Trump admin presses Supreme Court to quickly unblock anti-mail voting executive order

• The push underscores the administration's desire to urgently impose sweeping mail voting restrictions for the midterms.

➤ What DOJ asked SCOTUS to do

Voting rights group sues to block New Hampshire law banning student IDs for voting

• The ban unlawfully discriminates against young voters who are significantly less likely than older voters to have driver's licenses, the group argued. The lawsuit comes just weeks before the state’s Sept. 8 primary.

➤ This is part of the GOP’s broader attack on young voters

Loss: Minnesota Supreme Court upholds witness signatures for absentee ballots

• Missing witness signatures were one of the reasons the state rejected around 6,000 ballots in the 2022 election.
  
  
• The decision means Minnesota remains one of only eight states with the restrictive condition.

➤ What else the ruling means for Minnesota voters

Win! Michigan judge tosses GOP lawsuit that aimed to make it easier to challenge voter eligibility

• The Republican National Committee sued Michigan in June to overturn guidance limiting the number of poll challengers allowed at each voting location, but a judge dismissed the lawsuit. The rule aims to prevent the partisan challengers from frivolously disputing voter eligibility and interrupting the state’s ballot-counting process.
  
  
• The lawsuit, coupled with the DOJ's move to send federal monitors to swing cities and states, increases fears the GOP will work to disrupt vote counts.

➤ Inside the Michigan lawsuit

Election denier wins GOP primary for Wisconsin governor

• Rep. Tom Tiffany (R) won the GOP nomination for governor in a state that will likely remain a key battleground in 2028. Previously, Tiffany voted against certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election victories in Arizona and Pennsylvania, citing President Donald Trump’s false claims of voter fraud.
  
  
• If elected in November, Tiffany would have the power to install election deniers to oversee voting in key state roles.

➤ How the Trump loyalist could radically transform elections in a swing state

And Tad Jude, anti-voting former state representative, wins Minnesota’s GOP primary for secretary of state

• Jude has vowed to eliminate Minnesota's pro-voting vouching system, which would make registering and staying registered to vote more difficult. He also said he would increase voter purges and indicated he would give private voter data to the Trump administration.
  
  
• Jude will face off against incumbent Steve Simon, who has championed voting rights in the state since taking office in 2015.

➤ Hey Jude, don't make it bad

But at least Mike Lindell lost…

• Lindell, founder of MyPillow and a prolific election denier, lost the GOP primary for Minnesota governor.
  
  
• Lindell frequently touted his close ties to Trump throughout his campaign, but he couldn’t leverage his personal relationship with the president enough to win over GOP voters.

➤ Womp womp

…except Lindell doesn’t believe he actually lost (shocker)

• His response to the news that the Associated Press had called the race for his opponent? “Why would I listen to the AP?” Beyond refusing to admit defeat, Lindell also alleged there were "a couple anomalies" in the vote tally.

➤ Yep, he dares to deny the double-digit loss

North Carolina Republicans want to let justices remove Democratic judges

• Republicans in North Carolina have passed a bill that gives the GOP majority on the state Supreme Court the power to remove judges they don’t like.
  
  
• This isn’t how it works in a democracy, writes Billy Corriher of the People's Parity Project.

➤ Read the new op-ed

Missouri Supreme Court chief justice warns GOP against running out the clock on redistricting referendum

• The Missouri Supreme Court's chief justice cautioned courts to move "expeditiously" on a lawsuit to put a rejected citizen-led redistricting referendum on the November ballot.
  
  
• The warning comes after a top Republican official prevented the measure from going to a vote, which voters sued to reverse.
  
  
• Today, the lower court seemingly responded by setting a trial date for Aug. 18.

➤ What this could mean for the ongoing legal battle

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

• A Florida county is hosting a “bring your kid to vote” event where children can learn about the election process and civic participation by filling out a fun ballot with questions such as favorite food. We love future voters!
  
  
• Elon Musk’s DOGE destroyed decades of U.S. Agency for International Development data. But it has been recovered thanks to a Canadian teen who happened to have downloaded the archive for a school project.
  
  
• The DOJ convened a special grand jury in Washington led by Steven Vandervelden, a federal prosecutor who failed to charge six Democrats last year for reminding troops they cannot follow illegal orders. But you know what he is good at? Tasteful dance photos! DO quit your day job, Vandervelden.