Indiana AG urges Congress to not pass voting rights bill
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is leading an effort to derail the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, calling the legislation “misguided, clumsy and heavy-handed.”
Voting
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‘Ordered freedom’: AG Rokita sets agenda focused on ‘liberty’
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita recently sat down with Indiana Lawyer to answer questions about his first 100 days in office and his agenda for the next four years.
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Advocates ask U.S. Supreme Court to review Indiana absentee voting laws
Hoosiers who unsuccessfully pushed for no-excuse absentee voting in Indiana during the 2020 election are turning to the U.S. Supreme Court, claiming the constitutional arguments they raised will become even more pertinent as some state legislatures are already trying to restrict mail-in balloting.
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AG Rokita declined to sign bipartisan letter condemning Capitol attack
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, whose Valentine’s Day social media tweet alluding to a stolen election post briefly drew a Twitter warning, declined weeks earlier to sign a nearly universal statement of attorneys general condemning the Jan. 6 attack on the United States Capitol. Separately, the Republican AG is facing calls for records surrounding his decision to remain employed as an adviser to a private company while also holding statewide elected office.
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Lawmakers reject no-excuse absentee voting, other election amendments
At least 13 bills dealing with election and voting have been introduced into the 2021 session of the Indiana General Assembly, but only three have received a hearing and none are addressing calls by Democrats for expanded absentee voting and easier access to early voting.
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Articles
Marchers across US call on Congress to bolster voting rights
Thousands of voting rights advocates rallied across the country Saturday to call for sweeping federal laws that would wipe out voting restrictions advancing in some Republican-controlled states that could make it harder to cast a ballot.
Young: Voting, redistricting and the American experiment
Greater access to the ballot, fair voting systems and inclusion in the process does not mean allegiance to a particular party — it should be a universal concept that brings about reasoned, well-informed participation in a system that affords citizens the opportunity to express policy and political preferences.
7th Circuit blocks IDEA program for removing voters from state rolls
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the preliminary injunction against the enforcement of an Indiana law that allows election officials to remove voters from the state’s voting rolls without getting consent from the individuals themselves.
Indy lawyers argue they should not be penalized for representing Trump in Wisconsin election challenge
In its fight to fend off $145,000 in sanctions for filing a lawsuit challenging the November 2020 election results in Wisconsin, the Indianapolis law firm of Kroger Gardis & Regas is arguing that Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ motion to recover attorney fees and costs is “deeply flawed” and an attempt to score “political points by making unsupported claims.”
Trump lawyers might be penalized over Michigan election case
A federal judge considering whether to order sanctions against some of former President Donald Trump’s lawyers spent hours Monday drilling deeply into details about an unsuccessful lawsuit that challenged Michigan’s 2020 election results.
Democrats craft voting bill with eye on Supreme Court fight
As congressional Democrats gear up for another bruising legislative push to expand voting rights, much of their attention has quietly focused on a small yet crucial voting bloc with the power to scuttle their plans: the nine Supreme Court justices.
Hoosiers push Indiana senators to support federal election law
Several dozen voting rights supporters came to downtown Indianapolis on Tuesday to push for the passage of S.1, the For the People Act of 2021. They gathered in front of the district offices of Sens. Todd Young and Mike Braun to promote what they see as a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity to strengthen the right to vote.
Voting rights ruling increases pressure on Democrats to act
Congressional Democrats are facing renewed pressure to pass legislation that would protect voting rights after a Supreme Court ruling made it harder to challenge efforts to limit ballot access in many states.
Evansville woman gets probation for absentee ballot charge
An Evansville Democratic Party activist has been sentenced to probation for sending illegally pre-marked mailings to voters ahead of the 2020 primary elections.
Unusually agreeable justices end term with conservative wins
An unusually agreeable Supreme Court term ended with conservative-driven decisions on voting rights and charitable-donor disclosures that offered a glimpse of what the coming years of the right’s dominance could look like for the nation’s highest court.
Supreme Court upholds Arizona voting restrictions
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld voting restrictions in Arizona in a decision that could make it harder to challenge other voting measures put in place by Republican lawmakers following last year’s elections.
High court declines to hear Indiana vote-by-mail limits case
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a case challenging Indiana’s vote-by-mail restrictions, a rebuff that means a federal court will decide the future of absentee voting in the state.
GOP ready to block elections bill in Senate showdown
The Democrats’ expansive elections and voting bill is all but certain to be rejected in a key test vote in the Senate, providing a dramatic example of Republicans’ use of the filibuster to block legislation and forcing hard questions for Democrats over next steps.
Emails show Trump pressured Justice Dept. over 2020 election
During the last weeks of his presidency, Donald Trump and his allies pressured the Justice Department to investigate claims of widespread 2020 election fraud that even his former attorney general declared without evidence, newly released emails show.
Justice Department will review GOP voting laws
The Justice Department will scrutinize a wave of new laws in Republican-controlled states that tighten voting rules, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday, vowing to take action on any violations of federal law.
Democrats revise voting bill but Senate obstacles remain
Democrats are revising key sections of their sweeping legislation to overhaul U.S. elections, hoping to address concerns raised by state and local election officials even as they face daunting odds of passing the bill through Congress.
Facebook board upholds Trump ban, just not an indefinite one
Former President Donald Trump won’t return to Facebook — at least not yet. Four months after Facebook suspended Trump’s accounts for inciting violence that led to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the company’s quasi-independent oversight board upheld the bans but told Facebook to specify how long they would last.
Census Bureau: 70% of voters cast ballots early or by mail
More than two-thirds of all U.S. citizens of the voting age population participated in the 2020 presidential election, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report, and 69% of those cast ballots by mail or early in-person voting — methods that Republicans in some states are curtailing.
Despite residency challenge, COA upholds results of Vigo Co. treasurer election
Despite having a Florida driver’s license and recently voting in an out-of-state election, the candidate for Vigo County treasurer who ousted the incumbent met the residency requirements to hold local Indiana office, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.