Voting Rights

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments on March 23 in Watson v. Republican National Committee, weighing whether states can count mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day but received later. The case challenges a Mississippi law allowing a five-day grace period, with similar rules in over 30 states. Conservative justices expressed concerns over fraud risks, while liberals defended state authority.

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The US Supreme Court will hear arguments on Monday in Watson v. Republican National Committee, a case challenging state laws that count mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day but received shortly after. The Republican National Committee argues that federal law requires states to discard such ballots, a stance that could have invalidated over 750,000 votes in the 2024 election. About half of states, including Texas and Mississippi, currently allow these ballots.

Indiana’s Republican-led Senate has rejected a Trump-backed congressional map that would likely have given the GOP all nine of the state’s U.S. House seats, despite an aggressive months-long pressure campaign from the White House, even as redistricting battles elsewhere and a looming Supreme Court case shape the national landscape.

10 Mwezi wa kumi na mbili, 2025 Imeripotiwa na AI Imethibitishwa ukweli

A Texas man who became a U.S. citizen as a teenager had his voter registration canceled after a federal database search flagged him as a potential noncitizen. The case has intensified concerns about the accuracy and rollout of an overhauled SAVE system that the Trump administration has promoted as a way for states to check voter eligibility, with election officials and advocates warning that it could mistakenly remove eligible voters from the rolls.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Callais v. Louisiana, a case that could restrict or end Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The arguments focused on whether creating majority-minority districts violates the 14th and 15th Amendments. Civil rights advocates warn of catastrophic consequences for multiracial democracy.

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A Texas appeals court ruled against Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit targeting Beto O’Rourke’s nonprofit Powered by People, protecting its free speech rights. O’Rourke views the decision as a defense of democratic principles amid Republican efforts to redraw electoral maps. He warns that Democrats must win the 2026 midterms to check authoritarian consolidation.