Wednesday, October 16

As the 2024 election rapidly approaches, democracy is on the docket. We have a database of nearly 900 lawsuits and track every movement in the courts, so you don't have to. Democracy Docket is the only source that exposes what's going on in the courts and its impact on your right to vote — consider supporting our work and keeping our content free by becoming a member for just $10/month.

Courts deliver wins for voters in Georgia, Nebraska and Alabama

• A Georgia judge blocked a last-minute rule passed by the State Election Board that would have required poll workers to hand count the total number of ballots cast on Election Day. The judge said the rule was "too much, too late" and would cause "administrative chaos."

  
  

• The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled the state must allow people who have completed sentences for felony convictions to register to vote — restoring voting rights to thousands. This comes after the state refused to register these eligible voters.

  
  

• A federal judge halted Alabama's voter purge program that the state claimed targeted noncitizens but removed naturalized citizens from the active voter rolls. The judge said the program violates federal law limiting voter removals close to an election.

  
  

• Marc and Democracy Docket's Paige Moskowitz break down these decisions and what they mean for voters and democracy in a new YouTube video.

  
  

Voting lawsuits filed yesterday in Georgia and Minnesota

• A pro-voter group sued over part of Georgia's new mass voter challenge law that makes it easier to challenge voters' eligibility. The group claimed that the provision puts military and overseas voters at risk of disenfranchisement and violates federal laws.

  
  

• The Minnesota Republican Party filed a lawsuit alleging that Minneapolis-area Hennepin County did not appoint any member of the county absentee ballot board from the party’s list of recommended candidates, violating state election law.

Since Jan. 1, 2023

Wisconsin officials asked to investigate texts intimidating voters

• Political advocacy groups asked Wisconsin’s attorney general and Department of Justice to investigate what they allege are “threatening” text messages intended to intimidate thousands of young voters in the battleground state.

  
  

GOP lawsuits target swing state voters overseas — including military members

• Republicans’ latest target is overseas and military voters in battleground states. In another YouTube video, Democracy Docket’s Sophie Feldman explains why the GOP is filing lawsuits to prevent these voters from casting absentee ballots in the 2024 election.

  
  

Court hearings coming up tomorrow

• A federal district court will consider the North Carolina State Board of Elections’ motion to dismiss a RNC lawsuit targeting 225,000 voter registrations. 

  
  

• A county circuit court will hear a lawsuit filed by a Wisconsin voter challenging the state’s process for verifying the citizenship status of voter registrants. The judge will consider a request for immediate relief from the plaintiff and a motion to dismiss the case from the state.