NPR: “Texas grew more than any other state in the last decade. Now adding two members of Congress, some political watchers say that redistricting could be a “blood bath” due to conflict between the parties. [Click Link for Radio Report]”
“Almost all eligible Georgians are registered to vote, data show”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Georgia now has one of the highest voter registration rates in the nation, with 95% of citizens over 18 years old signed up to vote, according to federal election data released this week. The number of Georgia voters has jumped since 2016, when the state started automatically registering voters when they obtain driver’s licenses. There…
Georgia Moves Forward in Effort to Take Control of Fulton County/Atlanta area Elections, Increasing Fears of Suppression of Democracy
AP: “The Georgia State Board of Elections plans to appoint a review panel this week as part of a process that could lead to a takeover of elections in the state’s most populous county under a provision in the state’s sweeping new election law. Republican lawmakers cited the new law when they asked the state board last month…
“Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has sought to ban mask mandates in schools, tests positive for the coronavirus”
WaPo: “Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has tested positive for the coronavirus, his office said Tuesday. Abbott is among the Republican governors who have resisted public health mandates aimed at stemming the tide of the virus’s delta variant, which has caused a new spike in cases as the country attempts to reopen schools, restaurants and other businesses….
“Is demography destiny? Census data shows challenges ahead for Southern GOP”
Chicken Fried Politics: “Take a map showing population shifts across the South over the last 10 years and put it over a map of where Joe Biden performed best in 2020, and the connection will appear obvious. The counties in the South that have gained population — large cities and surrounding suburbs — are the…
“Should [NC] Justice Phil Berger Jr. recuse himself from voter-ID law case in which his dad, Berger Sr., is a defendant?”
The Progressive Pulse: “The lawsuit NAACP v. Moore, filed in August 2018, named Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger Sr. and House Speaker Tim Moore as defendants. Since then, two state Supreme Court associate justices, Berger Jr. and Tamara Barringer, who have close connections to the defendants, have been elected to the state’s highest court in 2020. Plaintiffs…
“Ex-NC lawmaker gets probation for campaign money scheme”
North State Journal: “David Lewis, the former chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee and author of Republican redistricting plans during the 2010s, had pleaded guilty to two counts nearly a year ago. He resigned from the General Assembly the same day the accusations and the plea agreement became public. U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn…
Sen. Rand Paul Fails to Report His Wife Cashing In on Pandemic Intel for Over a Year Past Deadline
Slate: “Sen. Rand Paul disclosed Wednesday that his wife purchased as much as $15,000 in stock in Gilead Sciences, the maker of the antiviral drug known as remdesivir that is used to treat COVID-19. She bought the stock on Feb. 26, 2020, before the World Health Organization had declared the coronavirus a pandemic. That means the…
“Texas Supreme Court Blocks Local Mask Mandates”
Political Wire: “San Antonio Express-News: “The all-Republican Texas Supreme Court on Sunday temporarily revived Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on local mask mandates, thwarting attempts by officials in Dallas and Bexar counties to implement COVID-19 restrictions as virus patients strain hospitals.” “The justices granted Abbott’s request for an emergency stay that blocks lower court decisions allowing…
“Northam Mask Mandate Moves COVID Front and Center in Campaign”
Bearing Drift: “Virginia’s election campaign became the latest entry into the Fall-Plans-Delta-Variant meme collage last week, courtesy of Governor Ralph Northam, who imposed a statewide mask mandate for all K-12 schools (NBC12) Gov. Ralph Northam announced a public health emergency order on Thursday to require universal masking in all Virginia K-12 schools. “That requires all…