Thursday, Aug. 8

THE SCOREBOARD

Republicans ask SCOTUS to reinstate Arizona voter suppression laws

• The Republican National Committee filed an emergency request in the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate an Arizona election law requiring strict documentary proof of citizenship to vote. The law is currently blocked by lower courts for violating federal law.

People with prior felony convictions may not be able to vote in Virginia

• A federal judge upheld Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) discretionary policy of restoring voting rights to only some people with prior felony convictions, rejecting a lawsuit saying the practice is arbitrary and unconstitutional.

  
  

• A nonprofit organization and disenfranchised individual sued Youngkin and his secretary of the commonwealth last April, alleging that the state’s policy violates the First Amendment by making voting rights restoration contingent on the unfettered discretion of the governor and a lack of objective criteria.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

• Vote.org's all-in-one platform helps voters register, verify their registration, request a mail-in ballot, sign up for election reminders, find their polling location & stay up-to-date on the laws or policies that affect their ability to vote.

Trump tells supporters they "don't have to vote again"

• Last week, former President Donald Trump told his supporters they "don't have to vote again" if he's elected to a second term in office. In a new YouTube video, Marc and Democracy Docket’s Paige Moskowitz discuss Trump's remarks, Republicans' reactions and whether you should take the former president's claims seriously.

Ohio voters could end gerrymandering this November

• Ohioans will vote this November on a state constitutional amendment to ban gerrymandering by implementing an independent, citizen-led redistricting commission to draw congressional and legislative districts. In another YouTube video, Democracy Docket’s Sophie Feldman discusses what this measure would do and its journey to getting on the ballot.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

Vote.org is the largest get-out-the-vote organization in the country. Since 2020, we have helped over 7.8M people to get registered. Since July 21st, Vote.org has seen a record-breaking 162K+ registrations on our site with over 80% of those registrations being under age 35. Help us keep the momentum building by supporting Vote.org in our mission to reach voters where they are.

Why Texas Senate candidate Colin Allred believes he can beat Ted Cruz

• Texas Rep. Colin Allred (D) is facing off against Sen. Ted Cruz (R) in his run for U.S. Senate. We spoke with Allred about his work as a voting rights attorney, how we protect democracy and how his time in the NFL has helped him as a lawmaker. You can read or watch the interview.

  
  

• “I don’t know of any senator who’s been more hostile to the right to vote than Ted Cruz,” Allred said in the interview. “You don’t have to go any further than the 2020 election.”