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Welcome to the February edition of The Lever – reaching you as state legislative sessions across the country begin to move the bills that will shape American elections for years to come. Our democracy is strongest when everyone has a voice.

This month's Hot Policy Take details the landscape for voting rights in North Carolina in 2023. Between a state supreme court that recently flipped to a hostile majority – and took an immediate interest in reversing elections cases decided just last year – and a legislature taking aim at early voting and mail ballot deadlines, North Carolina may prove to be the epicenter of state voting rights fights in 2023. Simply put, the future of fair, free, and accessible elections is on the line in the Tar Heel State.

Later in this issue, check out interviews with 22 secretaries of state or top state election officials who firmly agree that the results in the 2022 elections were secure and accurate. We also took a look at the advocacy efforts of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth and their unique approach to a lobby day focused on restoring voting rights for those with past felony convictions.

Of course, for the latest information on legislation that's moving this year, The Markup has everything you need. Our weekly newsletter with legislative updates for insiders details what we're following as voting and election bills are being introduced all over the country. Right now, we're tracking more than 1,331 individual pieces of legislation in 48 states and DC.

HOT POLICY TAKE

States like Texas, Florida, Georgia, Arizona have drawn the national spotlight for increasingly brazen attacks on voters and election administrators alike. Since 2020, each has enacted laws to restrict access to the ballot box. Each advanced narratives that erode voters' confidence in our elections. And each saw rule changes that disproportionately harm Black and brown voters.

Now North Carolina – historically the site of some of our nation’s most shameful race-based voter suppression efforts – appears poised to join their ranks.

In a highly unusual move, two key cases will be reheard by a state supreme court that flipped to a majority hostile to voting rights earlier this year. What’s more, at least two significant legislative attacks on voting access are underway, with anti-voter lawmakers now holding a near veto-proof majority in the legislature.

Any one of these potential changes on the table would have a significant impact on how elections are run in North Carolina ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Read more to learn how.

READ THE HOT POLICY TAKE NOW

BY THE NUMBERS

11,000

That’s at least how many valid votes would have been tossed out in the 2020 election in North Carolina if proposed S.B. 88 was in effect at the time.

SEE OUR TRACKER FOR MORE

WHAT WE'RE READING

Leading election officials from across the political spectrum are in agreement: the 2022 election was secure and the results are accurate. Hearst Television recently interviewed 22 secretaries of state or top state election officials at the annual winter conferences of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) and the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED):

“When asked if they had found any widespread fraud that would have changed the outcome of any race in their states last year, 22 secretaries of state and election directors were unequivocal, even as a few candidates in various states still refuse to concede their losses from November.”

You can check out the story here and see all the interviews from the top election officials in Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

FROM OUR PARTNERS

Valentine's Day is a day to celebrate love. This year, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth took their celebration to a whole new level. More than fifty of the group's members gathered at the Kentucky State Capitol as a part of their "We Love Voting Rights" lobby day, meeting with lawmakers and rallying in support of legislation to restore voting rights for formerly-incarcerated Kentuckians.

“As a human being, a citizen of this country and community member in the state of Kentucky, I deserve to not be labeled as the worst thing I’ve ever done,” said one organizer. “As Kentuckians, we all say we want to look out for each other, so this is a good place to start,” said another.

Buoyed by chants of "I love voting rights" and a powerful panel of speakers, their work is well-worth checking out.

THE MARKUP

The Markup is VRL’s weekly legislative update for voting rights insiders. As state legislative sessions begin to advance bills, yesterday's edition of The Markup cut through the noise with the election updates you need.

Here’s a snippet from this week’s edition – a sample of what you can expect each week:

The Texas legislature is hearing its first election bill of the session [Monday]: S.B. 2 would raise the penalty for voting while ineligible, while expanding the scope of the crime beyond the court’s interpretation of the current statute. Missouri S.B. 210 – a bill to establish a notice and cure process for voters to correct minor errors on mail ballot envelopes – will be heard in committee [on Monday].

The Oregon Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a work session on Thursday that includes S.B. 579, a bill that would end disenfranchisement based on felony convictions. The Georgia Senate Ethics Committee and House Governmental Affairs Committee are both likely to have hearings on election bills later this week.

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