The facts show noncitizen voting is incredibly rare.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   
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Brennan Center for Justice
 
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Rather than heed bipartisan calls to reform Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which has been used to spy on Americans without a warrant, Congress passed a bill that significantly expands the government’s power to snoop on its citizens. The new legislation could force virtually any business that provides customers with Wi-Fi, from commercial landlords to laundromats, to give the NSA access to the public’s communications. Fortunately, there is still an opportunity to correct Congress’s failure — the fight to protect Americans’ privacy rights will continue.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said earlier this month that he will push new legislation to prevent undocumented immigrants from voting in U.S. elections. However, as a new Brennan Center analysis explains, numerous deterrents against noncitizen voting already exist, and it is illegal under federal law and every state’s laws. Instead of cracking down on a phenomenon that’s vanishingly rare, Congress should focus on guaranteeing the freedom to vote for eligible voters.
Disinformation has long been used to suppress votes, especially from people of color. Now artificial intelligence tools may supercharge these efforts, allowing bad actors to deceive and disenfranchise voters more easily and swiftly than ever before. The final installment in our AI and Democracy series warns of the dangers for the 2024 election and puts forth solutions to protect voters from improper purges and AI-assisted disinformation campaigns.
This week marked the start of former President Trump's criminal trial in New York — a historic first in the United States. Investigating and prosecuting sitting and former leaders for wrongdoing has long been common in other countries, however. While criminal proceedings against top officials come with risks to democracy and should not be undertaken lightly, when pursued fairly and transparently, they help sustain the rule of law.
Last month, the White House published new rules for how the federal government can use AI. These include sensible protections for the public’s safety and civil rights, but they also give agencies too much leeway to opt out of some of the most important safeguards. As agencies race to adopt AI, raising the risk that these systems could amplify discrimination and abusive surveillance, the Biden administration must make changes to ensure that loopholes are the exception, not the rule.

 
BRENNAN CENTER ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Our latest podcast episode, “Misdemeanors by the Numbers,” delves deep into trends and challenges in misdemeanor enforcement. Listen to experts discuss the Brennan Center's new report about this under-examined part of our criminal justice system on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform.

 
Virtual Event
 
The High Cost of Public Service
Tuesday, April 30, 3–4 p.m. ET
While abuse directed at federal officeholders grabs the headlines, a Brennan Center report reveals that intimidation aimed at state and local officials is distressingly common. These threats have serious repercussions for representative democracy, as officeholders report being less willing to work on contentious issues like reproductive rights and gun control and reluctant to continue serving. Additionally, intimidation is often targeted at groups already underrepresented in government, such as women and people of color. Join us for a virtual discussion of this alarming trend as well as recommendations to stem the abuse. RSVP today
 

 
 
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
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