Louisiana is erasing a majority-Black district

Friday, May 29

Louisiana governor signs new congressional map erasing majority-Black district

The Louisiana Senate voted to eliminate one of the state’s two majority-Black congressional seats today. The remapping bill was sent to Gov. Jeff Landry (R), who signed it this afternoon.
The bill passed the House on Thursday. While lawsuits could still block this redistricting, today’s vote likely caps years of litigation, legislation and Louisiana ping-ponging between alternate congressional maps.

Postal Service moving forward with Trump’s attack on mail voting

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is drawing up plans to radically crack down on mail voting. In a proposed rule, the agency said it would only send ballots to voters who are on lists created and controlled by the federal government.
It’s an alarming step toward implementing part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order that attacks mail voting ahead of the 2026 midterm election. It also represents a massive expansion of federal control over voting, without congressional authorization.
Our latest reporting on USPS’ alarming move >>>

The headlines change fast, but our mission doesn’t. Support fearless, focused coverage of democracy under fire by becoming a premium member for $120/year.

POWER OUR NEWSROOM

New Hampshire GOP’s bid to require documentary proof of citizenship struck down

A federal judge ruled that an attempt by New Hampshire Republicans to prevent voters from using signed affidavits to comply with the state’s proof-of-citizenship requirement is unconstitutional.
If the GOP-backed rule had remained in place, it would have made voting much more difficult by requiring voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship to register.
The judge said it was an “unjustifiable burden” for voters >>>

Georgia election board hires noted election denier for key investigative post

Georgia’s GOP-led state election board quietly hired Jason Frazier, a notorious election denier with a history of anti-voting activism, to a key role that allows him to investigate election processes across the state.
Who is Jason Frazier? >>>

Judge temporarily halts Trump’s $1.8 billion ‘weaponization’ slush fund

A federal judge today temporarily barred the Department of Justice (DOJ) from moving forward with a massive $1.8 billion slush fund for Trump’s allies.
The judge, who former President Bill Clinton appointed, ruled that the DOJ could not begin setting up, funding, or distributing payments from the fund while litigation is pending.
More on the judge’s ruling >>>

Federal appeals court approves Alabama’s racially gerrymandered state legislative maps

The 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals cleared the way for Alabama to use a legislative district map created in 2021 that was found to be in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The map eliminates one majority-Black Senate district.
In a 2-1 split, judges appointed by Trump ruled in favor of Alabama using that racially discriminatory map for this year’s state senate races, even though voters already cast ballots in a primary held earlier this month.
What did the judges say? >>>

Georgia tells court its maps don’t intentionally target Black voters anymore — they just ‘disproportionately impact’ them

In 2023, a federal court ruled the state's congressional map diluted the voting strength of Black voters, in violation of the VRA. Georgia appealed.
In response to the U.S. Supreme Court's gutting of the VRA last month, Georgia today filed a brief with the 11th Circuit seeking to reverse the lower court's ruling. Among its reasons: Everything is just peachy.
“Because Georgia no longer engages in the intentional discrimination of decades past, the district court concluded only that Georgia’s present day voting practices ‘disproportionately impact Black voters.’" Interesting flex…
More on the case >>>

RNC moves to intervene to protect Missouri gerrymander

The RNC has moved to intervene in a pro-voting lawsuit brought by People Not Politicians in Missouri that seeks to stop the secretary of state’s delay in certifying or rejecting the referendum to block the state's new gerrymander.
The court will hold a hearing on the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction on Wednesday next week.
Learn more about the case >>>

Trump’s gerrymander war hit roadblocks this week

Trump’s aggressive gerrymander war in the South hit several roadblocks this week. We’ve covered them extensively, but in case you missed it, here’s what you need to know:

South Carolina became the first state so far to fail at passing a map since the Supreme Court eviscerated the VRA last month.
A federal district court blocked Alabama from using its 2023 congressional map in this year’s upcoming midterms. In its decision, the court described the map as “tainted by intentional race-based discrimination.” Alabama asked the U.S. Supreme Court to pause the ruling.
Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson said the state needed to “respond as the ground shifts under us” and was in discussions to call a special session and propose a constitutional amendment to allow for redistricting. A new map could secure an extra seat for Democrats in the House.

Utah audit undercuts widespread noncitizen voting claims

A Republican-led audit in Utah undercut long-running false claims of widespread noncitizen voting after it found only a tiny number of noncitizens were on the state’s voter rolls.
Out of more than two million registered voters, only 27 were confirmed noncitizens, and only 13 of them had voted in an election since 2018. Thirteen illegitimate voters amount to .00025% of the roughly 5,156,392 votes cast in those elections.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs bill to block ballot seizures by law enforcement

Newsom (D) signed a new law that bans anyone from unlawfully seizing ballots, voter rolls or other election materials — including federal or local law enforcement.
The law makes it a felony for anyone to seize ballots from a California county elections office, punishable by up to three years in prison and a $1,000 fine. It’s a direct response to Riverside County Sheriff and GOP gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco seizing more than 650,000 ballots earlier this year based on bogus election fraud claims.