Daily Docket — Thursday, Feb. 23 |
Here are some updates from today. |
Two voting rights groups asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lawsuit challenging a Texas law that makes it harder to register to vote. In the petition, the groups do not ask the Supreme Court to consider the merits of voter suppression law; rather, they ask the Court to review a decision by the 5th Circuit that the voter registration organizations behind the lawsuit lacked standing, meaning the ability to bring a lawsuit in court.
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The Kansas Senate passed two anti-voting bills. Senate Bill 208 would ban drop boxes in the state while Senate Bill 209 would require mail-in ballots to be returned by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Previously, ballots could arrive up to three days after Election Day and still be counted, a law that has been in place since 2017 when it was enacted with bipartisan, near unanimous support. A bill identical to S.B. 209 passed the Kansas House yesterday.
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A federal court allowed a lawsuit brought by the Brooklyn NAACP challenging New York's line-warming ban to continue. The line-warming ban prohibits passing out food and water to voters who are waiting in line at the polls, though the New York Legislature is currently considering legislation that would effectively repeal the ban.
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Here are some updates from the past few days. |
Yesterday, the Republican-controlled Indiana House of Representatives passed a bill that would require voters to provide identification information on applications for mail-in ballots. The bill passed 64-27 along party lines and now goes to the state Senate, which is also controlled by Republicans.
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On Tuesday, the Arizona House of Representatives passed a bill that would require the secretary of state to recuse themself from overseeing elections in which they are a candidate. This legislation comes on the heels of Gov. Katie Hobbs’ (D) victory in the governor’s race while serving as secretary of state, a common talking point for those disgruntled with Kari Lake’s (R) loss. The Arizona House passed five other election bills as well.
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Here’s what to expect coming up. |
The latest episode of our Defending Democracy podcast, “Mississippi’s Ongoing Efforts to Disenfranchise Black Voters Feat. Arekia Bennett-Scott,” drops tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. EST — get ready! Listen on Apple, Spotify or any other platform.
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This is a Daily Docket email where we provide the day’s voting rights news and courtroom updates that you need to know. |
