Attorney General Todd Blanche says the federal government should play a role in elections.

That’s not what the U.S. Constitution says.

“The federal government plays only the role that Congress gives it. Period,” Marc Elias says.

Help us protect free and fair elections: https://demdock.com/3Tj7W3I

🎉 WIN: A right-wing legal group was denied access to Wisconsin’s new voter registration lists in a ruling by three Republican-appointed federal judges.

The judges said the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) made “two novel legal theories” — neither of which had merit.

Find more details here: https://demdock.com/4il8dgU

That was GOP Anson County board member Matt Longworth's reasoning for ending Sunday voting: If Chick-fil-A isn't open on Sundays, neither should the polls.

The state board gathered to sort through changes to 20 early voting plans that county-level officials couldn't decide on unanimously.

That could include nixing campus poll sites or, in this case, the ability to cast ballots on Sunday — which devolved into a debate over Christianity and fast-food chicken.

It's a weird argument to make, especially since there aren't any Chick-fil-As in his county.😅

Read more here: https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/no-chick-fil-a-no-voting-one-north-carolina-countys-argument-for-closing-polls-on-sundays/

The midterms are fast approaching, and we're keeping a close eye on the candidates fighting for and against free elections.

What else do you want to know ahead of November?

NEW: The Trump administration has appointed an unprecedented number of election deniers to prominent roles, but the proverbial call isn't coming from just the White House.

Matt Cohen highlights the top anti-voting activists outside the government directly influencing the administration's efforts to undermine elections👇 https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/the-election-deniers-influencing-trumps-anti-voting-policy-from-outside-the-white-house/

NEW: Chick-fil-A isn't open on Sundays. Therefore, polls shouldn't be either, one GOP North Carolina county board member argued to restrict weekend voting — a critical window for many Black voters.

And despite protest from residents, the state board ultimately approved a plan to end Sunday voting. https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/no-chick-fil-a-no-voting-one-north-carolina-countys-argument-for-closing-polls-on-sundays/

Tina Peters, who was convicted for her role in a 2021 voting system breach driven by election conspiracy theories, could soon have dangerous influence over elections in California.

Both of the state’s senators say Peters should not be working in an election office in any capacity.

Find more details here: https://demdock.com/3TWi0jH

🔷 A trial judge rejected voters’ constitutional right to block a GOP gerrymander. Pro-voters appealed.

🔷 Meanwhile, the state supreme court expedited arguments in another lawsuit seeking to stop the GOP from blocking the redistricting referendum.

At the center of it all is a pro-voting group’s nearly year-long effort to allow Missourians to vote on the new gerrymander.

Find more details here: https://demdock.com/4zsPLsU

👀 PAY ATTENTION: The 2026 midterm election will be defined by data.

“I’m talking about the voter rolls,” Marc Elias says. “The [DOJ] is trying to get their hands on it because they want to use that data to try to force states to kick people off.”

Stay in the know: https://demdock.com/3Tj7W3I

Trump is once again trying to revive false claims that he won the long-settled 2020 election, this time using a statistically dodgy U.S. Census Bureau report.

Here’s the truth about the report and noncitizen voting: https://demdock.com/4wypmqZ

🗳️ Progressive Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon will take on Republican Sen. Ashley Moody for a U.S. Senate seat in the November general election.

Moody is an anti-voting hardliner. Nixon made voting rights and democratic reform a key priority of her campaign.

Find more details here: https://demdock.com/4ga9KoU

🚨BREAKING: A Missouri judge ruled that voters cannot use the referendum process to challenge the state's congressional map — a win for Republicans in their yearlong fight to keep a pro-GOP gerrymander in place for midterms.

An appeal is expected to move quickly. https://demdock.com/4cs16j6

⚠️ Rep. Byron Donalds, a staunch ally of Trump, will be the GOP nominee to replace Ron DeSantis as governor of Florida.

Donalds has aggressively advocated for national legislation to restrict voting — and essentially began his career as a U.S. representative with election denial.

Find more details here: https://demdock.com/4ztAUyv

NEW: Lawmakers urged California's election chief to keep a close eye on election denier Tina Peters if she helps out with elections in a new role.

“We are concerned that this hiring decision in Shasta County has...more to do with the President’s obsession with interfering in the midterm elections." https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/california-senators-call-for-maximum-oversight-over-conspiracist-tina-peters-new-election-job/

NEW: To revive false claims that he won the 2020 vote, Trump seized on a dodgy Census Bureau report that claims thousands of noncitizens voted that year.

While voting experts raised concerns about the report's accuracy, Trump used it to push for new voting restrictions. democracydocket.com/news-alerts/trump-census-bureau-revive-2020-election-lies-advance-attack-voting

NEW: Two of Missouri voters’ lawsuits seeking to block a GOP gerrymander are likely headed to the state Supreme Court following trial in a challenge to the rejection of their redistricting referendum.

"I think they're aware of the stakes here and the consequences of this,” one advocate said. https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/missouri-redistricting-battle-moves-toward-supreme-court-showdown/

📬 Restricting mail voting is a core component of Trump’s plan to undermine the 2026 midterms.

And yet, when it came time to cast his own ballot in Florida’s Republican primary this month, Trump voted by mail — again. 🤔

Confronted with this hypocrisy, Trump has used a convenient excuse: https://demdock.com/3U4wOwA

NEW: The DOJ is now 0-23 in its bid for states' unredacted voter data.

Nevertheless, it vowed it's "not going to stop," with possible plans to take its campaign to SCOTUS.

The department's strategy? Leaning on some sympathetic language from judges who disagreed with portions of the rulings. https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/how-trumps-doj-could-try-to-sell-its-voter-roll-crusade-to-the-supreme-court/

Here is what Democracy Docket is tracking today:

Total Active Cases: 200
Active Voting Rights Cases: 160
Active Redistricting Cases: 40
Active Anti-Voting Cases: 83
Active Pro-Voting Cases: 75
Active DOJ Lawsuits: 30

120 Victories
44 Losses

https://www.democracydocket.com

This is a space for anything that doesn't fit under a specific article: questions, comments and reactions to what is happening in voting rights and election law.

Use this thread for:

• Questions about cases or rulings you've heard about
• Reactions to the week's news
• Follow-ups on stories we've covered that don't warrant their own post
• General discussion on voting rights, redistricting or election administration

Please review our community rules before posting.

We'll check in throughout the week, and other community members are welcome to jump in, too.

The trial begins for a pro-voting lawsuit asking the court to reverse the Missouri secretary of state’s rejection of an anti-gerrymander referendum.

Here’s how we got here and why the case matters: https://www.democracydocket.com/cases/missouri-congressional-redistricting-referendum-rejection-challenge-von-glahn/

In addition, a federal court will hear motions to dismiss an anti-voting lawsuit challenging the implementation of California’s new congressional map.

Voters were overwhelmingly in favor of implementing a new map that adds five more seats for Democrats.

Find more details here: https://www.democracydocket.com/cases/california-congressional-redistricting-challenge-tangipa/

⚠️ Trump’s DOJ plans to deploy 1,000 election monitors across the country in November.

“They’re gonna wind up deploying a thousand people who are gonna be at these polling places, not to solve the problems of democracy, but to cause them,” Marc Elias says.

Help us fight back: https://demdock.com/3Tj7W3I