Friday, October 4

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance is asked about whether former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election — and predictably dodges the question. California bans local governments from mandating voter IDs from eligible voters. And, Democrats bring another lawsuit against the Georgia Election Board, this time over its new ballot hand-counting rule. 

On Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. ET Marc is hosting a live panel on Zoom with renowned legal experts Laurence Tribe, Joyce Vance and Maya Wiley to unpack the critical legal battles shaping the upcoming election. The event is free and open to all Democracy Docket readers! Reserve your spot today.

Vance stumbles on debate question about 2020 – voters take notice

Since the aftermath of the 2020 race, which culminated in a mob of Trump supporters storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 in a bid to block certification, one question continues to dog Republicans who support the former president: Did Trump lose in 2020?

When asked this at the vice presidential debate on Tuesday, Trump’s running-mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, gave an evasive response. “Tim, I’m focused on the future,” Vance replied. “That is a damning non-answer,” opponent and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said.

At a campaign event in Michigan on Wednesday, a local reporter asked Vance why he didn’t answer the question at the debate, to which Vance responded the media is “obsessed” with talking about an election that happened four years ago. But if the media is fixated on 2020, it’s because Trump and his supporters are still holding onto the “Big Lie” that the election was rigged. And this time, voters are paying attention.

In a CNN segment focused on undecided voters in Michigan, one person seemed bothered by Vance’s refusal to affirm Trump’s loss. “I don’t think I can trust someone with my vote if they’re not going to respect it,” the individual said. Another person seemed to question Vance’s integrity. 

But Vance’s response aligns with scores of Republicans who believe Trump won in 2020 or dispute President Joe Biden’s victory, even as Biden wraps up his term. These election denials don’t happen in a vacuum. Currently, there are hundreds of election deniers running for elected office this November. Read more about the candidates here.

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California bans local governments from requiring voter ID

California passed a law banning local governments from requiring residents to show a valid form of identification to cast a ballot, after residents of a local jurisdiction approved a ballot measure requiring all residents to show a valid ID to vote in municipal elections.

The law signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday is a direct response to the ballot initiative adopted by voters in the coastal California city of Huntington Beach. Roughly 53% of residents voted in favor of the measure in March. After it passed, California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) and Secretary of State Shirley Weber (D) sued the city to block officials from enforcing it, alleging the measure violates California’s constitution. 

The lawmaker who introduced the bill, state Sen. David Min (D), said in August that the state “cannot have 100 different charter cities making up 100 different sets of voting rules, based on fringe conspiracy theories.” Read more about the law here.

“I have repeatedly told the Huntington Beach City Council members pushing this issue that if they were to produce any evidence of widespread voter fraud, I would lead efforts to change California’s voter eligibility rules. They have not produced any such evidence.” Read more about the lawsuit against Huntington Beach. 

Georgia election board faces another lawsuit amid rule controversy

Georgia’s Election Board faces another complaint over new rules passed by its Republican members — specifically a new rule requiring workers to hand count all ballots.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Georgia Democratic Party sued the board after three of its MAGA members approved a rule requiring poll workers to hand count all ballots, even after being tabulated by machines.

The board has been under fire since it passed three new rules, two of which could delay certification. Both Democrats and Republicans have sued over the rules, and, separately, a group of Democrats are suing over the conduct of the board’s three Republican members. Read more about that lawsuit here.

A bench trial was held this week in Fulton County for a Democrat-led lawsuit over the board’s two certification rules. 

Georgia will almost certainly play a critical role in determining who wins the 2024 election, as polls reflect a tight race between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump in the battleground state. Read more about the new DNC lawsuit.

OPINION: The Supreme Court’s Next Attack on Medical Decision-Making

What We’re Doing

This week, the team at Democracy Docket is tuning into Netflix’s “Love is Blind,” which chose Washington, D.C, (or Virgina, arguably) as its next featured city for singles looking to find their soulmate on the popular dating reality show. While we won’t be providing any analysis here, we will be unpacking each episode amongst the team during our lunch hour. 

NEW EPISODE: Rep. Maxwell Frost on How Florida Republicans are Suppressing Young Voters

Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost talks with Marc Elias about engaging young people, how Republicans are suppressing voters and what he’s worried about in the upcoming elections.