Maryland's Board of Elections must now vote unanimously to certify election results

https://www.marylandmatters.org/2022/07/29/state-board-of-elections-member-dies-creating-multiple-uncertainties/

A Board member died suddenly, disrupting the partisan make-up of the 5-member Board. Now decisions on certifying the primary elections must be unanimous.

Charlie Cooper

Get Money Out - Maryland

H: 410-578-8291

M: 410-624-6095

Democrat Senators support disclosure but are getting lots of dark money support

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kylemullins/2022/07/29/sen-cortez-masto-opposes-dark-money-in-politics-even-though-one-of-her-biggest-supporters-is-a-dark-money-group/?sh=799c49a35de7

Sen. Cortez Masto (D-NV) is getting tens of millions in dark money support for her re-election through various "non-profit social welfare" groups that do not disclose the identity of their donors. She says she opposes dark money and supports the DISCLOSE Act

Charlie Cooper

Election judge shortage looms over November general election

https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/politics-power/the-wheels-cant-turn-baltimore-poll-worker-sounds-alarm-over-staff-shortages-during-primary-election-FJQQAAXMFFBIBEFPDB3A7NE3BE/?schk=YES&rchk=YES&utm_source=The+Baltimore+Banner&utm_campaign=0ef98a4c5f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_07_25_05_48&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fed75856d2-0ef98a4c5f-557835448&mc_cid=0ef98a4c5f&mc_eid=db16e63ea4

Charlie Cooper

Klobuchar and Whitehouse argue for DISCLOSE Act

https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/news/videos/watch/sens-whitehouse-and-klobuchar-join-msnbcs-the-last-word-to-discuss-the-disclose-act

Whitehouse is prime sponsor of the DISCLOSE Act and Klobuchar is Chair of Rules Committee. In this video, they discuss why it's important, its constitutionality. At about 5 minutes, 30 seconds they talk about the prospects for passage (not this session) and whether it will be voted on the Senate floor soon (it will).

Charlie Cooper

Bi-partisan Electoral Count Act bill introduced in U.S. Senate

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/20/electoral-count-act-bill-senate/

Charlie

An Election Transparency Bill Appears Headed for Defeat. Again.

https://www.businessinsider.com/ted-cruz-free-speech-disclose-act-senate-2022-7 

The Senate rules committee held a hearing on the DISCLOSE Act, and Republicans argued that anonymous political spending is protected free speech under the first amendment.

Charlie Cooper

Court Cases - North Carolina Congressional Redistricting Challenge (SCOTUS) - Democracy Docket

https://www.democracydocket.com/cases/north-carolina-congressional-redistricting-challenge-scotus/?emci=2bb414c6-b103-ed11-b47a-281878b83d8a&emdi=d4d000a6-3504-ed11-b47a-281878b83d8a&ceid=6010517 

The finding in this case may possibly foreshadow that the court will not uphold independent state legislature theory in the coming term.

Billionaire influence rising rapidly

Billionaires spent about 40 times the amount in the 2020 election that they spent in the 2020 election, according to Americans for Tax Fairness

https://americansfortaxfairness.org/issue/report-billionaires-buying-elections/?link_id=0&can_id=e96967e6939a941dbdebb8356ad281a2&source=email-billionaire-spending-in-our-elections-was-40-times-more-in-2020-than-one-decade-earlier-2&email_referrer=email_1604571&email_subject=billionaire-spending-in-our-elections-was-40-times-more-in-2020-than-one-decade-earlier

Charlie Cooper

The potential impact of "Independent State Legislature Theory"

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/independent-state-legislature-theory-explained

The Supreme Court will rule next year on whether state legislatures have absolute power over federal elections conducted in their respective states. A finding for the ISLT would allow them to contradict the constitutions and laws of their own states without check or balance.

Charlie Cooper

Supreme Court allows racially gerrymandered schemes to be used this fall

https://www.democracydocket.com/alerts/u-s-supreme-court-reinstates-louisianas-previously-blocked-congressional-map/

The Court will take up cases of racial gerrymandering of House seats in its coming fall term, and may still find them to violate the 1965 Voting Rights Act. But the court overturned lower court rulings on the grounds that the new maps could not be fairly drawn and implemented prior to this fall's elections.

Charlie Cooper

SCOTUS let racist maps off the hook

https://www.democracydocket.com/news/litigation-look-ahead-july/

The article looks ahead to cases SCOTUS will take up in their next term.

Charlie Cooper