DEMOCRACY MEDIA MONITORING
Tuesday
August 04, 2020
Top Democracy News & Analysis
Everyday we provide the top news stories to watch on issues related to voting rights, money in politics, and fair courts.
States crowd into Florida voting rights case as election nears (Gary Fineout / POLITICO) "Nineteen states and Washington D.C., led by attorneys general in Illinois and Washington, filed a legal brief asking the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta to uphold a May ruling that struck down provisions of a Florida law that restricted the voting rights of former felons. That law required people who have served time for a felony to pay off any court debts before they can register to vote."
Trump claims right to issue executive order on vote-by-mail (Caitlin Oprysko / POLITICO) "President Donald Trump on Monday claimed to have the authority to issue an executive order addressing the expected influx of mail-in voting in the November election and said he hadn’t ruled out doing so, in spite of the Constitution’s expressly giving states the right to run their elections...
... Trump made the assertion during a coronavirus briefing at the White House when pressed by a reporter from OAN, the far-right network that has been a vocal ally of the president, and as part of a broader tirade against mail-in voting amid a push to expand the practice during the coronavirus pandemic."
The Secretary of State should also have subpoena power for campaign-finance related records and groups trying to block the gathering of ballot initiative signatures should be required to register with the state, said Secretary of State Frank LaRose."
What Else Is Happening?
For all the news that didn't the make front page, here are other important local, state, and federal stories shaping the narrative around democracy issues. Plus, the latest opinions and editorials.
