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WIN: A Kansas appeals court rejected the secretary of state's renewed bid to scrap the three-day grace period for mail ballots. Ballots postmarked by Election Day and received within three days will count on Nov. 3.

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The Trump administration quietly removed an option on a form overseas voters use to request mail ballots, making it harder for some to vote. In a new lawsuit, Democrats say the GOP's goal is to disenfranchise voters viewed as more inclined to vote Democratic: demdock.com/4djBJR1

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Georgia's election board director just asked the Trump admin to seize the state's voting machines. James Mills, an unelected official, sent a letter asking the DOJ to declare Georgia's voting system unlawful and force a system update. This isn't over. Stay close: demdock.com/3T3Owjg

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UPDATE: The full 8th Circuit agreed to hear South Dakota’s defense of its anti-voting law, which makes collecting signatures for ballot initiatives more difficult. The development comes after an 8th Circuit panel permanently struck down the law as unconstitutional in August.

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LOSS: A court dismissed a lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s new gerrymander that dismantled the state’s lone majority-Black district. The court said it must presume the legislature acted in good faith when assessing discriminatory intent — a standard that makes proving discrimination near impossible.

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🏛️ LOSS: A challenge to a Florida voter registration policy has been dismissed by a Trump-appointed judge. Civil rights groups say the “exact match” policy unlawfully disenfranchises eligible applicants due to minor errors — disproportionately burdening voters of color: demdock.com/3TysEgC

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ICYMI: In a loss for voters, three South Carolina restrictions on voter assistance will remain in effect for the midterms. The decision could affect the nearly 15% of South Carolinians who identify as having a disability: demdock.com/4xTu5Ef

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Rep. Mike Collins, a GOP U.S. Senate candidate, recently said he was “fine” with the idea of Trump sending federal troops to voting sites. “It may be fine with you,” Marc Elias says, “but it’s not fine with federal law.” Keep watch on the people rewriting the rules: demdock.com/3T3Owjg

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Pro-voting groups are preparing to combat potential hurdles in this year’s midterms. While the Trump administration is sowing doubts about elections, pro-voting groups are operating an election hotline that voters can use for expert assistance and factual information: demdock.com/3VH3ay7

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The RNC is asking Nebraska’s Supreme Court to strip voting rights from Americans abroad whose parents vote in the state — even though its own lawyer admitted the law affects a few dozen voters, at most: demdock.com/4AK6pow

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WIN: The DOJ has no right to Georgia’s sensitive voting records —a judge ruled — delivering the department’s 26th consecutive loss in their nationwide hunt for voter data. The judge noted Georgia repeatedly offered its public voter roll, which is available to anyone: demdock.com/4yKtyWN

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What if a typo kept you from voting? In Florida, under the "exact match" policy, a typo or hyphen can stall your registration. Civil rights groups sued, but a Trump-appointed judge just dismissed the case. Help us keep covering the fights over who gets to vote: demdock.com/3T3Owjg

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NEW: A Department of Defense official wrote in a letter there are no plans to deploy active-duty troops to the polls or "interfere" with election-related materials. But the response brings little comfort as top Trump administration officials have refused to rule out the option for the fall.

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LOSS: A federal court dismissed a lawsuit seeking to block a Florida policy that pro-voters argue bars nearly 80k eligible voters from registering. The policy requires certain identifying information on a voter’s registration application to exactly match information in government databases.

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Trump wants to purge noncitizens from the voter rolls — even if it means eligible citizens get kicked off by mistake. “They want to screen out people who they think will vote Democratic,” Marc Elias says. Voting rules are being rewritten right now. Stay a step ahead: demdock.com/3T3Owjg

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NEW: As Texas’s top attorney, Ken Paxton has the power to challenge election outcomes — including the U.S. Senate race he’s the GOP candidate for. If Paxton loses, legal experts say he could try to weaponize his power. But they also have confidence in the courts: demdock.com/4jvWgFM

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Marc Elias was called an alarmist for saying Trump would refuse to concede in 2020. Then came Jan. 6. “They want you to believe that Donald Trump may say some things, but in the end, he’ll accept the results,” Marc says. “I don’t believe that.” Stay in the know: demdock.com/3T3Owjg

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🚨 FACT: Deploying ICE agents to the polls is illegal. And a new survey says it’s deeply unpopular among voters. However, there’s a significant partisan divide. More participating Republicans than Democrats support ICE and National Guardsmen at polling places this fall: demdock.com/4hAX89A

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The GOP is ramping up efforts to interfere with the midterms. Republicans were just exposed for training Wisconsin election observers to identify discrepancies with voting machines. This is just the start. Subscribe so you never miss an update: demdock.com/3T3Owjg

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Trump’s DOJ is 0 for 26 in its attempts to get states’ sensitive voter data. Yet DHS indicated it used such data to claim tens of thousands of noncitizens are registered to vote in blue states: demdock.com/4Az8vrg

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It’s difficult to overstate how dangerous a national emergency declaration by Trump would be for American democracy if he wanted to take over elections. However, the emergency declaration likely wouldn’t accomplish what Trump wants it to: demdock.com/4hBati6

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South Carolina voters with disabilities lost a key mail voting challenge after a federal court threw out the case. This means less options for absentee voting and ballot assistance. The fight over who gets to vote is happening in courtrooms right now. Follow it: demdock.com/3T3Owjg

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🚨BREAKING: In a win for Georgia voters, a federal judge dismissed the DOJ's lawsuit seeking access to the state's unredacted voter registration list. The department is now 0-26 in its sweeping legal hunt for states' private voter data.

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GOP Senator Eric Schmitt stood 10 toes down accusing Jack Smith of attending an Atlanta Hawks game. The problem? Jack Smith was at an IOWA HAWKEYES game. But we're here to clear up a few things for Sen. Schmitt. Help us set the record straight: demdock.com/3T3Owjg

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Trump is going to try to normalize the deployment of armed federal agents at and around the polls. Let us be clear: this is completely abnormal. “The risk here is that they are going to try to wage a campaign of fear,” Marc Elias says. This isn’t over. Stay close: demdock.com/3T3Owjg

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🏛️ TODAY: The Nebraska Supreme Court will hear arguments in an anti-voting lawsuit from the RNC challenging the constitutionality of allowing eligible overseas U.S. citizens to vote in state elections.

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Trump's DOJ wants to deploy 1,000 election monitors for the midterms. But are they all trained personnel? “The same people that you saw on the streets in Minneapolis are the people who I am worried they are going to say are now the monitors from the DOJ,” Marc Elias says.

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‼️ Georgia Republicans are trying to pressure the state’s top election official to pursue an ill-defined voting equipment software update — weeks before the midterms. Now, they’re seeking intervention from the Trump administration. But not all Republicans are on board: demdock.com/47mlnDJ

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Trump's DOJ has ignored court orders before. It may do it again. A judge ordered the administration to give notice before releasing federal voter eligibility lists. DOJ lawyers pushed back hard. If it doesn't comply, voters could be purged during the midterms: demdock.com/4rBk0u6

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Americans have made it clear: They do NOT want ICE at the polls. A new Numbers/Verasight survey found 59% of voters oppose ICE at polling places. Subscribe to our free newsletters to be the first to know what's happening in the fight for free and fair elections: demdock.com/3T3Owjg

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Almost immediately after his second term began, Trump started taking steps to try to control elections. “This is his fixation,” Marc Elias says. “This is the unifying force that holds the MAGA movement together.” They're betting you'll stop paying attention. Don't: demdock.com/3T3Owjg

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Rep. Mike Collins, the Trump-endorsed GOP candidate for Georgia’s U.S. Senate seat, said he was “fine” with the idea of federal troops at voting sites. In reality, deploying armed federal agents to polling places isn’t “fine” — it’s illegal: demdock.com/4ykNqzg

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Trump wants to be a dictator. But that is not how the law works in our country, Marc Elias says. “The courts need to step forward and prevent a blatant disregard of Congress’ statutes.” Keep watch on the people rewriting the rules. Sign up for free: demdock.com/3T3Owjg

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With its decision on a Missouri GOP gerrymander last week, the Supreme Court clarified one of its most controversial legal doctrines: the Purcell Principle. However, questions over Purcell’s scope and limits remain. Here’s what we know — and what is still unclear: demdock.com/4ryNRDA

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Justice Jackson’s “bright side” on mass voter purges depends on Republican election officials following federal law, and on the Supreme Court holding firm if election deniers try to purge voters. If the past is prologue, the signs are not hopeful, Marc Elias writes: demdock.com/4xM2nJP

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🎉 WIN: States and local governments won’t have to run voter rolls through a flawed DHS database — or adopt other anti-voting measures — to get funding meant to prevent terrorist attacks. A judge found the Trump administration likely violated federal law: demdock.com/4dFytQ2

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Hundreds of thousands of Texas voters were not properly registered after a major error by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Subscribe to our free Democracy Docket newsletters to stay up to date on the latest voting rights news.

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What you missed last week: 🔺 SCOTUS greenlit a Trump administration database for purging voters from the rolls 🔺 SCOTUS reaffirmed that Missouri can't use a gerrymandered congressional map for the midterms 🔺 Democrats sued the Trump administration to keep armed agents from polls during the midterms

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🚨 FACT: There is a federal criminal law that prohibits any armed agent of the federal government from being at the polls. There is only one exception. Marc Elias explains. Stay in the know: demdock.com/3T3Owjg

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Want to register to vote or check your voter registration status? We can help with that: demdock.com/4gRtE8P

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📲 REDDIT ROUNDUP: We’ve created a pro-democracy community to help you stay informed and supported. These are some of our favorite comments from our community members this week. Want to see what all the hype is about? Be our guest: demdock.com/3Ra4Ka6

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