Ban mail ballots. Seize voter data. Jail pro-democracy officials.
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| Welcome to Bad News Weekly, your rundown of key attacks on voting rights and independent elections across the country – it’s a way to keep up with what the opponents of democracy are up to. We’ll highlight some of the worst anti-voter efforts, with a spotlight on the South, the original frontline in the fight for voting rights, and still its fiercest. “We're going to start with an executive order that's being written right now by the best lawyers in the country to end mail-In ballots because they're corrupt.” – Donald Trump on his plan to “lead a movement” to eliminate mail ballots and voting machines.
Trump Announced He Will “Lead a Movement” to Get Rid of Mail Ballots and Voting Machines: In a post, Trump stated he would “lead a movement” to get rid of mail ballots and voting machines, and would begin this effort by signing an executive order ahead of the 2026 midterms. The post came after Trump met with Vladimir Putin who allegedly told him that the U.S. election was “rigged” because of mail voting. It’s unclear when Trump will sign the executive order as he later stated that it was still being written or if the White House will instead push for federal legislation to ban mail voting and voting machines after statements from other White House officials. DOJ Doubled Down and Escalated Its Effort to Obtain Voter Data: The DOJ has doubled down in its effort to obtain voter data, asking for more information about voters including sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, and even threatened legal action in some cases. In California, the DOJ threatened the state with legal action if it did not provide the agency with full access to its voter registration list within 7 days. In Illinois, the DOJ rejected the Illinois State Board of Elections’ offer to share a partially redacted list database of voters, the same data that state law allows other government agencies and political committees to access, and demanded the full voter list that included sensitive information. In Maine, the DOJ escalated its demand for access to the state’s voter registration records and asked for un-redacted copies of voter rolls and every voter registration application submitted since late 2023. Both Oregon and Pennsylvania firmly rejected the DOJ’s expansive request for voter data that included sensitive information.
2024 Had the Highest Turnover Rate of Election Officials In the Last 25 Years: According to research from the Bipartisan Policy Center, the turnover of election officials across the country has continued to increase. The research found that the turnover rate in 2024 increased to 41%, the highest that it has been in at least the last 25 years, from 39% in 2022. “Rising turnover is almost like a canary in the coal mine, indicating that something deeper and more structural in the way that we conduct elections needs to be fixed,” said Rachel Orey, the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Elections Project director.
Georgia • Fulton County Commissioners Could Face Arrest After Blocking the Appointment of Election Deniers to the Board of Elections: In a 2-2 vote, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners failed to appoint two election conspiracy theorists, Julie Adams and Jason Frazier, to the county Board of Elections after a court ordered them to. In response, the Fulton County GOP, which nominated Adams and Frazier to the board, asked a state court to hold the two commissioners who voted against their appointment and the three commissioners who were not present for the vote in civil and criminal contempt of court with fines up to $1,000 a day and up to 20 days of imprisonment. Texas • Tarrant County Cut More Than 100 Election Day Polling Sites And More Than 10 Early Voting Sites: The Tarrant County commissioners voted to cut Election Day polling locations to 216, down over 100 from 331 in 2023, the last odd-numbered November election. The commissioners also voted to reduce the number of early voting sites to 33, down from 44 in 2023. Election Administrator Clinton Ludwig and other officials argued that the cuts were to save money due to reduced voter turnout in 2023 and expected low turnout this year. More than three dozen people spoke against the reduced locations with some expressing concerns that they could suppress the turnout of Black, Hispanic, and college-age voters. An effort to cut eight early voting locations at colleges last year failed.
Tea Party Patriots Action Started Its Only Citizens Vote Bus Tour With EIN Assistance: On August 18, the Tea Party Patriots Action launched its Only Citizens Vote bus tour to encourage Congress to pass the SAVE Act. The Election Integrity Network’s (EIN) state coalitions and “election integrity advocates” will be partnering with the Tea Party Patriots on this bus tour. The tour began in California and will continue throughout the country with the goal to end in DC on September 10. Paid for by Fair Fight Action.
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