date |
NC
or US districts |
Racial or Partisan GM |
court case/ruling, issue, etc. (active, unresolved cases are in green in 2nd/3rd columns) |
| 5/15/2020 | MO | P | 'Clean Missouri' law
(passed by voters with 62% if the vote in Nov 2018) repeal
(first approved by state House/Senate) goes to
voters for referendum in November 2020. The repeal would replace the demographer (in charge) with a non-partisan commission or with appellate judges. |
| 3/6/2020 | VA-US |
P/R | Virginia
legislators give up redistricting power to a
non-partisan commission:
measure goes ballot in November 2020 for voter
approval. |
2/18/2020 |
NC-US |
P |
Another
court rules NC voter-ID unconstitutional: 3-judge NC Court of Appeals unanimously rules that the NC voter-ID amendment "target(s) African-Americans with almost surgical precision" and issues preliminary injunction that prevents voter-ID being used while lawsuit is still in courts. |
| 12/31/2019 | NC-US | NC
likely to gain one congressional seat as a result of
2020 census reapportionment (which likely won't be
concluded until 2022) |
|
| 12/2/2019 | NC-US | P | Court
approves legislature-passed US congressional districts
for 2020 Judges applaud legislature's 'transparency'. |
| 11/15/2019 11/20/2019 |
NC-US | P | NC
legislature approves new congressional districts.
Plaintiffs will sue again. What will courts do? Will it be in time to save a March 2020 primary? Superior Court meets 9 am December 2, to decide next steps no candidate filings until after that date |
| 11/5/2019 | NC-US | P | NC GOP legislative leaders
throw in towel; agree to congressional redistricting
in advance of 2020 elections |
| 10/28/2019 | NC-US NC |
P |
US
3-judge Court rules NC Congress districts shows signs
of "extreme partisan gerrymandering" and orders new
districts drawn before 2020 primary elections (or
else elections will be delayed) Court Decision Will NC Republicans appeal and risk delaying the elections? No. Same Court approves last month's redistricting of NC legislative districts. |
| 9/27/2019 | NC-US NC |
P P |
Democrats file suit
challenging gerrymandering of NC's US congressional
districts Common Cause files suit against 'new" NC legislative districts; asks Court to redraw districts 19 of the newly-drawn districts. |
| 9/17/2019 |
NC | P | NC
legislature redraws 'gerrymandered' districts.
Maps awaiting court approval. New districts still skewed toward GOP, but less than current districts. How legislators managed to do NC House/Senate redistricting in 2 weeks: midnight work sessions and lottery balls more analysis: from Michael Bitzer on the skew of the new district maps from Jon Mattingly on how bad the previous maps were are here, here, and here |
| 9/3/2019 | NC | P |
NC
Wake Co Court 3-judge panel rules partisan
gerrymandering violates 'Free Elections', 'Equal
Protection', 'Freedom of Assembly', and 'Freedom of
Speech' clauses of NC
Constitution Judges require new districts by 9/18/2019 (or else delay 2020 elections, Court warns) Superior Court ruling (357 pages) House/Senate GOP leaders whine, but won't appeal. Washington Post, New York Times, and Election Law Blog all take notice. |
| 7/26/2019 | NC | P | Common Cause v. Lewis
ends. Next, after the decision: appeal by loser? |
| 7/19/2019 | NC | P | Hofeller
files displayed in Common Cause v. Lewis trial actual Hofeller files/maps are not particularly helpful without commentary |
| 7/15/2019 | NC | P | Common
Cause v. Lewis: Trial opens in Wake County Superior
Court: Is the current NC legislative restricting
plan a violation of the NC Constitution? Summary of the opposing arguments Case background Common Cause legal filings |
| 7/12/2019 | NC | P | 3-judge
panel rules that secret Hofeller redistricting files
can be admitted (as "public records") in a Wake County
gerrymandering court case (beginning 7/15/19) that
will test whether the Hofeller drawing of NC legislative districts violated the
NC Constitution. The Hofeller files and their history |
| 6/27/2019 | NC-US, MD-US |
P |
Supreme
Court rules 5-4 "Partisan
gerrymandering claims present political questions
beyond the reach of the federal courts." Decision seemingly disallows further partisan gerrymandering appeals to federal courts, and it therefore leaves those decisions only to state legislatures and courts, constitutional amendments, or nonpartisan redistricting commissions. The decision remand the case (again) to lower federal courts to review whether the plaintiffs had standing to bring the case. But the lower court said it did that. What next? Related: The Signature of Gerrymandering in Rucho v. Common Cause, published in South Carolina Law Review, Vol. 70, No. 4 (November 8, 2019), 36 pages Dirty Think about Law & Politics in Rucho v. Common Cause published in Duke Law School Public Law & Legal Theory Series No. 2019-78 (October 14, 2019, 13 pages) What the decision may mean for Maryland. The decision further states that "Numerous States are actively addressing the issue through state constitutional amendments and legislation placing power to draw electoral districts in the hands of independent commissions, mandating particular districting criteria for their mapmakers, or prohibiting drawing district lines for partisan advantage." However, CJ John Roberts (who wrote the above decision and the words in the previous paragraph) was on the losing side of a 5-4 decision in 2015 that non-partisan redistricting commissions are constitutional (despite taking redistricting power away from state legislatures). A convenient change of opinion or plain hypocrisy? Will the decision on commissions survive with Kavanaugh now on the Court? |
| 6/18/2019 | VA | R | Supreme
Court lets Virginia anti-racial-gerrymandering
decision stand, although decision is about a more mundane matter (who gets to defend a a state's interest in court: in VA, at least, it's the Attorney General, not the Legislature) |
| 5/24/2019 | US-OH, MI |
P | Supreme
Court says no gerrymandering remedy for you MI &
OH: puts holds on lower Court decisions requiring
immediate re-drawings of both states' U.S. Congressional Districts |
| 5/3/2019 | US-OH | P | U.S. Court
of Appeals 3-judge
panel unanimously rules Ohio congressional districts
unconstitutional gerrymander that "dilutes the
votes of Democratic voters by packing and cracking into
districts that are so skewed ... that the electoral
outcome is predetermined." A
300-page opinion! New plan must be submitted by 6/14/2020 Are lower courts trying to send the Supreme Court a gerrymandering message? |
| 4/26/2019 | US-MO | P | Missouri
voters passed 'Clean
Missouri' (aka Amendment 1) in Nov 2018 to take
redistricting away from 2 commissions (members appointed
by political parties) and give the lead to a 'state
demographer' (amendments can be made by the 2
commissions). But GOP legislators now want to repeal that measure, by appealing to black Democrats. |
| 4/25/2019 | US-MI | P | Unanimous
U.S. District Court: Michigan congressional and
legislative districts a political gerrymander "of
historic proportions". Court requires new districts be drawn and signed into law by Aug. 1 (or else court will draw them). A stay is likely, pending (likely June) Supreme Court decision on NC/MD cases. |
| 3/26/2019 | US-NC, MD | P | Transcript
of oral arguments in Russo v. Common Cause, NC
gerrymandering case Transcript of oral arguments in Lamone v. Benisek, MD gerrymandering case Amicus brief Pegden, Rodden, and Wang showing that (1) "partisan gerrymandering can be quantitatively measured" (2) "a quantitative analysis confirms that NC's legislative map is a quantitative gerrymander" Amicus brief by Grofman and Gaddie on why the Supreme Court must provide a check on egregious partisan gerrymandering Amicus brief of Mathematicians by Charles and Gupta post-hearing commentary summary at SCOTUSblog and an exhaustive list of national commentary Howe analysis: Justices divided and hard to read (but, bottom line: neither Kavanaugh or Roberts seem to be in play) Proportionality vs. Asymmetry: SC justices mentioned 'proportionality' many times during their questioning, despite proportionality never being mentioned by the appellees, nor do their remedies rely on it. Instead, gerrymandering remedies are about partisan asymmetry and not proportionality: part 1 part 2 part 3 Why do supposedly educated judges have trouble distinguishing between the two? |
| 3/25/2019 | US-NC, MD | P |
SCOTUSBlog pre-coverage of
3/26/19 Supreme Court arguments in Rucho
v. Common Cause (NC) and Lamone
v. Benisek (MD): Appellees' (League of Women Voters et al.) written brief in the NC gerrymandering case Governors Roy Cooper (D-NC) and Larry Hogan (R-MD): Legislators shouldn't draw electoral maps NC Representatives Ralph Hise (R) and David Lewis (R): How we drew NC congressional districts for political advantage aka, a lame defense extreme partisan gerrymandering Gerrymandering lawsuits pending in 12 states and a list of current redistricting cases |
| 3/2/2019 | US-MD | P | Independent Maryland redistricting commission
redraws boundaries for 'gerrymandered' districts
ruled unconstitutional on 11/7/2018. |
| 2/21/2019 | US-NC | P | Two
non-judicial remedies for NC redistricting: A constitutional amendment and The constitutional amendment proposed by Tom Ross and Art Pope and being pushed by North Carolinians for Redistricting Reform or An independent redistricting commission |
| 1/4/2019 1/7/2019 |
US-NC, MD |
P | US
Supreme Court to hear arguments on constitutionality
of NC and MD congressional redistricting in March
2019. What's different about this year's NC case compared to last year's Wisconsin case, and why it should have a greater chance of success. But why it might not, and why these cases could actually make gerrymandering worse: 3 new dangers. |
| 1/2/2019 12/14/2018 12/17/2018 |
NC | P |
Request
by GOP legislators (see below) to change
gerrymandering-jurisdiction denied. NC GA leaders attempt to move NC state-legislative-districts partisan-gerrymandering suit (see line below) from NC courts to federal courts because of "Democratic court bias". Democrats object to this NC Court removal attempt. Federal judge gives NC GA leaders until 12/28/18 to respond. Raleigh News & Observer summarizes. |
| 11/14/2018 | NC |
P | (Another)
lawsuit filed to overturn partisan gerrymandering of
NC House/Senate districts. The lawsuit was filed by Common Cause and NC Democratic Party. |
| 11/8/2018 | US- MI CO MO UT |
P | How ballot
initiatives involving redistricting fared in the 2018
general election: Michigan's anti-gerrymandering proposal was approved. (61% for; 39% against) An independent (4D, 4R, 5NP) commission will draw district lines (instead of state legislature.) Colorado passes redistricting measures for US House, Amendment Y and for the state legislature, Amendment Z. (both, 71% for; 29% against). An independent (4D, 4R, 4 NP) redistricting commission will now draw district lines (instead of the Colorado General Assembly) for both congressional districts (Amendment Y) and CO legislative districts (Amendment Z). Missouri passed a new redistricting measure (62% for; 38% against). Non-partisan demographer to draw district lines (instead of 2 commissions of D and R legislators). However, as of early 2020, the legislature (GOP-controlled) has balked at implementing the measure -- on the basis that voters did not understand what they were doing(!). A filibuster against over-riding the 2018 redistricting was successful, so the 2018 voter-passed amendment still stands. Utah's anti-gerrymandering proposal was narrowly approved. (final results: 50.3% for; 49.7% against) Proposition 4 mandates redistricting be done by a 7-member independent commission, appointed by Governor and state legislators (instead of the Utah legislature). |
| 11/8/2018 | US-NC |
P | Republicans
won 50.3% of the state-wide vote for Congress. But
they won 10 of the 13 seats. |
| 11/7/2018 | US-MD | P | 3-Judge
Federal District Panel rules Maryland Congressional
Districts unconstitutional. New maps must be drawn for 2020 election. Judges set 3/7/2019 deadline for redrawing districts. 11/15/2018 update: MD Attorney General appeals ruling to Supreme Court. |
| 9/4/2018 | US-NC |
P | Federal 3-judge panel agrees with
plaintiffs: November elections to go ahead as scheduled. So NC now goes on 6 years with illegally-drawn districts. |
| 8/31/2018 |
US-NC | P | Winning
gerrymandering plaintiffs (Common Cause; League of
Women Voters) agree that it's too late to redraw NC
districts in time for November 2018 election. |
| 8/27/2018 | US-NC | R |
Federal 3-judge
panel denies Republican request to delay writing new state
legislative maps until after November election. North Carolina gerrymandering chaos explained. |
| 8/27/2018 | US-NC | P | US
District Court 3-judge panel rules NC congressional
districts unconstitutionally gerrymandered (Rucho v. Common Cause again). Possible remedies include (1) allowing the NC legislature another chance at redrawing new districts, with new primary elections for congressional candidates this November, and a general election to follow in January; (2) bringing in a special master to redraw congressional districts; (3) dispensing with primary elections and having only a general election with redrawn districts, (4) waiting until 2020 to design new congressional districts. Court asked for input on remedies from all parties by 8/31/2018. Appeal to the Supreme Court (now with only 8 members, due to the resignation of Anthony Kennedy) for a delay in remedies could result in a 4-4 split decision, thereby leaving the District Court completely in charge. 321-page District Court decision Commentary by court watcher Rick Hasen |
| 7/31/2018 | US-MI | P | Michigan
Supreme Court allows voter ballot initiative to take
away redistricting from MI legislature |
| 6/25/2018 | US-NC | P |
US
Supreme Court remands NC gerrymandering case (Rucho v. Common Cause) back
to US District Court (Middle District for NC) to determine
whether the original plaintiffs have standing (i.e., have
suffered individual harm)... this despite supplemental briefs filed by Common Cause (after the SC decisions in Gill and Benisek last week) purporting to show that the original plaintiffs did have standing. |
| 6/25/2018 | TX, US-TX |
R |
US
Supreme Court overturns lower-Court ruling that a TX
redistricting plan discriminated against minority voters
in 10 TX state and 2 US congressional districts (but
agreed that 1 TX state district was drawn with
discriminatory intent/results). Supreme Court ruling in Abbott v. Perez. SCOTUSblog commentary. Slate commentary: Is Neil Gorsuch claiming that racial gerrymandering is not unconstitutional? |
6/18/2018 |
US-WI US-MD |
P P |
US Supreme Court sidesteps issue of
gerrymandering on procedural grounds; sends two cases back
to lower courts. Realistically, this is a setback
for those opposed to extreme partisan gerrymandering, as
voters must now prove harm as the result of single
district's gerrymander, rather than a state-wide
gerrymander. Gill v. Whitford decision (WI): Supreme Court ruling; SCOTUSblog analysis (both) Benisek v. Lamone, Maryland Board of Elections (MD): Supreme Court ruling more commentary & analysis: An unwillingness to decide, even when handed an objective standard (viz., the efficiency gap). (Slate, 0/18/18) Was the unanimous ruling a plot to get Kennedy to make up his mind? (Slate, 06/18/2018) Gill ruling muddies the waters: how do you prove 'harm'? (Vox, 6/18/2018) It could have been worse. Gill could have been denied, rather than remanded (as Thomas and Gorsuch wanted). (NY Times, 6/18/2018) It's up to voters to stop gerrymandering. (The Nation, 6/18/2018) |
| 5/9/2018 | US-OH | P | Ohio
voters make progress on remedying extreme partisan
gerrymandering. (USA Today, 5/9/2018) |
| 4/24/2018 | US-TX | R | Supreme
Court hears Abbott v. Perez, Texas gerrymandering
case(s). (includes links to argument
transcripts and commentary) before hearing: What's at stake. and What you need to know. after hearing: Supreme Court hears arguments. |
| 4/14/2018 | NC | R | 3-judge panel
rules that some Wake
legislative districts were likely re-drawn illegally,
but election to go ahead anyway (ballots have been
printed, etc.) |
| 3/28/2018 | US-MD |
P |
US Supreme Court
heard oral
arguments in Maryland partisan gerrymandering case (Benisek v. Lamone). Post-argument analysis: ThinkProgress (5 votes are there to overturn... but how?), NY Times (no consensus), New Yorker (pessimistic). Pre-argument previews: SCOTUSblog commentary includes MD maps. Other previews are at ABA Journal (concentrating on the response by data scientists), Cornell Law (a more general discussion), Take Care (warnings on the danger of incumbent protection, Legal Information Institute (retaliation as injury?), and Subscript (with a graphic explainer). 5 Things to Know about the Maryland Partisan-Gerrymandering Case (Brennan Center for Justice, 3/22/18) describes the important questions that need to be resolved. How Maryland Democrats pulled off their aggressive gerrymander. (Washington Post, 3/28/18) The case that could transform politics. (Politico, 3/26/18) (includes a short history of SC rulings on partisan gerrymandering). Ballotpedia has more on history. |
|
2/19/2018 |
US-PA |
P |
Pennsylvania
Supreme Court 4-3 vote adopts new US congressional maps,
drawn by Stanford's Nathan Persily (Philadelphia Inquirer,
2/19/18) PA Supreme Court decision. (includes links to supporting materials and dissenting opinions) Reviewing the mapmakers' choices. (NY Times, 2/20/18) Showing before/after district lines superimposed on 2016 voting data for each of the 18 districts. And an even nerdier analysis of the new maps vs. the old maps vs. other maps (538, 2/20/18) How the new Pennsylvania maps erased perimeter and not area. (Washington Post, 2/19/18) Supreme Court refuses to step in and delay PA court decision (Washington Post 3/19/18) |
| 2/06/2018 | NC |
R |
US
Supreme Court OKs some of Special Master Persily's NC
legislative redistricting but not others (Wake,
Mecklenburg counties). No reason given for
mixed ruling. |
|
1/22/2018 - 2/05/2018 |
US-PA |
P |
Pennsylvania
Supreme Court also declares its US congressional
districts to be politically gerrymandered.
(1/22/2018) [US
Supreme Court refuses to intervene (2/5/2018).] Orders new maps to be approved by February 15. GOP legislature appeals (1/24/18). Is this a trend? How big a deal?: commentary by NY Times' Related: Adventures in extreme gerrymandering looks at three ways of drawing Pennsylvania district maps. |
| 1/19/2018 | NC |
R |
(a different) 3-judge
panel orders use of expert's redistricting maps in some
NC state legislative districts in upcoming elections.
Republicans to appeal. |
| 1/18/2018 | US-NC |
P |
Supreme
Court stops quick redraw of NC congressional districts
So, this year, we will vote in districts ruled
unconstitutional? and it's OK because? |
| 1/11/2018 | US-NC |
P |
NC
GOP lawmakers seek delay from 1/24/18 congressional
redistricting deadline.... a required prelude to
appealing to the Supreme Court.... want
same 'partisan-gerrymandered' maps used again this
year. Is it too late to delay the May primary? Another 3-judge federal panel still had not ruled on constitutionality of NC legislative districts. |
1/09/2018 |
US-NC |
P |
Federal 3-
judge panel rules latest
NC GOP-proposed US congressional voting district plan
is unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering. First time ever that Federal judges have blocked a map on the grounds of unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering. Panel gives NC legislature until January 24 to come up with a new plan. Judges threaten to hire a redistricting expert if any new plan is also unacceptable. Legislature announces intention to appeal to Supreme Court to block order. NY TImes story Washington Post story Duke math professor Jonathan Mattingly did the math that helped draw the line on GOP gerrymandering. NC: where every district looks like a monster (Washington Post, 01/10/2018) |
| 1/05/2018 | NC |
R |
Judges
to hear NC election arguments (for/against Persily's
NC House/Senate legislative redistricting plans) |
| 11/19/2017 | NC |
R |
GOP legislators object to
Persily's 'race-based redistricting' |
| 11/13/2017 | NC |
R |
Special
Master wants feedback on his new redistricting plan
for some NC House/Senate legislative districts |
| 11/2 - 5/2017 | Duke
conference/workshop: Geometry
of Redistricting |
||
| 11/1/2017 | NC |
R |
Three-judge
panel to NC GOP legislators: "The State is not
entitled to multiple opportunities to remedy its
unconstitutional districts." Panel appoints Nathaniel Persily as Special Master (over GOP objections) for redistricting of NC legislature districts. |
| 10/3/2017 | US-WI |
P |
Supreme
Court hears arguments in Wisconsin gerrymandering
case, Gill
v. Whitford Cautious optimism for challengers? Washington Post agrees. |
| 9/1/2017 | NC |
R |
New NC House
& Senate legislative redistricting maps due in court. |
| 8/28/2017 | NC
Supreme Court hears 2 election-related cases.
1) Constitution of State Election Board 2) The status of the redistricting effort that is undergoing review by the 3-judge panel. |
||
August 19-23, 2017 |
NC |
R |
New
NC House district maps New NC Senate district maps Political data on new maps released. Find out which way your district leans Public commentary on new maps. Send your comments on redistricting to the General Assembly. Southern Coalition for Social Justice creates their own maps to challenge legislature's. |
| 7/31/2017 |
NC |
R |
3-judge
panel (same as below) ruling (1) requires new
state-legislature district maps be drawn by 9/1/2017 (or by
9/15/2017 if sufficient progress is made by 8//21/2017)
and (2) disallows special elections in 2017 or 2018
(because of likely confusion/complication with already
planned 2018 elections). NC legislative committee hearing on Friday, August 4, 2017. |
| 7/27/2017 |
NC |
R |
3-judge panel
(District/CCoA judges) hold new hearings to decide (1) how
soon the state legislative redistricting must be done, (2)
when it should be effective, and (3) who should do it. Judges question why the NC Legislature has not produced new maps in the 3.5 intervening months. Lawyers for Legislature reply that they are trying to set up a procedure for public input. Judges take matter under advisement without offering a timeline for a decision. |
| 7/26/2017 |
NC |
R |
A
meeting led by NC Reps. David Lewis (R-Harnett Co.) and
Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell Co., NCSSM x/o '94) on NC
legislative redistricting. Results: (1) David Hofeller (one of the The League of Dangerous Mapmakers and designer of the now overturned 2011 NC district maps) to return to help GOP with redistricting. (2) Lewis says "It will be the prerogative of the committee to determine what the criteria are on the drawing of these maps." |
| 6/8/2017 |
NC |
R |
NC
legislature rejects Gov. Cooper's call for special NC
legislative session on NC legislative redistricting. |
| 6/7/2017 |
NC |
R |
NC
Governor Roy Cooper calls for special NC legislative
session to deal with NC legislative redistricting. |
| 6/5/2017 |
NC |
R |
Supreme
Court upholds 4th CCoA ruling (of 11/29/16)
unanimously that 28 NC legislative districts were
illegally racially gerrymandered (by diluting the overall
impact of black voters). However, they did not agree
with CCoA that new maps be drawn and employed in special
elections during 2017. It sends issue back to the
lower court for review these 2 issues. |
| 5/22/2017 |
US-NC |
R |
Supreme
Court affirms (in a 5-3 ruling) that NC's US
congressional districts were illegally drawn in 2011 (by
relying too heavily on race) -- essentially upholding the
ruling of the 3-judge panel on 2/5/2016. |
| 1/10/2017 |
NC |
R |
Supreme
Court puts NC 2017 legislative elections on hold
while it reviews NC legislature's appeal to overturn the
11/29/16 CCofA decision |
| 11/29/2016 |
NC |
R |
US
4th Circuit Court of Appeals (CCoA) 3-judge panel rules
that (due to 28 illegally gerrymandered NC legislative
districts) (1) new district maps must be drawn by March 15
and (2) special elections need to be held in 2017 to
elect new legislators. NC legislature appeals. |
| Aug
- Sept, 2016 |
US-NC |
P |
Both Common
Cause (August) and League
of Women Voters (September) file suits challenging
NC congressional districts as partisan
gerrymandering. Suits are combined later in what
will be called Common Cause v. Rucho. |
| 8/11/2016 |
NC |
R |
US
District 3-judge panel rules that 28 of 170 NC
legislative districts have been racially gerrymandered.
The court allows November 2016 legislative elections to
proceed because of the short time between the ruling and
date of the 2016 elections. |
| 2/5/2016 |
US-NC |
R |
3-judge
panel rules that two NC congressional districts (1st and
12th) have been racially gerrymandered. They
order new maps to be drawn within 3 weeks. NC legislature appeals. |
| 12/18/2015 |
US-NC & state |
R |
NC
Supreme Court decides (4-3) that race was used
properly in drawing legislative & congressional
districts after 2010 census |
| 4/20/2015 | US-NC | R | US Supreme Court
tells NC Supreme Court to re-examine case for racial
gerrymandering |
| 7/8/2013 12/?/13 |
US-NC |
R |
3-judge panel
upholds 2011 redistricting as constitutional (and not
racially gerrymandered) NC Supreme Court agrees |
| 6/25/2013 |
US, state |
R |
Supreme
Court invalidates some provisions of the 1964 Voting
Rights Act. NC and other southern states no
longer have to submit voting-procedure changes and
redistricting maps for approval to Justice Department |
| 11/2/2011 |
NC | R | NC
re-districting approved by Justice Department's Civil
Rights Division. But suit expected to charge racial gerrymandering by packing black voters into a small number of congressional districts |
date |
state |
Court or other official body |
issue (active, unresolved cases are in green in 2nd/3rd columns) |
| 10/28/2020 | NC | U.S. Supreme Court |
U.S.Supreme
Court speaks: NC mail-in ballots posted by Election
Day (Nov 3, 5 pm) will count if received by Nov 12. Leaves missing-witness-signature as ruled on 10/14/20; see below. |
10/14/2020 |
NC |
U.S. District Court |
Judge
Osteen rules that NC mail-in ballots must have witness
signatures overruling NC BoE settlement of last
month. Judge claims ruling is "to help voters". Ruling does not block 2 other parts of the agreement: (1) Ballots received through Nov. 9, can be counted if postmarked by 5 pm, Nov 3, Election Day, and (2) Ballots left at drop-off boxes at Early Voting sites or County Election Offices can be counted. |
| 10/12/2020 | FL | The
biggest voter disenfranchisement in history?: Florida rules felons must pay to vote. How many of the 1.4 million will be able to? |
|
|
10/10/2020
|
TX, PA, OH |
Federal |
Federal
judges overrule ballot-drop-box limitations
imposed by GOP state officials in
Texas (10/10) and in
Pennsylvania (10/10), and in
Ohio (10/8). But higher court in Ohio reinstates limits on drop-boxes until another hearing. (10/9) Appeals have been filed. There is now a stay in the TX ruling. |
| 10/8/2020 | NC | U.S. District Court | U.S.
District judge delays ruling on NC BoE
settlement on mail-in ballots. coming the 3rd week in October. |
| 10/3/2020 | NC | U.S. District Court | And still another
U-turn: Federal
judge blocks go-ahead of settlement the previous
day. (See
below.) Case to be reheard in front of another
District Court Judge (Osteen). Incomplete ballots return to limbo. |
| 10/2/2020 | NC | Wake Superior Court | Another
U-turn: a Wake Co. Superior Court Judge approves all
facets of the previous NC BoE settlement of 9/23/20. An appeal by the GOP was immediately promised, but has gone to a different court: a U.S. District Court. But BoE argues that state cases should only go to NC courts. Who gets the last word? |
| 10/1/2020 | NC | NC State Board of Elections & U.S. District Court |
NC
State Board of Elections suspends settlement agreement
until a definitive court ruling. This, after Judge
Osteen sharply criticizes the BoE Settlement done at
his own behest. Ballots with missing signatures and other vital info remain uncounted and in limbo. Chaos and confusion abound. |
| 9/26/2020 | NC | NC State Board of Elections | Trump campaign and NC GOP
sue to block court-ordered settlement reached
unanimously by NC State Board of Elections. Why didn't NC BoE ask Court for approval? See box below. |
| 9/23/2020 | NC | NC State Board of Elections |
NC
Board of Elections reaches tentative consent
settlement over several issues related to absentee
ballots, thereby satisfying
a
court-ordered settlement on these issues. Settlement must be approved by the Wake County Superior Court that made the aforementioned ruling. There will be a court hearing on the settlement next week. 2 GOP Board members resign after signing the unanimous agreement (but only after NC GOP leaders lambaste the agreement). This article mentions the 3 major changes in the tentative consent settlement: a fix for voter-signature mistakes; delaying the deadline for receipt of mail-on ballots until 9 days after Election Day (they still must be postmarked by Election Day); allowance of election-official-monitored drop-off boxes for absentee ballots, thereby obviating the need for prolonged verbal or written contact with election officials for absentee-ballot dropoff. In the latter case, voters must orally confirm their identity to drop off a ballot. The tentative agreement would also enjoin the plaintiffs from continuing to lobby for other contentious [but unagreed-upon demands of the plaintiffs, e.g., (1) the elimination of the required witness signature for voters in single-adult households, (2) requiring Election Boards to pay for mail-in ballot postage, and (3) allowing individuals or organization to assist voters in filling out absentee ballots] so as "to avoid any continued uncertainty and distraction from the uniform administration of the 2020 elections, protect the limited resources of the Consent Parties, ensure that North Carolina voters can safely and constitutionally exercise the franchise in the 2020 elections, and ensure that election officials have sufficient time to implement any changes for the 2020 elections and educate voters about these changes." Dan Forest (NC-R Lt. Governor) asks for AG William Barr to look into the settlement agreement. |
9/15/2020 |
NC |
NC Court of Appeals |
NC
Court of Appeals overrules 1/19/2019
decision and says that the
legislature, whether illegally gerrymandered
or not, has the power to put constitutional
amendments (including the one passed on
voter-id). Appeals Court full decision. NAACP says they will appeal. Previous ruling had invalidated voter-id law because it was put to voters by an illegally-gerrymandered-- and thus illegally constituted legislature. Voter-id is still being adjudicated elsewhere on other grounds. See immediately below. |
9/11/2020 |
NC |
U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit |
NC
voter-id (finally) goes on trial. Oral arguments
begin. Judgment will not affect November 2020 election (no id required, in general) NC Gov Cooper asks court to strike down law. It's curious that no coverage of this is being provided by Raleigh N&O or Charlotte Observer. |
9/11/2020 |
FL |
U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit |
FL
felons will not be able to vote unless all fines,
court costs, etc. paid. Divided Appeals Court opinions. U.S. Supreme Court unlikely to take up appeal before Nov 2020 election. |
| 9/4/2020 | NC | Superior Court |
Some
NC ex-felons have voting rights restored for November: outstanding fees should not be a barrier to voting Appeal uncertain. |
8/4/2020 |
NC |
U.S. District Court |
NC
voters must be given a chance to correct ballot
mistakes before they're thrown out (just as
in-person voters would), District Court Judge rules but 'no' to contact-less drop-off boxes for absentee ballots; removal of witness requirement, etc. due to unusual pandemic circumstances |
| 5/24/2020 4/6/2020 2/19/2020 |
FL |
U.S. District Court
U.S. District Court
US Court of
Appeals
|
U.S.
District Court Judge strikes down major parts of new
FL felon voting law: preventing felons in Florida
from voting because they can’t afford to pay back court
fees, fines and restitution to victims is ruled
unconstitutional (violating 24th Amendment). Florida governor to appeal to US. (11th) Court of Appeals. That Court has previously upheld an injunction striking down this law. Federal judge applies previous ruling (see 2/19/2020) to all felons in Florida: Florida cannot ban felons from voting even if fess and fines remain unpaid. Court: Florida can't bar felons voting despite fines & fees does ruling only apply to 17 plaintiffs? but other unresolved suits exist in other courts |
| 5/22/2020 5/22/2020 3/26/2020 |
NC | Legislature U.S. District Court NC BoE to |
Bill
filed to change election laws/procedures as a
result of pandemic. WRAL commentary Democracy NC and League of Women Voters file suit for election changes making voting safer for disabled and elderly voters. NC Board of Elections requests changes in NC election law/procedures in wake of pandemic |
| 5/15/2020 | NC | Wake Superior Court |
Plaintiffs in Voter-ID suit
seek NC legislative emails. |
| 4/12/2020 4/8/2020 |
VA NC |
Governor & Legislature NC BoE & Legislature |
VA
Governor signs measure making Election Day a holiday;
expands no-excuse Early Voting to 45 days before;
removes photo ID requirement. NC Board of Elections presents NC Legislature with list of 15 proposed changes in voting policies for Nov 2020 -- including making Election Day a holiday; easing limitations on absentee ballots; increasing number and pay of Election Day workers. The 15 proposals sent to the NC legislature. |
| 4/6/2020 | WI | U.S.
Supreme Court WI Supreme Court |
U.S. Supreme Court rules that danger of
CoVid-19 infection/death insufficient to delay election. Wisconsin Supreme Court rules that Governor's powers of emergency management does not include postponing a primary election. (Because we're not in an emergency?) Wisconsin in-person primary to go on as scheduled. |
3/12/2020 |
|
WI Supreme Court US Court of Appeals |
Conservatives
appeal voter purge to State Supreme Court 3-judge panel of 4th District Court overrules purge of 209.000 Wisconsin voters |
2/18/2020 |
NC | NC Court of Appeals |
Another
court rules NC voter-ID unconstitutional: 3-judge NC Court of Appeals unanimously rules that the NC voter-ID amendment "target(s) African-Americans with almost surgical precision" and issues preliminary injunction that prevents voter-ID being used while lawsuit is still in courts. |
| 1/2/2020 12/31/2019 12/4/2019 |
NC | U.S. District Court |
NC
Attorney General to appeal Voter-ID ruling for November
election; will allow block to stand for March primary U.S. District Court Judge temporarily blocks NC's voter-ID law from going into effect for March 2020 primary Voter-ID law written with 'discriminatory intent' 60-page written opinion Civil rights groups seek to block new voter ID law Judge promises 'quick decision'. |
| 12/30/2019 | NC | NC voting eligibility lawsuit filed on behalf of felons who have complete prison sentence but not complete terms of probation | |
| 11/27/2019 | NC | NC State Election Board | NC
State Election Board approves all UNC-system schools for
2020 Voter ID (except NCSSM students?) All the NC state IDs approved by the NC legislature |
| 3/16/2019 | NC | NC Superior Court |
3-judge
panel refuses to grant injunction stopping Voter ID law.
The judges dismissed all but one of the plaintiffs' claims, but the story claims the law is going into effect? So what about the last claim? |
| 3/16/2019 | NC | NC State Election Board |
NC
Election Board approves use of some college
IDs as voter IDs (17, including those of NCSU,
NCCU, Duke students) but denies most others (13,
including UNC-CH and most of the other UNC campuses)...
for elections starting in 2020. The full official list of approvals and denials. |
| 3/14/2019 | NC | NC
GA & Governor |
NC
voter-ID requirement postponed until 2020 elections |
| 3/06/2019 | NC | NC Court of Appeals |
NC
Court of Appeals issues temporary stay in ruling
overturning NC voter-ID amendment pending a ruling
on the petition for writ
of supersedeas. (See block below.) |
| 2/22/2019 | NC | NC Superior Court |
Judge
overturns just-passed NC voter-ID constitutional
amendment. Decision based on grounds it was approved by an illegally-gerrymandered legislature! Novel, but likely to be overturned. Other opinions abound: Not so crazy (Robert Orr, former NC SC Judge) Locally-elected judges shouldn't rule on state laws Does a voter-ID now exist in NC? |
| 12/6/2018 12/14/2018 12/19/2018 12/20/2018 |
NC | NC legislature passes
voter-ID law details. NC Governor Cooper vetoes voter-ID bill. NC legislature over-rides Cooper's veto. Groups sue over constitutionality of voter-ID law in state & federal court. |
|
| 11/8/2018 | NC AR FL |
November 2018 elections |
North Carolina approves new
voter-ID law (56% for; 44% against) Veto-proof NC legislators to return to write voter-ID-law details Arkansas approves new voter-ID amendment (79% for; 21% against) Florida restores voting rights to 1 million+ citizens convicted of felonies (65% for; 25% against) |
| 8/16/2018 | Voter
fraud: Stolen
elections, voting dogs, and other fantastic fables from
the GOP voting fraud mythology |
||
| various, June - August, 2018 |
NC |
Voter ID
constitutional amendment to be voted on in 11/6/2018
election. Current wording of the legislation. opinion:
Voter-ID amendment is vague and leaves unanswered questions NC Voter-ID is still about suppression and not fraud Voter-ID: justifications are as lame as ever Fact Check: Republican leader says Voter-ID has 'zero' effect on turnout: rated 'Mostly False' |
|
2012 |
How Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh ruled on South Carolina's Voted-ID law |
||
| 6-11-2018 |
OH |
Supreme |
Purges of voter
lists for non-reply or non-voting are constitutional, SC
rules in 5-4 vote: Husted
v. A. Phillip Randolph Institute The Supreme Court Blesses Voter Purges (Atlantic, 6/12/2018) |
| 6-7-2018 |
NC |
Voter-ID
resurrection in NC - will it be on the ballot in
November ? (Raleigh News & Observer, 6/7/2018) |
|
mid-2018 |
current
status of Voter-ID laws across the country
Voter-ID laws in the United States at Wikipedia Voter-ID laws by state at Ballotpedia Voter-ID requirements and laws at National Conference of State Legislators |
||
| 6/19/2018 |
KS |
U.S.
District Court |
Court
throws out Kansas voter-ID law (& orders
state prosecutor to undergo legal training) |
| 4/28/2018 |
TX |
5th US Circuit Court of Appeals | Texas
voter-ID allowed to go into effect |
| 4/26/2018 |
AR |
County
Circuit |
Arkansas
judge black revived voter-ID law |
| 05-15-2017 |
NC |
Supreme |
Supreme Court
lets NC Superior Court decision overturning NC Voter-ID
bill stand, without comment. |
| 08-31-2016 |
NC |
Supreme |
Supreme
Court, in 4-4 vote, refuses to block Appeals Court
overturn of Voter-ID law |
| 07-29-2016 |
NC |
4th
Circuit, Appeals |
NC
Voter-ID bill ruled unconstitutional: bill "target[ed] African-Americans with
almost surgical precision." NAACP v. McCrory Proposed law also shortened Early Voting hours, forbade same-day registration, |
| 04-25-2016 |
District |
District
judge upholds NC Voter-ID law (Raleigh News
& Observer, 4/26/2016) |
|
NC passes worst voter suppression law. (The Nation, 7/26/2013) “The most sweeping anti-voter law in at least decades” (Election Law Blog, 07/25/2013) |
|||
| type of voter |
return location |
deadline for return/receipt |
other requirements |
civilian |
any Early Voting site in your county of residence |
end of Early Voting, 3 pm Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020 |
must be returned to an election official in person or by "near relative"*** or legal guardian (i.e., there are NO drop boxes) |
civilian |
County Election Office in your county of residence |
5 pm Election Day, November 3, 2020 |
must be returned to an election official in person or by "near relative" or legal guardian (i.e., there are NO drop boxes) |
civilian |
by mail to County Election Office |
must be postmarked by 5 pm on Election Day (November 3, 2020) and received by mail by 5 pm Friday, November 6 at the County Election Office |
postmark must be legible (advice: get it postmarked by hand!) |
Military & living overseas* (including FWAB**) |
can be returned by mail, email, or fax |
must be received by the close of polls on Election Day (7:30 pm, November 4) at County Election Office If the ballot is received later than that hour, it will not be timely, unless the voter transmitted the ballot by 12:01 am on the day of the election (voter's time) and the County Office receives the ballot by the last business day before the county vote canvas. The county canvas is generally conducted 10 days after the date of the General Election. |
| date |
state |
issue |
ruling |
|
| 8/13/2020 |
Rhode
Island |
in-person witness and
notary requirements for mail-in ballots (Republican National Committee v. Common Cause) |
Leaves
standing a consent decree that removes witness
requirements that mail-in voters' ballot be witnessed by 2 people or a notary (on the premise that the state of RI had agreed, and the procedure was in effect previously for the primary) |
|
| 7/17/2020 |
Florida |
voting rights of ex-felons (Purcell v. Gonzalez) |
Leaves
standing a Court of Appeals decision blocking
ex-felons from registering to vote and voting (despite
last year's passage of amendment to Florida constitution
allowing that) |
|
| 7/3/2020 |
Alabama |
photo-ID requirement for
absentee ballot requests requirement that absentee ballots be accompanied by affidavit signed by 2 adult witnesses or 1 notary |
|
|
| 6/26/2020 |
Texas |
voters' ability to vote by
mail during a pandemic (Texas Democratic Party v. Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas) |
Refuses
to allow voters under 65 to be able to vote by mail
because of health reasons during a pandemic overturning a District Court order allowing mail-in voting for anyone during the pandemic |
|
| 4/6/2020 |
Wisconsin |
deadline for receipt of
main-in ballots |
Refuses
to extend deadline for receipt of mail-in ballots by 6
days (despite widespread delays in sending out
primary election ballots) blocking executive order by WI
governor |
|
'all'
mail elections
(pre-coronavirus; see elsewhere for pandemic
updates)