This week’s biggest story for democracy didn’t happen in a courtroom, a legislative chamber, or a government agency.
Of course, the effort to suppress political opposition to Trump is hard to separate from the effort to make it harder for certain groups of Americans to vote.
And Democracy Docket’s Jim Saksa offered more details on that effort Thursday, confirming that the Justice Department, which has been pressuring states to hand over voter roll data, is sharing it with DHS.
So it’s no surprise that, as Jim explained on Tuesday, Republicans are attacking it from all angles.
Speaking to Jim, one leading historian offered an ominous take: “We’re now seeing one of a variety of periods of rolling back on democracy — of resistance to democracy.”
The most important democratic story of the week did not take place in a courtroom, a legislature, or a government organization. The incident took place on a Utah college campus.
Jacob Knutson of Democracy Docket chillingly described how President Donald Trump and some of his closest allies used the horrifying murder of prominent conservative activist Charlie Kirk to demand a widespread crackdown on progressive political activity even before we knew who the shooter was.
Trump’s remarks on Friday morning, where he said he “couldn’t care less” about right-wing political violence, were possibly even more concerning. Jacob contextualized those comments in light of the president’s attempts since taking office to suppress the government’s efforts to monitor and combat extremism and to reward right-wing violence, including by pardoning the attackers of January 6.
Of course, it’s difficult to distinguish the effort to restrict voting for specific groups of Americans from the effort to stifle political opposition to Trump. Matt Cohen of Democracy Docket traveled a short distance to Capitol Hill on Thursday to attend an anti-voting rally. There, Cleta Mitchell, a far-right attorney who was instrumental in Trump’s attempt to overturn 2020, urged Congress to enact a “Super SAVE Act,” which is a streamlined version of the massive voter suppression bill that was passed by the GOP-controlled House in April.
In order to combat noncitizens, Mitchell stated that she wants lawmakers to “codify” the DHS’s efforts to search state voter rolls. Jim Saksa of the Democracy Docket provided additional information on that endeavor on Thursday, confirming that DHS is receiving voter roll data from the Justice Department, which has been putting pressure on states to turn it over. A DHS spokesperson told Jim that the partnership will assist DHS in “preventing illegal aliens from corrupting our republic’s democratic process,” adding that elections are for the American people to choose their leaders, not illegal aliens. “”.
Republicans continue to redraw House districts in as many states as they can in an attempt to rig the midterm elections the following year. Jen Rice of Democracy Docket has been keeping us informed about developments in Missouri, where the Republican Party delivered a new map to the governor’s desk on Friday that gives them an extra House seat at the expense of Black voters in Kansas City. Additionally, Jen collaborated with our graphics team to develop a comprehensive analysis of how and where Texas’ recent gerrymander, which could give Republicans five additional congressional seats, dispersed minority voters into distinct districts with majorities of white conservatives, thereby weakening their influence.
Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting, is one of the few effective legal tools left to prevent these attacks on the voting power of Brown and Black voters. That Republicans are attacking it from every side is therefore not surprising, as Jim clarified on Tuesday. A future Louisiana case could result in a decision that renders the historic civil rights law virtually ineffective for defending minority voting rights, thanks to a supportive Supreme Court.
“We’re currently witnessing one of a number of periods of rolling back on democracy — of resistance to democracy,” one prominent historian told Jim in a foreboding statement. “”.
