The U.S. Postal Service finalized a postmark rule that could increase late mail-in ballots for rural voters. Even in states with grace periods, mail voters submitting ballots a day or two before Election Day could now risk their votes not being counted.
Tuesday, December 30
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Rural mail-in ballots at risk as USPS finalizes changes to postmark dates
- The U.S. Postal Service finalized ([link removed] ) a postmark rule that could increase late mail-in ballots for rural voters. Even in states with grace periods, mail voters submitting ballots a day or two before Election Day could now risk their votes not being counted.
- Read the full story >>> ([link removed] )
Order suggests DOJ retaliated against Abrego Garcia for court victory
- A newly unsealed legal filing suggests ([link removed] ) the Department of Justice (DOJ) may have brought retaliatory criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia after he challenged his removal to a Salvadoran megaprison in court — and won.
- In one instance, a key aide to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told federal prosecutors in Tennessee that bringing immigrant smuggling charges against Abrego Garcia over a traffic stop in 2022 was “a top priority” for the DOJ.
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A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR
- We will not sit by and let America fall into authoritarianism. The ACLU has filed over 100 lawsuits and blocked some of the Trump administration’s worst policies and actions.
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According to us! The best and worst of 2025’s fight for democracy
- Even when the news seemed terrible and overwhelming, Democracy Docket’s team has always managed to find joy in covering it — whether it was finding ([link removed] ) the (many) errors in DOJ legal filings or reporting court victories. Here ([link removed] ) , we present the best and worst of 2025.
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According to you! The most-clicked Democracy Docket stories in 2025
- From redistricting to President Donald Trump’s executive power grab to the Justice Department’s war on voting and beyond, these ([link removed] ) top-visited Democracy Docket stories highlight the issues that defined democracy in 2025.
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Since day one of the Trump administration, the ACLU has filed over 100 lawsuits to protect our most fundamental civil rights from attacks. And in more than 70% of our cases, we have successfully defeated, diluted, or delayed some of the Trump administration’s worst policies and actions – but our work is far from over.
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Why Republicans are finally abandoning Trump
- David Pakman joined ([link removed] ) Marc to break down the most dangerous and overlooked trends of Trump’s second term, from public desensitization and media failure to economic backlash, immigration cruelty, and rising threats to democratic norms.
- Pakman explained why economic pain — not attacks on democracy — is driving voter shifts, how Latino voters moved right in 2024 and may already be swinging back, and why legacy media has struggled while independent creators fill the gap.
- Watch the full video >>> ([link removed] )
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