Thursday, Aug. 15

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THE SCOREBOARD

New York governor signs pro-voting laws as election approaches

• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed seven bills into law last week that expand ballot access on the anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act (VRA).

  
  

• Ahead of the upcoming election, the laws strengthen protections under the state’s VRA, allow 17-year-olds to request mail-in ballots if they will be 18-years-old by Election Day and more.

A 2021 New York voting rights law is under attack in court

• A New York appeals court heard oral argument today in a challenge to the state's new election law that aims to streamline the process of counting absentee ballots. State and county Republicans claim that the law violates the state constitution.

  
  

• A lower court largely upheld the law in May, striking down a provision about how canvassers examine ballots. The state and New York Senate appealed this decision.

Challenge to Missouri voter suppression law will be heard next week

• The trial is scheduled to start Monday in a lawsuit challenging parts of a Missouri law that criminalize voter engagement activities and the distribution of absentee ballot applications. Pro-voting groups argue that the provisions violate the state constitution.

The latest on the GOP threat to democracy in Arizona

• A total of 24 Republican attorneys general submitted a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the Republican National Committee, urging the Court to reinstate Arizona's strict proof of citizenship law. The law is currently blocked for violating federal law.

• Mark Meadows has asked to get his Arizona fake electors criminal case moved from state court to federal court, a move that was rejected multiple times in the Georgia election subversion case. A hearing is scheduled for Sept. 5.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin discusses protecting democracy in Wisconsin

• The stakes are high for Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) as she runs to keep a seat that, if flipped red, could compromise Democrats’ majority in the U.S. Senate.

  
  

• We spoke with her about expanding ballot access, gerrymandering and more. You can read or watch the interview.

Georgia election officials are pushing pro-Trump agenda

• Three members of the Georgia State Election Board approved a rule to make it easier to delay election certification, days after former President Donald Trump praised the three members by name, calling them “pit bulls fighting for honesty, transparency, and victory.”

• In a new YouTube video, Marc discusses the threat of rogue pro-Trump election officials during the 2024 election.