‌‌‌‌‌Fight Over Future Of American Democracy Rages On

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As scholars of political science and democracy ring alarm bells over Republican attacks on the 2020 election (and, potentially, future elections too), the FBI is getting more involved in ongoing investigations of multiple suspicious leaks of sensitive election data nationwide.

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Alright, let’s dig in.

Democracy Experts Ring Alarm Bell
 

Dozens of prominent political scientists and other scholars of democracy rang the alarm bell in an open letter Sunday, writing in support of the Freedom to Vote Act — which stalled in the Senate following a predictable Republican filibuster — and warning of dire consequences if Congress doesn’t address Republicans’ attacks on democracy.

“Republican state legislatures in Georgia, Florida, Texas, and across the country have enacted partisan laws intended to make it harder for Democrats to win elections,” the scholars wrote. “Most alarmingly, these laws have forged legal pathways for partisan politicians to overturn state election results if they are dissatisfied with the outcome.”

Without the Freedom to Vote Act, the letter says, America is at risk of losing its free and fair elections, and also being subject to “an extended period of minority rule,” which in turn would decrease the legitimacy of the government in the eyes of the majority. “This would have grave consequences not only for our democracy, but for political order, economic prosperity, and the national security of the United States as well,” the letter states.

The letter takes specific aim at the Senate filibuster, and certain Democrats’ continued support for it despite it being the sole roadblock for democracy reform: “To lose our democracy but preserve the filibuster in its current form — in which a minority can block popular legislation without even having to hold the floor — would be a short-sighted mistake of historic proportions,” it states.

Notably, the plea for reform comes as one international think tank has categorized the United States as a “backsliding” democracy. 
 

The FBI Dives Into Investigations Of Trumpers Stealing Election Data

The FBI is knocking at the doors of Trumpy conspiracy theorists and election officials suspected of stealing or leaking sensitive election data to further those theories.

Mesa County, COLORADO Clerk Tina Peters’ home was raided by FBI agents last week. That was part of a months-long investigation into an unauthorized person that was allowed to attend an in-person software update, after which a major QAnon influencer published sensitive election machine data and video from the software update. Also raided: Sherronna Bishop, a prominent Peters ally and former campaign manager for Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO).

We’ve been on this story for months, as Franchise readers will know, and we have the latest here. 
 

Also, this week: The Washington Post reports that the FBI is investigating a breach of county government data in Lake County, OHIO. 
 

Data from both Mesa County and Lake County were featured at MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s Cyber Symposium, though in early September we at TPM published what I believe is the only statement from the Lake County government on that apparent breach at the time: Read that story here. 

Around The States

The ACLU and other groups have sued over ALABAMA’s redistricting maps, arguing that Black voters have been “cracked” and “packed” (that is, crammed into a single congressional district when two majority Black districts would better represent Alabama’s population). 

PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom Wolf (D) has already vetoed one package of voting changes from legislature Republicans, and now state House Republicans are back with another attempt.
 

The GEORGIA House Redistricting Committee has advanced a map, along party lines, that would add a Republican seat to the state’s U.S. congressional delegation at the expense of Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA), while also putting some Democratic areas in Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) heavily conservative district. Expect lawsuits.
 

Nearly 50,000 ballots sent to WASHINGTON, DC voters ahead of the 2020 election were returned as undeliverable — 11.4% of all ballots mailed. 

Postmaster General LOUIS DEJOY wasn’t a Trump appointee, but he was appointed during the Trump administration by the USPS board of governors. And at the end of the day, DeJoy still has a job because of the support of Ron Bloom, the Democratic chair of the board. But Bloom will soon be out of the job, putting DeJoy’s own future in question. 

The Latest In Audit Mania

CLETA MITCHELL, an attorney who aided Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, has been named to the board of advisors for the Election Assistance Commission, as first reported by Votebeat’s Jessica Huseman. It’s actually kind of a long story.
 

A NEVADA man who voted illegally for his deceased wife, and then played dumb to the local media as the Republican Party used his case to fearmonger about election fraud, has pleaded guilty to the crime and received a sentence of probation and a $2,000 fine. “This seems like a cheap political stunt that kind of backfired,” Judge Carli Kierny said.
 

The partisan investigation of WISCONSIN’s 2020 investigation is “hugely problematic,” said Barry Burden, the director of Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin.

Politico: Say goodbye to swing districts. Lawmakers are drawing easy wins in dozens of states.

Arizona Republic: 'Results were meaningless': Analysts say they cannot validate or replicate Cyber Ninjas' hand count of votes

Washington Post: Ohio Republicans’ redistricting map dilutes Black voters’ power in Congress, critics say

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