The GOP couldn’t be more hypocritical about mail voting

Tuesday, September 22

By Andrew Wyrich · Newsletter Editor

Hello, pro-democracy readers! A new analysis by Democracy Docket found the Republican National Committee (RNC) is urging its supporters to request mail ballots despite the party attacking that form of voting for years. Experts spoke to us about why this is deeply hypocritical.

Meanwhile, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon claims the Department of Justice (DOJ) is close to fully recruiting 1,000 election monitors for the midterms this fall. Here’s why that’s troubling.

But, in some good news, we can exclusively report that at least 550,000 voters registered or updated their registration last week as part of National Voter Registration Day.

All that and more is on the docket today. See you tomorrow!

‘Hypocritical’: RNC pushes mail voting for its supporters while attacking it in court

Despite challenging mail voting infrastructure for years in a slew of lawsuits across the country, the RNC is encouraging voters to “request your mail-in ballot now,” a Democracy Docket analysis found.
Experts told Democracy Docket that the dichotomy shows the committee’s duplicitous faith in mail voting’s security.

➤ Inside the GOP’s mail voting hypocrisy

Is DOJ laying the groundwork to expand the powers of its 1,000 election monitors?

The DOJ is close to fully enlisting the 1,000 federal election monitors it announced earlier this year to observe the upcoming midterm elections — the largest such contingent in U.S. history, Dhillon claimed in an interview with a far-right media outlet.
Throughout the interview, Dhillon incorrectly stated that the officials will be “federal observers.” In reality, the DOJ will instead send federal monitors. Her comments could be a troubling sign that the DOJ may intend to assert expansive powers.

➤ Why what she said is troubling

DOJ seizes on Utah ballot dumping case to attack USPS court rulings, push Trump’s anti-voting agenda

The department used the indictment of a former Utah postal worker accused of throwing away hundreds of mail ballots to attack court rulings blocking Trump’s anti-mail voting efforts and promote a broader slate of restrictive voting policies.

➤ How the DOJ is trying to justify Trump’s order

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Exclusive: Over half a million voters registered in a single day last week

In some much-needed good news, at least 550,000 voters registered or updated their registration last week, according to final tallies the nonpartisan nonprofit National Voter Registration Day shared exclusively with Democracy Docket.
It was National Voter Registration Day’s second-most-successful midterm effort since the group began its annual nationwide registration drive in 2012, according to organizers.

➤ Read about the massive turnout

The latest in Missouri: Election workers warned switching maps this late is ‘practically impossible’ but the 8th Circuit ordered it anyway

A federal appeals court decision reinstating the GOP’s gerrymandered map for the midterms breezed past the practical considerations of election workers scrambling to prepare as voting begins.
Meanwhile, Missouri referendum proponents asked a federal appeals court to pause its ruling requiring the state to use its 2025 GOP congressional gerrymander in the midterm elections while they seek U.S. Supreme Court review.

➤ What’s next for the Missouri map battle?

0-25: Washington state hands Trump DOJ yet another voter roll loss

A federal judge in Washington rejected the department’s legal theory and dismissed the case with prejudice. For those counting at home, that is 25 straight losses as they attempt to force states to hand over unredacted voter registration data.

➤ How they just keep losing

Delaware absentee ballot law greenlit for midterms

The Delaware Supreme Court fast-tracked a decision late Monday to uphold the state’s permanent absentee ballot law, allowing eligible voters to use the balloting method in this fall’s midterm elections.
Delaware’s decades-old law gives voters who cannot vote in person the option to automatically receive a ballot for each election.

➤ More on this win for voters

North Carolina mail ballot restrictions will cause ‘arbitrary disenfranchisement’

North Carolina’s last-minute restrictions on absentee ballots — which include tighter rules around envelope errors and voting assistance — will lead to “arbitrary disenfranchisement,” pro-voter groups argued in a lawsuit filed today.

➤ Read about the new lawsuit

Here we share noteworthy briefs on all things voting rights and democracy. Have a footnote for us? Send it to newsletters@democracydocket.com.

As Trump continues to wage war against a free press, the White House launched the embarrassingly named “Trump TV.” In what should come as a surprise to absolutely no one, it was a total flop. Also, as you’d expect, Trump TV’s announcement was widely mocked.
A new analysis of Democratic primary voter turnout suggests the party could win the House this fall by a wide margin. That’s encouraging!
Trump met with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani again yesterday, and of course there were many memes about it — specifically the way Trump looked at Mamdani.
Stay vigilant out there, folks. Russia is once again seeking to sow distrust about our elections as part of a disinformation campaign, according to a new report.
Trump also gave — by all accounts — a bonkers speech at the United Nations today. But whoever wrote this chyron at MSNOW deserves a raise.

Today's newsletter was edited by Sally Holtgrieve and Dave O'Brien, and produced by Leila Fusenig. Learn more about our staff here.