04/15/2022

Time off to Vote?

“No one should be forced to choose between earning their full paycheck or participating in our democracy,” said Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.). “As a working mom, I know how tough it is to carve out time to vote between the demands of work, family, and life.” That’s exactly why Rep. Williams, joined by Reps. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) and Andy Levin (D-Mich.), introduced the Time Off to Vote Act this week.

The new legislation requires employers to provide employees with at least two hours of paid leave to vote in federal elections. The U.S. House of Representatives passed several pro-voting bills last fall, but all faltered in the U.S. Senate due to Republican intransigence. It’s unclear whether this new bill will fare any better.

Checking In With the Major Voter Suppression Laws

The 2020 election was safe, secure and led to record turnout nationwide. Yet, red state after red state enacted new voter suppression laws in 2021 — 19 states enacted restrictive voting laws, but seven states enacted the worst of the worst.

We checked in with these laws and the 31 lawsuits filed in their aftermath. Read “Checking In With the Major Voter Suppression Laws” for what’s happened in the courts so far and what to expect in the next few months.

Here's Where Each State Stands in Congressional Redistricting

As we approach the midterms, just three states have yet to enact a new congressional map. Some states may change their maps before this year’s election and others may change before the 2024 election. We broke it down below:

In North Carolina, the congressional map approved by the state Supreme Court following litigation expires before the 2024 elections. State lawmakers could re-approve the map, but will likely draw new districts.

All other states either never had litigation challenging their districts or litigation has ended. For those states, their maps are final as of now.

As Lawmakers Clash, Florida and New Hampshire Courts Move in the Background

GOP lawmakers in Florida have shirked their map-drawing responsibility. Earlier this week, state Senate and House leaders announced that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who wants to dismantle a majority-Black district, will draft the congressional map. The puzzling move comes after legislative leaders rejected DeSantis’ aggressive proposed gerrymanders earlier in the process, leading to a gubernatorial veto. Learn about the main points of disagreement here.

On Wednesday, DeSantis published his proposed map ahead of the Legislature’s special session on April 19. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the high-stakes developments in Florida — you can find live updates here. Meanwhile, a federal impasse case is continuing to move forward — plaintiffs and intervenors must submit their proposed maps to the court by next Monday.

Disagreement between the legislative and executive branches similarly plagues New Hampshire. This week, however, the state Supreme Court has officially taken over the redistricting process for a new congressional map. The court appointed Nathaniel Persily, a professor from Stanford Law School, to serve as special master and set a timetable for the Granite State, including oral arguments for early and mid-May. However, the court stressed that the movement of impasse litigation “in no way precludes the legislature from enacting a redistricting plan.”

AND MORE:

• Yesterday, the Ohio Supreme Court rejected the Ohio Redistricting Commission's FOURTH set of state House and Senate maps for violating the state constitution. The back and forth continues, as the Commission is now tasked with a new deadline of May 6 to produce legislative districts. Learn more about the Republican chief justice standing strong for fair districts.


• The Tennessee Supreme Court overturned the ruling temporarily blocking the new state Senate map. The Senate districts go back into effect as litigation continues.

“Where’s the Fraud?” Florida Judge Asks

Despite the success of drop boxes during the 2020 election cycle, conservative activists are seeking to permanently ban them in Wisconsin. This lawsuit is now before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and oral arguments took place on Wednesday. Read our latest Case Watch, “Wisconsin Drop Boxes: The Republicans’ Latest Attack,” to find out what’s at stake in the latest example of the Republican war on drop boxes.

As we’ve previously reported, Florida recently had its new voter suppression law, Senate Bill 90, put to the test in court. Following a trial that took place earlier this year, Chief Judge Mark Walker of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida issued a 288-page opinion striking down the most harmful provisions of the law.

Walker’s findings of fact regarding S.B. 90 speak volumes about how Florida Republicans crafted the law and what their end goals were. In Breaking Down the Ruling on Florida’s Voter Suppression Law,”“ we summarize some of Walker’s key conclusions following the trial.

AND MORE:

• “And after months of hearing Republicans cry fraud in parking lots, in legislative chambers and on Fox News, judges are now asking, ‘where’s the fraud?,’” writes Marc in his latest piece about how the courts have so far held firm in rejecting false claims of voter fraud.


• A state judge in Kansas dismissed a lawsuit challenging two voter suppression laws enacted last year. Plaintiffs have appealed the dismissal. “The longer justice for voters is delayed, the less time we have to educate them on how to make their voices heard in the election,” said Jacqueline Lightcap, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Kansas, after calling it a “wrongful dismissal.”

Voting Laws May Present Challenges to Youth Participation in 2022

By Dayna L. Cunningham and Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, academic leaders at Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. Read more ➡️

I was shocked to see Reps. Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-Ga.) and Lucy McBath (D-Ga.) placed into the same district. Now, Atlanta Democrats may lose a representative due to the way the Republican Legislature has drawn districts. Is there any opportunity to resolve this?

I completely agree. Georgia Republicans passed a new map that I believe to be illegal and wrong. That’s why we, and several other groups, sued. However, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) waited as long as possible to sign the redistricting bill in order to run out the clock so this gerrymander could not be struck down in court before the 2022 elections. Though our effort at a preliminary injunction was denied because it was too late in the election cycle, the litigation continues. I can promise the people of Georgia that we will continue to fight into 2024 and beyond.

Many new voting laws harm voters with disabilities. How do we ensure that voters with disabilities are able to cast a ballot?

Too often, people discount the impact of restrictive voting laws on voters with disabilities. They don't realize that, for many voters with disabilities, bans on voter assistance or restrictions on mail-in voting are oftentimes the difference between enfranchisement and disenfranchisement, from being able to vote or not.

Thanks to Chrystal and Kelly for asking questions this week – feel free to ask your own here or join today’s Twitter Spaces at 2 p.m. to ask Marc directly.

We are approaching 200 days until the general election. Let’s start preparing now:

• Help power elections in your local community and sign up to be a poll worker here!


• Contact local voters in important districts in states across the country with Swing Left.


• Make sure your own voter registration is up to date with Vote.org — and maybe text a few friends to do the same.

How are you getting involved in elections this year? Let us know on Twitter.