The Idiot On The Hill: It’s just about not possible to write down these updates as of late with out mentioning the most recent GOP voter suppression efforts in state capitols throughout the nation.
And by “throughout the nation,” I imply throughout the nation. The ever-helpful Brennan Center is out this week with an replace to their report on voter suppression laws Republicans are pushing in statehouses this yr, and the information is … effectively, not solely unhealthy, however worse than it was simply over a month in the past.
As of March 24, legislators have launched 361 restrictive voting 361 payments in 47 states.
That 361 quantity is 108 greater than the 253 restrictive payments Brennan tallied as of Feb. 19—a 43% improve in simply over a month.
Since that February report, most legislatures have been barreling in direction of their adjournment dates, which signifies that these payments are seeing lots of motion.
Thus far, 5 restrictive voting payments have already been signed into legislation.
At the very least 55 restrictive payments in 24 states are transferring by legislatures.
29 have handed a minimum of one chamber.
One other 26 have had some kind of committee motion (listening to, committee vote, that type of factor).
As an erudite client of this missive, the states with essentially the most anti-democracy laws motion this yr received’t shock you.
The GOP-controlled legislatures in Texas (49 payments), Georgia (25 payments), and Arizona (23 payments) have launched the most important variety of restrictive payments.
Talking of Texas …
The new piece of anti-voting legislation to get correctly outraged over is the Lone Star State’s Senate Bill 7, which limits prolonged early voting hours, prohibits drive-though voting, and makes proactively sending vote-by-mail purposes to voters unlawful.
The invoice additionally creates extra potential for voter intimidation by broadening ballot watchers’ entry at polling locations. It even permits them to video file voters receiving help in filling out their ballots (a lawful and customary follow to accommodate voters who converse languages apart from English or have mental or developmental disabilities) if that ballot watcher “fairly believes” that help to be illegal.
mmhmm
Additionally, it’s value retaining in thoughts that the time period “ballot watcher” is misleadingly neutral. These of us aren’t some type of public watchdogs; reasonably, they’re particularly appointed by candidates and political events to observe polling locations.
Texas Republicans stay in full management of the state’s authorities, and Trump received it in 2020. So why is the GOP pushing this right here?
Texas really noticed the very best turnout in many years final yr, with Democrats persevering with to drive up their vote counts within the state’s city facilities and diversifying suburban communities.
Native election officers pioneered numerous voting initiatives final fall to offer as many citizens as attainable entry to the poll field whilst of us took measures to remain secure from COVID-19—particularly in these highly-populated city facilities and suburban communities.
SB7 completely targets most of these initiatives.
This laws additionally units particular guidelines for the distribution of polling locations in solely the handful of Texas counties with a inhabitants of a minimum of 1 million—most of which simply occur to be both below Democratic management or received by Democrats in current nationwide and statewide elections.
Anyway, the state Senate handed SB7 on Thursday, and there’s actually no motive to assume it’ll face any significant roadblocks within the Home.
However what about … elsewhere?
Simply hours after the Texas Senate handed SB7, Fort Worth-based American Airlines issued a statement saying that it’s “strongly against this invoice and others prefer it.”
However as Georgia Republicans demonstrated this week, such statements will be dangerous for giant firms.
Idiot’s Gold: After the enactment of the state’s new diabolical voter suppression omnibus legislation final week, Georgia-based Delta Airways confronted mounting strain to take a stance in opposition to the measure.
On Wednesday morning of this week, Delta’s CEO despatched a memo to employees completely denouncing the legislation and calling out the lie of nonexistent voter fraud within the 2020 elections that gave rise to it.
Later that very day, as Georgia lawmakers prepared to adjourn this year’s legislative session sine die, GOPers hit back at Delta—within the pocketbook.
Even supposing nothing of the kind had been on the agenda for the final day of session, the GOP-controlled Home swiftly added a repeal of a state tax break on jet gasoline to an current invoice.
The repeal was out of time for consideration within the Senate, so the repeal received’t take impact this yr, nevertheless it may positively come up once more throughout subsequent yr’s session.
Republicans had been 100% unapologetic about retaliating in opposition to Delta for his or her opposition to the brand new legislation.
Home Speaker David Ralston told reporters on Thursday morning,
They like our public coverage once we’re doing issues that profit them, they usually reap the rewards of these advantages after which flip round and do that. As all of you already know, I can’t resist a rustic boy line or two, you don’t feed a canine that bites your hand. You’ve bought to maintain that in thoughts.
Nevertheless it’s additionally value noting right here that discuss is affordable, and the timing of Delta’s (and different firms’, like Coke and Microsoft) opposition to the brand new legislation is terribly handy.
Georgia’s voter suppression laws didn’t simply pop up—it’s been within the works for months. These firms may have taken principled stands in opposition to it when there was nonetheless hope of blocking this measure.
As a substitute, they waited virtually every week after this anti-democratic invoice was signed into legislation and till it was too late for Republican majorities to successfully retaliate.
Fools Rush In: In the meantime, in Kansas, the GOP-controlled legislature can also be a little bit panicked about elevated 2020 turnout (and nonetheless pissed {that a} Democrat had the temerity to get elected governor in 2018).
They’re responding as you (as an erudite client of this missive) would anticipate: By attempting to journey the manager and judicial branches of authority over elections and making it tougher to vote.
Regardless of stories from Secretary of State Scott Schwab (who’s, by the by, a Republican) that Kansas had a “free and fair” election in 2020, lawmakers are advancing legislation that may bar the governor and the courts from altering elections legal guidelines (… by no means thoughts separation of powers points, I assume) and make casting a poll by mail harder.
What A Idiot Believes: And whilst various voter suppression measures make their approach by the Arizona legislature, a Large Lie-loving, insurrection-doing lawmaker is working to develop into the highest election official within the state.
Republican Rep. Mark Finchem kicked off his campaign on Monday for Arizona secretary of state.
He’ll be working in opposition to Democratic incumbent Katie Hobbs.
After all, I’m certain you acknowledge Finchem’s identify from his ongoing appearances on this house.
- You bear in mind, the staunch Trump ally and one of the outspoken Republican state representatives pushing for the legislature to overturn the election outcomes and hand the state’s electors to Trump?
- The grifter who was apparently paid over $6,000 for his trouble (“authorized consulting” lol).
- The insurrectionist who was one of many contributors within the violent occasions in DC on Jan. 6?
Hobbs, for her half, has not dedicated to working for a second time period and is “widely seen” as a possible candidate for Arizona governor subsequent yr. She narrowly flipped this workplace from the GOP again in 2018 and has been proactive about trying to expand access to voting, which after all made her the target of GOP legislators’ attempts to limit her powers in response.
If Finchem is the GOP nominee, it might mark the most recent escalation of the state Republican Social gathering’s makes an attempt to make sure Republican victories no matter how voters vote, and a possible Finchem victory subsequent yr would have main implications for the integrity of the 2024 elections, when Arizona will probably as soon as once more be hotly contested for president and Senate.
