Things look pretty different here today. Welcome to On The Docket, post-makeover! This is still your Friday-morning roundup of the biggest news from the week, but we’ve revamped it to give you more direct connection with our reporters and the clearest understanding of what you need to know and why.

Each week, we will highlight three of the most prominent stories, with our team giving you a behind-the-scenes look at how they were reported. And, as always, we’ll show off what you and your fellow readers are doing! Reporter Jen Rice, who did an amazing job guiding you through the redistricting war on a weekly basis, isn’t going anywhere — in fact, you’ll see her highlight an important exclusive report just a little further down in today’s newsletter. We’re shifting the focus as the midterms get ever closer.

By way of introduction, hi, I'm Sally. I've been an editor at Democracy Docket for two years, with a long journalism background prior to this role. When I'm not at work, I'm... still discussing and reading about voting rights, politics and government. That's why I'm so excited to choose stories for you every week, and talk to our reporters for context exclusive to this newsletter.

Let us know what you think of the changes by replying to this email! We’d love to hear from you.

Houstonians are outraged about the fatal ICE shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo earlier this month. And they’re facing an uphill battle to get answers and hold ICE accountable.

But there’s one important thing that’s been left out of most reporting on this shooting: the historically Latino neighborhood where he was shot has been moved into a GOP-leaning district on the gerrymandered congressional map Republicans passed last year. And that might have serious consequences for the community’s ability to get answers.

➤ Read Jen’s full investigation

Here’s what actually happened: A software failure improperly registered roughly 6,600 people who had told the state they were not U.S. citizens. Fewer than 400 people later voted. Officials found no evidence of organized fraud or an altered election.

But Trump officials and GOPers skipped straight to the panic button.

The White House and Republican National Committee pounced on the error to revive their push for the SAVE America Act, a sweeping anti-voting bill that would impose strict document requirements to vote nationwide.

DOJ went even further, opening a probe, demanding the personal information of all 6,600 people and claiming the incident strengthened its case for all of New Jersey’s unredacted voter rolls.

DOJ never explained how seizing the personal information of millions of eligible voters would have prevented the error, but it’s a bold move for a department that has lost 16 straight district court cases in the same data crusade.

The real story is serious but simpler: New Jersey’s software failed by ignoring people’s answers and government officials waited too long to disclose the error. It does not prove mass noncitizen voting or justify disenfranchising millions of citizens.

➤ What to know about the push for voter rolls

I was in Rapid City, South Dakota last week for the National Association of Secretaries of State's (NASS) summer conference, where election chiefs met to discuss their states' biggest voting issues approaching the midterms. I’ll be honest, it was a bit of a weird conference. A lot of secretaries were absent because they’re campaigning for reelection or running for a different office in their state.

The biggest absence? Anyone from the Trump administration. Typically, the federal government sends some kind of representation to NASS conferences — at the very least, there’s usually someone from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the bipartisan federal agency created to help states run elections.

Here's the catch though: Trump just fired the entire EAC leadership, a hot topic at the conference. While most state election chiefs weren’t too worried about how Trump’s shocking move would impact the midterms, they were worried about what it means for the future of the agency.

The EAC helps states prepare for elections in many ways that are “far from the headlines,” Connecticut Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas (D) told me. One interesting example I heard: The EAC had sent states decks of playing cards with various Election Day disaster scenarios to help officials train local election workers for emergency preparedness. Secretaries worried programs like that could go away because of Trump’s actions.

➤ State officials’ warning about EAC firings impact

Odds and ends

➤ Voter ID tends to poll well. But that doesn’t mean voters really want it

➤ This week’s primary results in Arizona show denialism’s lasting hold on the GOP

➤ Kansas elections chief launches legal full-court press against mail ballot grace periods

➤(Republican!) Georgia Secretary of State’s office responds to Trump DOJ threats, defends voting policies

Slack message of the week

What you can do

Encourage others to check out Democracy Docket! We love seeing you all represent this community and spread the word about our pro-democracy work. Shoutout to this fantastic reader at a rally in Kansas and a great chalked message spotted by a San Francisco subscriber:

Want to engage more with pro-voting folks like this? Join us on Reddit to discuss new rulings, hash out what a case actually means and chat with our reporters.