Quick editor’s note:
I’m on the road this week, so apologies for the late delivery of this edition. Given limited availability, there will be no roundup in this issue — just the usual breakdown of top headlines.
More in-depth coverage will return next week.
— Matt
More Election and voting rights news you might have missed this week…
1. Voter purges are underway, especially in states with histories of discrimination
We saw this coming once the Supreme Court blessed aggressive voter purges in the Husted vs. A. Philip Randolph Institute ruling. States with GOP legislatures are "cleaning up" voting rolls with a loose disregard for processes that have proven to disproportionately disenfranchise low-income and minority voters. The Brennan Center breaks down the impact in an alarming new report, "Purges: A Growing Threat to the Right to Vote," that details how states often rely on inaccurate information and illegal methods to remove voters from the official voting lists. Mother Jones' Pema Levy highlights the findings of the study and argues that it fits a pattern of historic discrimination.
2. Florida youth voter registration went up 41% after Parkland
But will they actually show up to vote? If they do, they could prove decisive in a state with a Governor and Senate race up for grabs. (Alex Daugherty, Miami Herald)
3. "We're number 50! We're number 50!"
Why is Tennessee dead last in voter registration and participation? (Tyler Whetstone, Knoxville News Sentinel)
4. Experts: electronic voting machines are vulnerable to hacking! GOP-controlled Congress: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
A congressional report raises the alarm that electronic voting machines in 18 states are vulnerable to hacking in 2018, including Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Georgia. So naturally, GOP leaders in Congress sprung into action and voted against increased election security funding.
5. Virginia creeps closer to fixing some of it's gerrymandered districts
A racially discriminatory voting district in Virginia moves a little closer to being redrawn.
6. Most Americans favor making it easier to vote
A new survey shows that the majority of Americans "say 'too few people voting' is a major problem in the election system and voice support for measures that would make it easier to vote." Even 58% of Republicans agree that too few people are voting. That's the good news. The bad news is that four out of five voters support voter ID laws, which tend to disenfranchise older, low-income, and minority voters.
This is an area where bipartisanship — if it still existed — could make a big difference. Many of us could live with stricter voter ID laws, if they were passed along with automatic voter registration, same-day registration, expanded early voting opportunities, and mail-in voting options. By consistently only focusing on legislation that restricts the right to vote, while neglecting opportunities to encourage higher voter participation, the motives of most GOP legislature aren't hard to see.