Friday, August 22

THIS WEEK

The Texas gerrymander nears the finish line, as blue states prepare to fight
Georgia Dems defy court order, block appointment of election deniers
Voters challenge New Hampshire over extreme law targeting mail voting

TEXAS

The GOP’s Texas gerrymander nears the finish line

The GOP’s proposed Texas congressional gerrymander is set to make it across the legislative finish line Friday. And California has already responded. But the fight’s not over – it just means the battleground has moved to the courts.

The Texas House gave its final approval to the GOP map Wednesday. A Texas Senate committee voted out the map the following morning. It’s expected to get full Senate approval Friday, and then it will head to the governor’s desk.

We don’t have to guess what comes next – voting rights advocates already signaled this week they’re preparing to sue to stop the gerrymander as soon as it goes into law. Plaintiffs challenging the state’s existing map as a racial gerrymander filed a motion Monday asking for a hearing in September to argue the court should block the new plan.

The passage of the Texas map has already set off a chain reaction in other states.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), who has vowed to retaliate if Texas redistricts, declared on social media: “Game on.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) called for his state to redistrict its own congressional maps to cancel out the new GOP seats in Texas. The California legislature moved forward with that plan Thursday, officially approving a proposed map and authorizing a November special election for voters to weigh in.

Republicans filed a lawsuit to block the California redistricting plan, but the state Supreme Court late Wednesday denied their petition – clearing the way for a special election.

Newsom – who likely plans to run for president in 2028 and is currently going through a phase of intentionally mimicking President Donald Trump’s chaotic language – posted on social media Thursday: “TODAY WE WILL MAKE THE MAPS GREAT AGAIN!”

Since the Texas redistricting saga began, we’ve published more than 50 articles tracking every move and keeping you informed.

Support from our readers makes this possible — upgrade today to keep this reporting going and fuel the pro-democracy journalism you can count on.

SUPPORT OUR NEWSROOM

GEORGIA

Georgia Dems defy court order, block appointment of election deniers

A Georgia state court ruled against Democrats who have been fighting to keep two conspiracy theorists off of the Fulton County board of elections. They’re still fighting anyway.

Two Democratic members of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners defied a court order this week by continuing to block the appointments. Their decision resulted in a 2-2 deadlock vote.

In an email to a Democracy Docket reporter prior to the meeting, District 3 Commissioner Dana Barrett said she was planning to vote against the appointments despite the court order.

“I am a no and will risk contempt charges and fines or jail to defend democracy,” Barrett wrote.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) called the board’s vote “reckless” and said they must follow the court order.

On Thursday, the county GOP asked the court to hold the Democrats in contempt and fine them up to $1000 a day, and sentence them to up to 20 days in jail until they approve the board members. Read more about Georgia here.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Voters challenge extreme law targeting mail voting

New Hampshire already makes it difficult to vote by mail. This week, voting rights groups sued to stop the state from enforcing even more extreme restrictions.

Advocates are challenging a GOP-backed law that imposes strict identity verification requirements on anyone applying for an absentee ballot. Ultimately, it will “entirely prevent” some voters from casting ballots, advocates said in their lawsuit.

The new rules require voters to provide proof of identity every time they apply to vote by mail, for every election.

Advocates argue the law violates the state constitution, which guarantees free and equal elections.

The New Hampshire fight is playing out as mail voting is increasingly under attack. Trump recently escalated his threat to mail voting, pledging to issue an (unconstitutional!) executive order as part of an effort to ban mail‑in ballots. Read more about the New Hampshire lawsuit here.

OPINION

“We Are the Test Case”

This year’s Texas gerrymander isn’t state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer’s first rodeo. He’s served for 23 years and it’s his fifth legislative redistricting cycle.

The stakes are high for Texans, he wrote in a new opinion piece.

“Of the five districts eliminated by the map, four were created by courts to remedy Texas’ previous civil rights violations,” Martinez Fischer wrote. “None of the ‘newly’ created Latino majority districts will ever elect a candidate supported by the Latino community, meaning another generation of Latino voters’ voices will be silenced by politicians in Austin and Washington, D.C.”

But he said the national fight has only just begun: “Trump has thrown out the rule book so we will fight fire with fire. We are running the first leg in this race for democracy. In the days to come, we will pass the torch to others so they can do their part.” Read more here.

PODCAST

Michael Steele Calls White House A “Clown Show”

Michael Steele went from Republican Lieutenant Gov. to RNC Chair to MSNBC analyst. He sits down with Marc to discuss his journey, the federal takeover of Washington, D.C., and his recommendations for the Democratic Party. Watch it on YouTube here.

What We’re Doing

Legal Content Editor Ashley Cleaves is reading “How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America” – a book that feels incredibly timely as Trump attacks the Smithsonian for telling visitors about slavery, and red states race to pass redistricting maps that dilute the strength of minority voters.

Ashley said it’s a really good book to understand our country’s legacy of slavery and it’s gotten her thinking about why representation matters more now than ever.

Let Trump’s war on history also be a call to action: It’s time to visit Smithsonian museums and lift up their powerful historical narratives while we still can.