The Missouri Constitution gives voters the right to hold a so-called citizen’s veto referendum to block legislation passed by state lawmakers. Voters decided to use that mechanism to fight back against Trump’s gerrymander.
DOJ’s new voting lawyer has web of ties to election-conspiracy theorists
GOP lawyer Eric Neff, a new Department of Justice (DOJ) attorney trying to obtain state voter records, previously represented a top conspiracy theorist involved in President Donald Trump's 2020 election subversion — a tie underscoring the alarming shift in the DOJ from defending to attacking voting rights.
300,000 Missouri voters sign petition to put GOP gerrymander to statewide vote
More than 300,000 Missourians signed a petition demanding that Trump’s gerrymander be put to a statewide referendum. Only about 106,000 signatures were required to trigger a vote.
The Missouri Constitution gives voters the right to hold a so-called citizen’s veto referendum to block legislation passed by state lawmakers. Voters decided to use that mechanism to fight back against the gerrymander, which would likely eliminate a congressional district currently held by a Democrat.
Last night a federal judge dismissed Republicans’ attempt to stop voters from pursuing the referendum. Though the judge — a Trump appointee — concluded that the referendum’s opponents don’t need a court to block it because Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, an elected Republican, has the authority to reject the petition as unconstitutional himself after the signatures are turned in.
Trump’s ‘repeated, blatant’ Hatch Act violations must be investigated
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) called for an investigation into the Trump administration's "repeated, blatant" abuse of power to achieve partisan redistricting goals, alleging it violates federal law. This renewed demand comes after his first request in July received no response.
Indiana Senate Republicans Monday advanced a Trump-demanded gerrymander designed to wipe out the state’s last Democratic seats and hand the GOP all 9 House districts. The map now heads to a full Senate vote, where GOP success remains uncertain.
Court voids two pro-voting Arizona Election Procedures Manual provisions, keeps one
An Arizona appeals court struck down two parts of the 2023 Elections Procedures Manual (EPM), ruling that voters who report moving out of a county on a jury form must have their registration canceled and that petition signatures must be tossed if the person circulating the petition wasn’t properly registered.
The court affirmed the lower court’s block on these rules, handing a win to the GOP-led legislature that challenged them. However, it let stand a separate EPM provision clarifying that removal notices for the “active early voting list” take effect beginning with the 2024 election cycle.
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