could then be expended on important items like hospitals, roads, schools, etc.

𝗨𝗻𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Excerpts: "Just days after the shocking news of a second assassination attempt against Donald Trump, early voting started all over the country. Absentee mail-in ballots are already going out to registered voters." "After all the controversies about the outcome of the 2020 election, the question naturally arises: what is the state of election integrity across the United States, and how secure will the 2024 election be?" "While we are generally in better shape nationally than we were last time, much depends on what state you live and vote in. That is because the security of the election process depends almost entirely on state laws and regulations, as executed by state and local election officials." "It also depends on state attorneys general and secretaries of state. Are they willing to enforce good state election laws like voter ID? Or are they willing to violate their oaths of office and enter into collusive settlements with their political allies to waive requirements they dislike when they’re sued by partisan organizations like the League of Women Voters?" "Two good things came out of the 2020 election. First, many state legislators finally recognized the vulnerabilities in our registration and voting process. And second, many grassroots groups sprang into existence, formed by concerned members of the public to train a much-needed watchful eye on their election officials, state laws, and administrative procedures." "The upshot is that many states have improved the integrity of their election process, while other states have either done nothing or actually made things worse." by Hans von Spakovsky Full article: https://lnkd.in/e5g58gxc The American Mind