Republican lawmakers unveiled the Make Elections Great Again Act — a new bill that would impose the most extreme federal voting restrictions in history.

Thursday, January 29

View in browser ([link removed] )

NL-Header_DD-1 ([link removed] )

New GOP anti-voting bill may be the most dangerous attack on voting rights ever

- Republican lawmakers unveiled ([link removed] ) the Make Elections Great Again Act — a new bill that would impose the most extreme federal voting restrictions in history. The measure would go beyond the SAVE Act by imposing strict voter ID requirements, mandating voter roll purges, banning mail voting and more.

- Read the full story >>> ([link removed] )

Democracy Docket reporter Matt Cohen was at the National Association of Secretaries of State conference today and posted live ([link removed] ) updates on social media …

Screenshot 2026-01-29 at 2.48.28 PM (1) ([link removed] )

- Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) talked about cuts to election infrastructure under the Trump administration.

- Special Assistant to the President Jared Borg said 26 states signed a memorandum agreement to use DHS’ SAVE voter verification tool ([link removed] ) .

- Borg also said DHS and DOJ were not ([link removed] ) coordinating to obtain states’ voter rolls.

- DHS assistant secretary and election conspiracy theorist Heather Honey ([link removed] ) was a no show. But NASS has announced that Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard will be at the conference tomorrow. Matt will be on the scene ([link removed] ) .



You signed up for this newsletter to get clear, fearless reporting on the legal fights that shape our democracy. Now, take the next step ([link removed] ) : become a member to keep this work free and accessible for all.





SUPPORT OUR WORK
([link removed] )



Gabbard’s role in Fulton raid highlights wild conspiracy theories fueling 2020 probe

-

Yesterday, the FBI raided ([link removed] ) Fulton County, Georgia’s central election hub, looking for materials to fuel President Donald Trump’s 2020 election conspiracy theories.

-

But lurking in the shadows was Gabbard — a presence that suggests ([link removed] ) Trump is set to argue foreign interference caused his loss in Georgia.

-

Meanwhile, two top Democrats on the Fulton County Board of Commissioners argued ([link removed] ) the FBI lacked the authority to raid the county’s central election hub.

-

Read the full story >>> ([link removed] )

Legal experts agree, saying the raid may have been illegal and raises fears for 2026

- Election law experts are questioning ([link removed] ) the legality of the FBI’s unprecedented seizure of the ballots. There is widespread doubt the records will produce any evidence of prosecutable criminal activity. But, the experts warn, 2020 isn’t the investigation’s real target – 2026 is.

- Read the full story >>> ([link removed] )

Shocker: Michigan review debunks GOP’s latest noncitizen voting conspiracy

- In a blow ([link removed] ) to Republicans’ rhetoric of widespread noncitizen voting in Macomb County, Michigan, state election officials found that the allegations were exaggerated and based on misinterpreted data — results that discredit claims that noncitizens were actively voting.

- Read the full story >>> ([link removed] )

California asks Supreme Court to reject GOP map challenge

- California urged ([link removed] ) SCOTUS to reject Republican efforts to block the state’s voter-approved congressional map, arguing that its elections are already underway and that stopping California now — after allowing Texas’ GOP gerrymander to proceed — would disrupt active campaigns and hand one party an unfair advantage.

- Read the full story >>> ([link removed] )

Leading election denier claimed DHS ‘wants to partner with us’ on voter roll checks. Now he’s a top official there

- New comments show ([link removed] ) True the Vote co-founder Gregg Phillips claimed DHS "wants to partner with us" to transform a federal immigration database into a “voter verification” tool. The statements underscore serious concerns about whether other right-wing groups have access to government databases.

- Read the full story >>> ([link removed] )

North Carolina weighs investigating ‘presumptive noncitizens’ in latest attack on voting

- In an alarming development, North Carolina’s GOP-led election board is considering ([link removed] ) a plan to label certain voters as “presumptive noncitizens,” potentially purging them from the rolls. It's the latest move in an effort to politicize voter list maintenance and undermine election confidence.

- Read the full story >>> ([link removed] )

Minnesota secretary of state, other Dems preparing for Trump to interfere in the midterms

- Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon is preparing ([link removed] ) for an increasingly concerning scenario for the midterms: Election interference. He talked to Democracy Docket about his game plan, the recent ICE killings and Bondi’s blackmail attempt for the state’s voter data.

- Read the full story >>> ([link removed] )

Plus, Democratic senators accuse Trump DOJ of ‘apparent ransom’ in push to seize state voter rolls

- Senate Democrats, led by Padilla and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), accused the DOJ of running an unlawful pressure campaign to centralize voter registration data nationwide, despite recent court losses and no congressional authorization.

- Read the full story >>> ([link removed] )

DEMOCRACY FOOTNOTES

Here we share noteworthy briefs on all things voting rights and democracy. Have a footnote for us? Send them to [email protected]. (mailto:[email protected])

-

Last night and early this morning, Trump posted or reposted on social media more than 60 times. Much of the "untethered nonsense” as Jake Tapper called ([link removed] ) it, was about the 2020 election.

Facebook ([link removed] )

X ([link removed] )

Instagram ([link removed] )

Bluesky_Logo-grey (2) ([link removed] )

YouTube ([link removed] )

Website ([link removed] )

TikTok ([link removed] )

This is one of our free weekly newsletters. If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe to our newsletters here ([link removed] ) . For questions or help with your subscription, please visit our Help Center ([link removed] ) .

Unsubscribe ([link removed] ) | Manage Preferences ([link removed] ) | Donate ([link removed] )

Democracy Docket, LLC

250 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 400

Washington, D.C., 20009