At debate, GOP sheriff accused of breaking law in seizing ballots
Chad Bianco is also linked to the far-right extremist group the Oath Keepers, a fact that came up during Tuesday’s debate.
News
Stay informed with breaking news updates about voting rights, democracy reform, litigation and legislation.
This week at Democracy Docket: Flooding the zone on Virginia
There isn’t much doubt about the biggest democracy story of the week: Virginia voters’ approval Tuesday of a Democratic-backed constitutional amendment to redraw the state’s congressional lines.
Sweeping GOP-backed anti-voting measure qualifies for California ballot
A sweeping proposal to impose new ID requirements and restrict voting access in California has officially qualified for the November 2026 ballot.
How Democrats fought off Trump’s redistricting scheme
If Democrats’ remarkable victory in the Virginia referendum election tells us anything, it’s this: President Donald Trump’s unprecedented effort to use mid-decade redistricting to maintain control of Congress in the 2026 midterms has not gone according to plan.
Legacy media in context-free freakout over ‘Democratic power grab’ in Virginia
The Washington Post is deeply concerned that Virginia’s “yes” vote Tuesday to allow a new congressional map is a “Democratic power grab” that “plunges America deeper into the gerrymandering abyss.”
This week at Democracy Docket: On the ground in Chicago to bring you exclusive election news
Unlike a lot of media outlets that cover politics, at Democracy Docket we invest in original reporting. This week was a great example of why.
What to do when law enforcement demands ballots? Election officials are in the dark
When a California sheriff seized 650,000 ballots from last year’s redistricting referendum, it raised an alarming question about what was previously almost a nightmare scenario: What must election officials do if law enforcement orders them to hand over ballots?
Key Trump lawyer who tried to overturn 2020 election permanently disbarred
The California Supreme Court permanently disbarred John Eastman — a key architect in President Donald Trump’s failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election — delivering one of the most consequential professional penalties yet for an election denier.
National anti-voting group inspired California ballot seizure
Key figures from the group whose flawed, conspiracy-driven data led to Bianco’s ballot seizure were trained by Unite4Freedom, a national anti-voting group that has filed scores of lawsuits promoting false conspiracy theories about mass voter fraud.
This week at Democracy Docket: Blue states are ‘Trump-proofing’ their elections, while red ones are restricting voting
We’ve been paying even closer attention than usual this week to Harmeet Dhillon, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights division chief who, reports suggest, could soon be in line for a promotion.