Voting Rights / Lawsuits / Voter Supression / HR1 / S1 / Gerrymander Congressional Districts / Gerrymandering

[Ben-Prime]

Did the AG just call the 6-3 ultra conservative SCOTUS liberal activists?

I mean, in fairness, if any state gets to do so, it's the Reactionary People's Republic of Alabama.

[raison de arizona]

BREAKING: 8th Circuit rules that only DOJ — not private groups and voters — can bring lawsuits under Section 2 of the VRA.

In past 40 years, there have been at least 182 successful Section 2 cases--only 15 were brought solely by DOJ.

8th Circuit Rules Private Plaintiffs Cannot Sue Under Section 2 of Voting Rights Act
Read more here.

https://twitter.com/ElieNYC/status/1726 ... 04585?s=20

Jesus Christ. This is THE WAY the Voting Rights Act works. It’s THE WAY we enforce the 15th freaking amendment.

I think Roberts and Barrett will join the liberals to reverse this when it gets to SCOTUS, but my God, letting Trump judges on the federal bench was a terrible plan.

[raison de arizona]

https://x.com/marceelias/status/1726684 ... 89127?s=20

Reporters: If you are covering the 8th Circuit VRA decision, you need to explain that:
-This only affects AR, IA, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD.
-The 5th Circuit (MS, LA, TX) decided the opposite last week. https://democracydocket.com/cases/louis ... -robinson/

This a very important case and precision matters.

[raison de arizona]

The two Trump judges in the majority are really thumbing their noses at the Supreme Court right now. SCOTUS’ decision last year in Allen v. Milligan made clear that the Voting Rights Act requires a majority-Black district like this. Now this court claims it’s unconstitutional!

BREAKING: 5th Circuit panel votes 2-1 to strike down Louisiana's new Black majority congressional district as unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Opinion here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/135Tznk ... sp=sharing

[RTH10260]

Secure cages and Swat teams: Arizona county’s drastic steps to protect the vote
Extraordinary measures turn Maricopa county elections office into fortress ahead of 2024 vote to protect staff and ballots

Piper Vaughn
Wed 22 May 2024 12.00 CEST

Maricopa county, Arizona – a campaign battleground where election workers have faced violent threats – has taken extraordinary measures to protect its staff and the counting of ballots.

The Guardian obtained a document from the county listing security changes it has made since the 2020 election. Those include stationing a Swat team on-site at the main building where votes are tabulated and deploying the sheriff on horseback.

After facing false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, Maricopa county became a hotspot for the contentious fights that followed. It is the most populous county in Arizona, a critical swing state in the presidential election and a battleground state for control of the Senate. Election workers have faced a daily torrent of hateful and menacing messages over email and social media, and such threats led Clint Hickman to decide not to run for re-election as a county supervisor this year.

The document provided to the Guardian by staff with the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center (MCTEC) shows how the county has transformed that building into a fortress.

Armed guards have been increased at entrances and exits, and sheriffs patrol the area continuously. Doors to secure areas have been replaced with ones that require badge access, said Taylor Kinnerup, spokesperson for the county recorder’s office.

While awaiting tabulation, ballots are held in “secure cages” made of chain-link fencing. Ballots are stored in these cages during lunch breaks, off hours, or any other pause, Kinnerup explained.

In the tabulation rooms, where votes are counted, three people have to be in the room at all times, Kinnerup said. In those rooms, the hard drives that record and store votes have their ports blocked and no access to wifi, Kinnerup explained, so that no one can access them except authorized officials who are allowed to enter the room. They are connected by physical wires only to servers within the building, and the whole system is closed and does not connect to the internet.

If an IT person is needed, that person must be escorted by two other employees. If visitors come, the document says, “ambassadors” escort them to maintain security while “ensuring observers can monitor the election process”.

Surveillance cameras that livestream to the public monitor those rooms and other key facilities in the Tabulation and Election Center. Cameras also continuously record the interior and exterior of the MCTEC building, and every place where a ballot goes in the building is under video surveillance. The surveillance cameras have been upgraded, the document says, and additional lighting and video surveillance have been installed at drop boxes.

Ballots are also protected against natural disasters and are stored in a “fire retardant room”, Kinnerup said, “so if the whole building would catch on fire, the ballots would be fine”.




https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/art ... opa-county