Hello, pro-democracy readers! President Donald Trump intensified his war on voting by firing members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) just ahead of the midterms this fall. Officials told Democracy Docket there will be widespread impacts. But what comes next?
Once you’re done reading that, don’t miss reporter Yunior Rivas’ interview with Nevada’s secretary of state on the alarming new threats by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prosecute state election officials over noncitizen voting.
That’s a lot, I know. So make sure to check out our good news of the week at the bottom of today’s newsletter.
All that and more is on the docket today. See you next week!
Andrew Wyrich, Newsletter Editor
Trump escalated his ‘dangerous … reckless … desperate’ war on voting with the firing of EAC leaders. Here’s what you need to know:
ICYMI: In a late night purge Thursday, Trump fired the leaders of the EAC, a bipartisan federal agency that helps states administer elections by issuing crucial guidelines and resources on voting policies, election best practices and equipment certification.
It’s yet another escalation of Trump’s war on voting. Lawmakers, election officials and voting rights advocates are sounding the alarm that the move is a blatant attempt by the president to meddle with voting in the months before midterms.
Officials told Democracy Docket there are “a ton of things that could be impacted by this,” including training for many states and county boards of elections. The move will put election officials in a huge bind.
So what comes next? “We’re in uncharted territory here,” one official told reporter Jim Saksa. There’s significant worry that a prolonged lack of leadership could damage the EAC and eventually the integrity of elections.
‘It’s threats, it’s intimidation’: Nevada secretary of state slams Trump DOJ letters targeting election officials over noncitizen voting
In an interview with Democracy Docket, Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar (D) said the DOJ letter was one of several “threats” the state has received from the department.
RNC sues New Jersey in eighth lawsuit targeting overseas voters
It’s the newest assault in the GOP’s nationwide blitz against overseas voters. The lawsuit challenges New Jersey laws that allow certain Americans living overseas to vote in federal elections based on a relative’s residency in the state.
Utah Republicans back down in multiple partisan redistricting efforts
Republicans are conceding some defeats in their efforts to push back against a Utah judge’s ruling that they violated the state’s ban on gerrymandering and ordered a new map be drawn that would likely give Democrats an additional seat in Congress. This week, the GOP agreed to dismiss its federal lawsuit challenging the state court ruling that struck down the gerrymandered map.
The GOP’s attempt to repeal the gerrymandering ban hasn’t been a success, either — at least not yet.
Fecklessness creates a vacuum that autocracy thrives in
If you missed Marc’s chat with Brian Tyler Cohen yesterday, be sure to check out a portion of their conversation today, where he told Marc Democrats need to prove they can get things done instead of focusing on more procedural issues.
“People are going to see that and say: ‘You know what? I didn’t support Democrats at first, so I supported Republicans, and now I went into the Democratic tent with an open mind. But if this is the fecklessness with which the Democratic party operates, then I’m out,’” Cohen said.
A federal judge rejected the DOJ’s request to pause her ruling blocking key parts of Trump’s executive order targeting mail voting, keeping protections in place for 23 states and Washington, D.C.
Appeals court rejects Trump DOJ push to fast-track voter purges
The First Circuit Court of Appeals declined to fast-track the Trump DOJ’s voter roll appeals in Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, slowing the department’s effort to obtain sensitive voter data before a key federal deadline. The decision makes it harder for DOJ to get the records in time to aid last-minute voter purges before the 90-day “quiet period” under the National Voter Registration Act.
Maryland Democrats move to counter GOP gerrymanders
Maryland Democratic lawmakers announced a special session for August to consider a redistricting amendment aimed at countering Trump-ordered GOP gerrymanders in other states.
Trump’s citizenship database remains shut down for voter purges
A federal judge refused to pause her order blocking the Department of Homeland Security from using its modified SAVE database to check voters’ citizenship status. The ruling keeps the system suspended while appeals continue.
A federal court dismissed a lawsuit from a right-wing legal group challenging how the Census Bureau counted people in 2020. The case sought to undermine statistical methods that help ensure students, low-income residents, naturalized citizens and other undercounted groups are accurately represented.
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