Courts have blocked the sweeping order that would impose extensive restrictions on voters. But courts can only do so much – and now, red states are moving forward to enact the order on their own.
Friday, July 18
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THIS WEEK
- GOP states are implementing Trump’s anti-voting executive order
- North Carolina voter roll program could disenfranchise tens of thousands
- North Dakota legislative redistricting challenge continues
- Democrats organizing to fight Texas redistricting plan
RED STATES
GOP states are implementing Trump’s anti-voting order
At Democracy Docket, we view the courts as a key line of defense for democracy. But they can’t do everything. Case in point: we’re now seeing some red states begin implementing voting restrictions that courts have put on hold.
Judges quickly blocked several key provisions of President Donald Trump’s sweeping anti-voting executive order from March. But red state officials are picking up where Trump left off: obsessing over the myth of noncitizen voters and imposing new restrictions on mail ballots that arrive after Election Day.
North Dakota, for instance, has ended grace periods for mail ballots, with state officials saying the change is aimed at complying with Trump’s order.
And at least 15 states have sought access to federal databases to look for noncitizens on their voter rolls. Read more about the GOP push here. ([link removed] )
NORTH CAROLINA
Voter roll program could disenfranchise tens of thousands
North Carolina launched ([link removed] ) a project Thursday that could disenfranchise North Carolina voters, after Democrats warned ([link removed] ) it violated federal law.
The plan, conceived by a former top GOP legislative aide, would create a two-tiered system for some voters with missing information — allowing them to vote in federal elections, where legal protections for voters are stronger, but not in state and local contests.
The conflict goes back to Republican Jefferson Griffin’s unsuccessful attempt to overturn the results of the election he lost to North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs last year. Griffin argued that thousands of voters should be disenfranchised because their voter record has incomplete information, due to the state election board’s failure to make clear that the information was required. Griffin lost, but now the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is continuing Griffin’s fight for him, suing the state to remove those voters from the rolls unless they provide additional ID.
It’s also the latest example of the GOP going after the voting rights of overseas voters — its new favorite target ([link removed] ) for voter suppression.
Sam Hayes, a former top GOP legislative aide who is now executive director of the state election board, announced a plan last month to mail notices to impacted voters, many of whom will only be able to vote with a provisional ballot unless they provide the extra information.
The Democratic National Committee sent ([link removed] ) a letter to Hayes noting that having a purportedly incomplete voter-registration record is not an authorized reason to remove a voter from the rolls under federal law. In the latest update, North Carolina election officials said voters who fail to provide the missing information will be able to vote in federal races, but not in state or local races. Read more about the North Carolina fight here. ([link removed] )
NORTH DAKOTA
A redistricting challenge could have national consequences
A group of Native American voters has been fighting a racial gerrymander ([link removed] ) of North Dakota’s state legislative map since 2021. Now, with the U.S. Supreme Court stepping in, the case could have catastrophic implications for voting rights.
A district court struck down the contested map in 2023, ruling the state had violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by eliminating one of two districts where Native Americans could elect a candidate of their choice and diluting their voting strength. The state appealed the ruling.
In May, the 8th Circuit turned the case on its head. The court voided the district court’s judgment and issued a ruling that could have dire consequences if the Supreme Court agrees with them: private plaintiffs cannot enforce Section 2 of the VRA .
On Wednesday, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, acting alone, issued an administrative stay, keeping the court-ordered legislative districts in place for now. If the court decides to do so, and rules that only the federal government, not private plaintiffs, can enforce Section 2, it would gravely limit voters’ options for fighting racial gerrymandering in the future. Read more about the North Dakota case here. ([link removed] )
TEXAS
Democrats are organizing to fight a new redistricting plan
Texas is set to begin a special session Monday that includes drawing a new congressional map, while national Democrats are busy exploring ([link removed] ) ways to stop the Republican plan.
Texas Republicans are under pressure from the White House to redraw the state’s congressional map to help the party hold its slim majority in the House. Trump reportedly wants Texas to create five new GOP seats.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R) added redistricting to the special session agenda last week, citing “constitutional concerns” raised in a July 7 letter by the DOJ. In that letter, the DOJ argued that Texas impermissibly used race in drawing four majority-minority districts. But in defending a lawsuit brought against its current map, Texas continues to deny using race ([link removed] ) — raising questions about the justification for the redistricting.
Republicans already hold 25 out of Texas’ 38 congressional seats – a much higher share of seats than their vote-share in the state should net. Read more about the redistricting plan here. ([link removed] )
OPINION
Trump’s Growing Epstein Crisis
Screenshot 2025-07-17 at 4.03.53 PM ([link removed] )
Trump’s MAGA base has been waiting years for the DOJ to release its files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. But now, Trump is cycling through every possible strategy to explain why he’s standing in the way.
“It seems increasingly clear that Trump believes he is named in the files in some unflattering way and that their release is likely or inevitable,” Marc writes ([link removed] ) this week. “To hedge against that, he is trying to decrease the pressure on their release — by downgrading Epstein as a figure and shaming his own supporters who continue to promote their importance while at the same time discrediting the content of the files altogether as the product of Democrats.”
The crisis has Trump in a full-blown panic and his weak attempt to blame Democrats immediately falls apart under scrutiny. Read more here. ([link removed] )
NEW VIDEO
The Epstein Files: “MAGA World Isn’t Falling in Line” | Rep. Dan Goldman
Pam Bondi is blocking the release of the Epstein Files to protect Trump. New York Rep. Dan Goldman joins the podcast to discuss the Epstein Files cover-up, masked ICE agents, and congressional Republicans handing over their power to Trump. Watch it on YouTube here. ([link removed] )
What We’re Doing
We don’t get to say this often at Democracy Docket, but this week we had our eyes on Major League Baseball, which held its All Star Game in Atlanta Tuesday. MLB moved the game ([link removed] ) out of Atlanta in 2021 when Georgia passed extreme voting restrictions. So why did the league bring it back there this year even though the law is still in effect? Thankfully, a reporter asked the question at an MLB press conference, and you can hear the answer here ([link removed] ) . Also on our radar: Yesterday, we watched thousands of people ([link removed] ) across the country participate in “good trouble” protests to mark the fifth anniversary of former Rep. John Lewis’ passing.
Our newsroom is expanding to meet the growing challenges to democracy. Fuel our work with $2.50/week and ensure we can keep pace. ([link removed] )
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