Voting Law Proposals and Voting Rights Efforts (2 Viewers)

[MT15]

This is, IMO, going to be a big topic in the coming year. Republicans have stated their aim to make voting more restrictive in just about every state where they have the means to do so. Democrats would like to pass the Voting Rights Bill named after John Lewis. I’m going to go look up the map of all the states which have pending legislation to restrict voting. Now that we have the election in the rear view, I thought we could try to make this a general discussion thread, where people who have concerns about voting abuses can post as well and we can discuss it from both sides. Please keep memes out of this thread and put them in the boards where we go to talk about the other side, lol.

 

[Optimus Prime]

was only a matter of time

Texas governor signs new GOP voting restrictions into law

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed into law an overhaul of the state’s election rules following months of protests by Democrats.

apnews.com

Texas is among at least 18 states that have enacted new voting restrictions since the 2020 election, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

The laws are part of a national GOP campaign, including in Florida, Georgia and Arizona, to tighten voting laws in the name of security, partly driven by Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen.

"Partly"? I'd say almost entirely

 

[DaveXA]

was only a matter of time

Texas governor signs new GOP voting restrictions into law

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed into law an overhaul of the state’s election rules following months of protests by Democrats.

apnews.com

Texas is among at least 18 states that have enacted new voting restrictions since the 2020 election, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

The laws are part of a national GOP campaign, including in Florida, Georgia and Arizona, to tighten voting laws in the name of security, partly driven by Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen.

So, what excuse will they have when they lose after those laws are passed?

 

[samiam5211]

So, what excuse will they have when they lose after those laws are passed?

Fraud, and they will try to pass more restrictions.

They will repeat that cycle until they no longer have the power to pass more restrictions. At that point their base will be so worked up over massive voter fraud, that violence would ensue.

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

So, Manchin firmly believed that he could create a voting rights bill that would get Republican support and he was shown last week that getting their support is not possible. Will he continue to stymie any efforts to alter the silent filibuster and save our democracy or will he continue on with his wishful thinking.

Republicans aren't interested in stopping statewide efforts to to suppress voting, it's in their interest that voter turnout does not increase and you have to look no further than Texas to see what I'm talking about. With the '65 Voting Act neutered, Republicans have been on a tear since 2013 and now it's Texas' turn to take advantage of that decision. They gained 2 congressional districts from the last census because their population has increased over the last 10 years with +90% of that increase were POC but with redistricting, House Dems will lose seats. They even tried to merge Reps Lee and Green's district.

Texas Republicans send Gov. Greg Abbott a new congressional map that protects GOP power, reduces influence of voters of color

After a few last-minute alterations, the state's new congressional districts are drawn and await the scrutiny of federal courts. Already, one lawsuit has been filed claiming the new maps intentionally discriminate against Latino voters.

www.texastribune.org

I guess we just have to wait until the GOP actually overturn the results of an election to see if Manchin will be ready to act.

 

[MT15]

I thought I heard somewhere that Manchin is coming around on a carve out for voting rights? Or did I just dream that?

 

[SaintForLife]

Both sides!

 

[MT15]

Straw man!

By that I mean that nobody is claiming that Democrats don’t do it when they can. But there are states that have outlawed such shenanigans. I would be extremely curious to see if the states that have moved away from gerrymandering were under R or D control? Do you know the answer?

 

[zztop]

Newsmax apologizes and settles Dominion suit

I would have made them take it one step further not let a "we found no evidence" or a "mistakes were made" be sufficient

You want this suit to end? Then you admit you lied, and admit it on air not buried in a press release - you admit you knew the whole time there was 'no evidence' but you went with it anyway. And you use the word lied - not a semantic tap dance
============================================

An executive at Dominion Voting Systems moved to dismiss Newsmax as a defendant in a defamation lawsuit Friday after reaching a settlement with the right-wing media organization.

It's the first such settlement from a news organization in a defamation lawsuit filed over 2020 election conspiracy theories.

The lawsuit, filed by Dominion's head of product strategy and security Eric Coomer, is among several filed over false claims that election technology companies like Dominion rigged the election against former president Donald Trump and in favor of now-President Joe Biden.

Coomer sued Newsmax in December in state court in Colorado over false claims that he took part in an "Antifa conference call" to rig the 2020 presidential election against Donald Trump. He revised his lawsuit in February to bolster his claims against Newsmax, as Insider previously reported.

On Friday, Newsmax issued a retraction and apology on its website saying it found "no evidence" that earlier claims about Coomer and the 2020 election were true.

"There are several facts that our viewers should be aware of. Newsmax has found no evidence that Dr. Coomer interfered with Dominion voting machines or voting software in any way, nor that Dr. Coomer ever claimed to have done so," the statement reads. "Nor has Newsmax found any evidence that Dr. Coomer ever participated in any conversation with members of 'Antifa,' nor that he was directly involved with any partisan political organization."...........

Newsmax settles a defamation lawsuit from a Dominion executive at the center of election conspiracy theories and issues an apology

Looks like they still got sued despite their walking back some of their outlandish claims, and from the article Smartmatic also has sued faux news, some of their hosts, Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell

Newsmax, One America News sued by voting technology firm Smartmatic

Voting technology company Smartmatic on Wednesday sued right-wing U.S. television networks One America News and Newsmax, saying they must be held accountable for spreading conspiracy theories about the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

www.reuters.com

A Newsmax spokesperson said in a statement: "While Newsmax has yet to receive or review the Smartmatic filing, Newsmax reported accurately on allegations made by well-known public figures, including the President, his advisors and members of Congress, as well as reporting on Smartmatic’s claims in its defense. Smartmatic’s action against Newsmax today is a clear attempt to squelch the rights of a free press."

 

[zztop]

Then there is this - which is a fairly long article, but the reasoning is very odd to say the least

the University of Florida has refused to allow three political science professors to continue to serve as expert witnesses in a case that challenges a new state law that restricts voting access.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article255409716.html

The professors' dean said that the scholars' testimony "may pose a conflict of interest to the executive branch of the state of Florida" and "create a conflict for the University of Florida."

 

[MT15]

I saw something about that Florida case, it seems like it might be traced back to DeSantis who has a very close relationship with either the board or the admin of the university. The last thing I saw was that the credentialing agency for the university had opened an investigation.

Critics of the move say its nearly unprecedented and presents a clear suppression of 1A rights.

Oh, and the article I read also said these same professors had been given permission to testify in years past with no issues.

 

[Kerry Won Ohio]

Can someone explain to me how Fox News and OAN still have a broadcast license? Seriously?

I don't understand how they can continue to spread blatant falsehoods about the 2020 election and the Jan 6 insurrection and be allowed to stay on the air. That isn't news. It's pure propaganda and lies.

Biden and the Democrats just don't understand the war that they are in. And they never will.

 

[zztop]

Can someone explain to me how Fox News and OAN still have a broadcast license? Seriously?

I don't understand how they can continue to spread blatant falsehoods about the 2020 election and the Jan 6 insurrection and be allowed to stay on the air. That isn't news. It's pure propaganda and lies.

Biden and the Democrats just don't understand the war that they are in. And they never will.

without me knowing anything about it, how easy would it theoretically be to revoke it?

 

[MT15]

From what little I know, it would be impossible. The Fairness Doctrine doesn’t exist anymore, and when it did it only applied to over-the-air networks.

 

[zztop]

from recollection fairness doctrine didn't cover things like social media or online presence, so it would have to be updated and reworked. But we all know (R) would fight tooth and nail to prevent that from ever coming back - for obvious reasons

 

[Kerry Won Ohio]

without me knowing anything about it, how easy would it theoretically be to revoke it?

Apparently, cable "news" channels don't have FCC broadcast licenses. Therefore, they have a lot more latitude in what they can report as "news" compared to the Big 3 public networks CBS, NBC, and ABC.

Despite this, I think the FCC does have the power to step in and regulate false reporting if they had the proper motivation. This is from their website:

The FCC is prohibited by law from engaging in censorship or infringing on First Amendment rights of the press. It is, however, illegal for broadcasters to intentionally distort the news, and the FCC may act on complaints if there is documented evidence of such behavior from persons with direct personal knowledge. For more information, please see our consumer guide, Complaints About Broadcast Journalism.

Broadcast News Distortion

Broadcasters may not intentionally distort the news. The FCC states that "rigging or slanting the news is a most heinous act against the public interest."

www.fcc.gov

 

[zztop]

might be interest to some

 

[MT15]

This is a good thread pinpointing where the Rs are getting their latest strategy to oppose voting rights:

 

[MT15]