This week at Democracy Docket: A good week for fair elections
From California to Virginia, this was a good week for voting rights and fair elections. And we kept you up to date on all of it.
As Democracy Dockets Yunior Rivas reported, Democrats in the Old Dominion struck another major blow against President Donald Trumps bid to rig the midterms, quickly moving a constitutional amendment on redistricting through the legislature. If now approved by voters, the measure will allow lawmakers to draw a new congressional map to counter GOP gerrymanders in Texas and other states. Dems are signalling that they may go for a map that would give them as many as four new seats.
There was more good news on the redistricting front from California. As Democracy Dockets Jen Rice reported, a panel of federal judges rejected a GOP effort to block the Golden States new Democratic-drawn map, which was overwhelmingly approved by voters last fall. Republicans have appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Beyond the redistricting wars, Yunior and Democracy Dockets Jim Saksa brought us news of the first two rulings in the slew of lawsuits filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) seeking access to state voter rolls. In a powerful decision that could reverberate nationwide, a federal judge in California rejected DOJs demand, finding that it threatens the right to vote, which is the cornerstone of American democracy. Another judge likewise dismissed the departments claim against Oregon.
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/this-week-at-democracy-docket-a-good-week-for-fair-elections/