Democracy Decoded

• How New Voting Barriers Threaten Elections

  New voting restrictions across the country are threatening to make it harder for millions of Americans to participate in elections. In some states, these barriers have thrown long-registered voters into limbo, as Arizona voter James Wilson learned when he nearly lost his ability to vote because of strict new proof-of-citizenship rules. In this season finale, Democracy Decoded examines how these barriers to voting — along with an administration actively attempting to curtail the freedom to vote and a Supreme Court with voting rights cases on its docket — are reshaping access to the ballot.Host Simone Leeper speaks with election law scholar Rick Hasen and Campaign Legal Center’s voting rights expert Danielle Lang to unpack the rise of new barriers to voting, the future of the Voting Rights Act, the dangers of executive overreach, and the policy solutions and reforms needed to secure the freedom to vote in 2026 and beyond.Timestamps:(00:00) — How did one Arizona voter nearly lose his right to vote?(04:35) — Why are federal actions now threatening elections?(06:50) — How do proof-of-citizenship laws disenfranchise voters?(11:48) — What happened inside Arizona’s dual-track voting system?(15:32) — Who is most affected by modern voting restrictions?(21:36) — What role has the federal government historically played in protecting voting rights?(23:49) — Why is the SAVE Act so bad for voting rights?(25:16) — What is Campaign Legal Center doing to protect the freedom to vote in Louisiana?(28:38) — What is Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act?(30:06) — What is the Turtle Mountain v. Howe case?(34:05) — What reforms are needed to protect elections in 2026 and beyond?Host and Guests:Simone Leeper litigates a wide range of redistricting-related cases at Campaign Legal Center, challenging gerrymanders and advocating for election systems that guarantee all voters an equal opportunity to influence our democracy. Prior to arriving at CLC, Simone was a law clerk in the office of Senator Ed Markey and at the Library of Congress, Office of General Counsel. She received her J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 2019 and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University in 2016.Danielle Lang leads Campaign Legal Center's voting rights team dedicated to safeguarding the freedom to vote. She litigates in state and federal courts from trial to the Supreme Court, and advocates for equitable and meaningful voter access at all levels of government. Danielle has worked as a civil rights litigator her entire career. At CLC, she has led litigation against Texas's racially discriminatory voter ID law, Florida's modern-day poll tax for rights restoration, Arizona's burdensome registration requirements, North Dakota's voter ID law targeting Native communities and numerous successful challenges to signature match policies for absentee ballots. Previously, Danielle served as a Skadden Fellow in the Employment Rights Project of Bet Tzedek Legal Services in Los Angeles, where she represented low-wage immigrant workers in wage and hour, discrimination and human trafficking matters. From 2012 to 2013, Danielle clerked for Judge Richard A. Paez on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  Professor Richard L. Hasen is the Gary T. Schwartz Endowed Chair in Law, Professor of Political Science (by courtesy) and Director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA School of Law. He is an internationally recognized expert in election law, writing as well in the areas of legislation and statutory interpretation, remedies and torts. He is co-author of leading casebooks in election law and remedies. Hasen served in 2022 and 2024 as an NBC News/MSNBC Election Law Analyst. He was a CNN Election Law Analyst in 2020.Links:Voting Is an American Freedom. The President Can’t Change That – CLCVictory! Anti-Voter Executive Order Halted in Court  – CLCHow CLC Is Pushing Back on the Trump Administration’s Anti-Voter Actions – CLCEfforts to Undermine the Freedom to Vote, Explained – CLCWhy America Needs the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act – CLCProtecting the Freedom to Vote Through State Voting Rights Acts – CLCWhat Does the U.S. Supreme Court’s Recent Arizona Decision Mean for Voters? – CLCWhat You Need to Know About the SAVE Act  – CLCIn-Person Voting Access – CLCModernizing Voter Registration – CLCA Raging Battle for Democracy One Year from the Midterms – Trevor Potter’s newsletterFour Threats to Future Elections We Need to Discuss Now – Trevor Potter’s newsletterAbout CLC:Democracy Decoded is a production of Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to solving the wide range of challenges facing American democracy. Campaign Legal Center fights for every American’s freedom to vote and participate meaningfully in the democratic process. Learn more about us.Democracy Decoded is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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• The Latest: How the Erosion of Federalism Endangers Elections

  Under our Constitution, the federal government and the states have distinct powers — especially when it comes to elections. But the Trump administration has repeatedly tried to interfere with how states run elections, pushing unlawful policies that undermine faith in safe, secure and accurate elections.Host Simone Leeper sits down with Catie Kelley, Senior Director of Policy and Strategic Partnerships at Campaign Legal Center, and Jonathan Diaz, CLC’s Director of Voting Advocacy and Partnerships, to examine how the Trump administration has attempted to federalize elections, impose unconstitutional voter restrictions and silence Americans.They unpack CLC’s major court victory against the administration’s unlawful election executive order; explain how new proof-of-citizenship requirements could disenfranchise millions of voters; and discuss lawsuits defending states’ rights and voters’ privacy against federal overreach. They also explore broader threats—from troubling legislation and to presidential attacks on mail-in voting—and what Campaign Legal Center is doing to preserve checks and balances, protect election integrity and defend every American’s freedom to vote.Timestamps:(00:00) — What does “federalism” mean, and why is it under attack?(02:50) — How is the Trump administration overstepping its authority on elections?(06:44) — What lawsuits has CLC filed to stop the president’s election overreach?(07:58) — Why are proof-of-citizenship rules so dangerous for voters?(11:28) — How are military families impacted by new voting restrictions?(14:50) — Why is the DOJ demanding states’ voter data—and why is it alarming?(17:56) — How are states pushing back to defend their power and voters’ privacy?(19:10) — What is the SAVE Act, and how could it silence millions of voters?(25:16) — Why is mail-in voting under attack again?(28:41) — How does misinformation from the president erode trust in elections?(30:51) — What lessons from 2024 should shape the 2026 midterms?(34:04) — What can states do to strengthen confidence in elections?(36:24) — What should voters remember heading into 2026 and beyond?(40:17) — How can Americans hold the line for democracy?Host and Guests:Simone Leeper litigates a wide range of redistricting-related cases at Campaign Legal Center, challenging gerrymanders and advocating for election systems that guarantee all voters an equal opportunity to influence our democracy. Prior to arriving at CLC, Simone was a law clerk in the office of Senator Ed Markey and at the Library of Congress, Office of General Counsel. She received her J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 2019 and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University in 2016.Catie Kelley is Senior Director of Policy & Strategic Partnerships at Campaign Legal Center. Catie oversees CLC's policy work at the federal, state and local levels. She is leading CLC's work to address the emerging threats of election sabotage. Previously, Catie built and ran CLC's state campaign finance program. In that capacity, she worked with state and local stakeholders and policymakers to advance innovative policies designed to decrease the influence of money in the political process. She began her legal career in the Federal Election Commission's Office of General Counsel.Jonathan Diaz is Director of Voting Advocacy and Partnerships at Campaign Legal Center. Jonathan advocates for laws and policies that expand the freedom to vote for all Americans; leads CLC's work on combatting election sabotage; and coordinates CLC's relationships with national, state and local voting rights partners.Jonathan manages CLC's work to protect election results and defend against election sabotage, and he works directly with CLC's litigation, communications and policy teams to help set organizational strategy on voting rights and elections advocacy. He also works directly with election officials at the state and local level to improve election administration processes, and he represents CLC in democracy reform coalitions to coordinate legal, advocacy and messaging strategies with partner organizations across the country.Jonathan has also litigated voting rights cases in federal courts across the country, including LULAC v. Executive Office of the President (challenging the President's unconstitutional executive order on voting); LUCHA v. Fontes (challenging Arizona's burdensome and discriminatory proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration); VoteAmerica v. Raffensperger (challenging Georgia's restrictions on the distribution of absentee ballot applications); and Raysor v. Lee (challenging Florida's conditioning of rights restoration for voters with past felony convictions on the payment of legal financial obligations).Links:Victory! Anti-Voter Executive Order Halted in Court  – CLCVoting Is an American Freedom. The President Can’t Change That – CLCHow CLC Is Pushing Back on the Trump Administration’s Anti-Voter Actions – CLCTaking Action Against Presidential Abuses of Power  – CLCWhat You Need to Know About the SAVE Act  – CLCVote-By-Mail: A Secure and Accessible Way to Cast Your Ballot  – CLCA Raging Battle for Democracy One Year from the Midterms – Trevor Potter’s newsletterAbout CLC:Democracy Decoded is a production of Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to solving the wide range of challenges facing American democracy. Campaign Legal Center fights for every American’s freedom to vote and participate meaningfully in the democratic process. Learn more about us.Democracy Decoded is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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• A Quick Update from Democracy Decoded

  Host Simone Leeper shares a quick Election Day 2025 update — Campaign Legal Center staff worked to safeguard elections; millions of Americans exercised their freedom to vote in states across the country; and Democracy Decoded will return next week with lessons learned from this and past elections that we will carry with us into 2026 and beyond. About CLC:Democracy Decoded is a production of Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to solving the wide range of challenges facing American democracy. Campaign Legal Center fights for every American’s freedom to vote and participate meaningfully in the democratic process. Learn more about us.Democracy Decoded is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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• How Gerrymandering Undermines Fair Representation

  Gerrymandering—the manipulation of voting maps for partisan gain—has been part of American politics since its founding, but today, the problem is reaching a breaking point.In this episode, host Simone Leeper shares the story of Vicki and Malcolm Reed, a Utah couple who Campaign Legal Center are representing in a landmark lawsuit defending voters’ rights, alongside Mark Gaber, CLC’s Senior Director of Redistricting. Together, they trace how Utahns fought back after lawmakers attempted to overturn a voter-approved ballot measure that created a citizen-led independent  redistricting commission—and how the Utah Supreme Court ultimately sided with voters.As Malcolm and Vicki’s story unfolds, we also highlight how the current wave of mid-decade redistricting arms race that started in Texas and is now spilling into other  states threatens to weaken voters’ voices nationwide.  We explore how voters, courts and Congress can act to restore fairness to America’s elections and ensure that voters — not politicians — decide the outcome.Timestamps:(00:01) — Who are Vicki and Malcolm Reed, and why did they take on Utah’s legislature?(02:10) — What is gerrymandering, and how does it work?(05:11) — How did the framers envision fair representation?(10:10) — What is redistricting, and why does it matter for voters?(11:25) — What was Utah’s Proposition 4, and how did it aim to end gerrymandering?(14:42) — What’s the difference between racial and partisan gerrymandering?(15:12) — How do “packing” and “cracking” weaken voters’ power?(16:02) — How has technology supercharged modern gerrymandering?(17:12) — How did Utah lawmakers gut the independent redistricting commission?(20:44) — Why did Campaign Legal Center sue the Utah legislature?(23:22) — What happened when CLC argued the case before the Utah Supreme Court?(25:15) — What did the unanimous court decision mean for Utah voters?(28:50) — What is happening right now in Texas and other states across the country?(32:55) — What federal laws could end gerrymandering nationwide?(36:13) — Why should the fight for fair maps in Utah give us hope for democracy?Host and Guests:Simone Leeper litigates a wide range of redistricting-related cases at Campaign Legal Center, challenging gerrymanders and advocating for election systems that guarantee all voters an equal opportunity to influence our democracy. Prior to arriving at CLC, Simone was a law clerk in the office of Senator Ed Markey and at the Library of Congress, Office of General Counsel. She received her J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 2019 and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University in 2016.Mark Gaber manages Campaign Legal Center’s redistricting litigation and policy program, which seeks to achieve fair maps for racial and language minority groups, and to curb the influence of partisanship in redistricting.Mark has led CLC’s redistricting program to major successes since the 2020 Census. He argued for petitioners in the Wisconsin Supreme Court in Clarke v. Wisconsin Election Commission, which resulted in the invalidation of Wisconsin’s state legislative maps and the transformation of the state’s legislative maps from being among the most politically skewed to among the most politically fair in the country. He is lead counsel in League of Women Voters of Utah v. Utah State Legislature, in which CLC has successfully challenged the Utah legislature’s repeal of a voter-adopted initiative reforming the state’s redistricting process and its enactment of an extremely gerrymandered congressional map. In that case, Mark has (to date) argued twice in the Utah Supreme Court, resulting in two unanimous decisions in favor of CLC’s clients.Mark has also led CLC’s redistricting team to victories enforcing the Voting Rights Act (VRA). These include two cases on behalf of North Dakota’s Native American voters, where he has argued in the Eighth Circuit against a challenge aiming to neutralize the VRA by precluding citizens from filing suit and where CLC’s clients have secured two legislative districts providing Native American voters an equal opportunity to elect their preferred candidates. Mark also led CLC’s successful challenge to Washington’s legislative map, which was found to discriminate against Latino voters in the Yakima region, and CLC’s ongoing challenge to the racially discriminatory Galveston County, Texas, map.Links: Cartoon, "The Gerry-Mander", 1813 — Smithsonian Gerrymandering: The Origin Story — Library of Congress Blogs LWV Utah and MWEG v. Utah State Legislature — CLC Voting Rights Groups Sue To Ensure All Utah Voters Have a Voice — CLC Opinion: Why we sued Utah lawmakers for alleged gerrymandering — Desert News CLC, Utahns Score Huge Victory in the Fight for Fair Maps — CLC Utahns Score Huge Victory Voiding Amendment D — CLC What Is Gerrymandering? — CLC How Can We Combat Gerrymandering? — CLC Do Independent Redistricting Commissions Really Prevent Gerrymandering? Yes, They Do — CLC New Report Outlines How to Make a Redistricting Commission Effective — CLC Independent Redistricting Commissions: Primer and Best Practices — CLC Redistricting Commissions in the 2021 Redistricting Cycle — CLC League of Women Voters on the Utah win — LWV Understanding the Current High Stakes Redistricting Fight – Trevor Potter’s Newsletter Inside the Trump Administration’s Efforts to Discriminate Against Texas’ Black and Latino Voters — CLC About CLC:Democracy Decoded is a production of Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to solving the wide range of challenges facing American democracy. Campaign Legal Center fights for every American’s freedom to vote and participate meaningfully in the democratic process. Learn more about us.Democracy Decoded is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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• How Democracy Is Impacted by the Expansion of Presidential Power

  Presidential power has expanded far beyond what the framers of the Constitution envisioned. From Lincoln and Roosevelt to Nixon and Trump, presidents have pushed the limits of executive authority — often during moments of crisis. Understanding this history is key to understanding what comes next for American democracyIn this episode, host Simone Leeper speaks with American historians Douglas Brinkley and Rick Perlstein, CLC Executive Director Adav Noti and Juan Proaño, CEO of LULAC. In conversation, they trace how the presidency has gathered sweeping power over time; what happens when oversight of this executive power breaks down; and what legal, legislative and civic reforms could restore accountability, prevent presidential overreach and safeguard the constitutional separation of powers that defines the United States.Timestamps:(00:05) — Why were federal troops deployed in Los Angeles?(05:11) — Can the president legally invoke emergency powers?(07:31) — How did the Founders limit presidential authority?(09:14) — When did executive orders begin to expand presidential power?(10:25) — How did FDR and later presidents redefine the presidency?(13:04) — What did Nixon’s “If the president does it, it’s not illegal” comment really mean?(15:22) — What are the origins of the so-called unitary executive theory?(18:21) — How are checks and balances failing?(19:42) — Is America sliding toward authoritarianism?(27:57) — How is Campaign Legal Center fighting unlawful presidential overreach through litigation?(30:00) — Why does birthright citizenship matter for American democracy?(33:13) — What can be done to stop abuses of presidential authority?Host and Guests:Simone Leeper litigates a wide range of redistricting-related cases at Campaign Legal Center, challenging gerrymanders and advocating for election systems that guarantee all voters an equal opportunity to influence our democracy. Prior to arriving at CLC, Simone was a law clerk in the office of Senator Ed Markey and at the Library of Congress, Office of General Counsel. She received her J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 2019 and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University in 2016.Juan Proaño is an entrepreneur, technologist and business leader who is active in civic affairs, social impact, and politics He has served as the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) since November 2023. As LULAC’s CEO, Juan oversees the day-to-day operations at LULAC; identifies strategic growth areas; and works to amplify the organization’s advocacy initiatives and action-oriented programs.Rick Perlstein is an American historian, writer and journalist who has garnered recognition for his chronicles of the post-1960s American conservative movement. He is the author of five bestselling books. Perlstein received the 2001 Los Angeles Times Book Award for History for his first book, Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus, and appeared on the best books of the year lists of The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune. His essays and book reviews have been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Nation, The Village Voice and Slate, among others. A contributing editor and board member of In These Times magazine, he lives in Chicago.Douglas Brinkley is the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and Professor of History at Rice University, CNN Presidential Historian and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. He works in many capacities in the world of public history, including on boards, museums, colleges and historical societies. The Chicago Tribune dubbed him “America’s New Past Master.” The New York Historical has chosen Brinkley as their official U.S. Presidential Historian. His recent book Cronkite won the Sperber Prize, while The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast received the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award. He has received a Grammy Award for Presidential Suite and seven honorary doctorates in American Studies. His two-volume annotated The Nixon Tapes recently won the Arthur S. Link – Warren F. Kuehl Prize. He is a member of the Century Association, Council of Foreign Relations and the James Madison Council of the Library of Congress. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and three children.Adav Noti coordinates all of Campaign Legal Center's operations and programmatic activities, overseeing CLC's efforts to protect elections, advance voter freedom, fix the campaign finance system, ensure fair redistricting and promote government ethics. Adav has conducted dozens of constitutional cases in trial and appellate courts and the United States Supreme Court. He also advises members of Congress and other policymakers on advancing democracy through legislation. Prior to joining CLC, Adav served for more than 10 years in nonpartisan leadership capacities within the Office of General Counsel of the Federal Election Commission, and he served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. Adav regularly provides expert analysis for television, radio and print journalism.Links: Voting Is an American Freedom. The President Can’t Change That – CLC  What Are Executive Orders and How Do They Work? – CLC  The Significance of Firing Inspectors General: Explained – CLC  CLC's Kedric Payne on Trump's Brazen Removal of Nation’s Top Ethics Official – CLC  The Justice Department Is In Danger Of Losing Its Way Under Trump – CLC  It’s almost Inauguration Day. Will there be any checks on Trump’s power? – Trevor Potter op-d in The Hill Amidst the Noise and Confusion – Trevor Potter’s newsletter Understanding Corruption and Conflicts of Interest in Government | Campaign Legal Center – CLC  CLC Sues to Stop Elon Musk and DOGE’s Lawless, Unconstitutional Power Grab | Campaign Legal Center – CLC  Trump’s Executive Orders 2025 – Federal Register  Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections (Trump’s EO on voting) – The White House  Defending the Freedom to Vote from the Trump Administration’s Unconstitutional Presidential Overreach (LULAC, et al. v. Executive Office of the President) – CLC  CLC Sues to Block Trump Administration’s Illegal Election Overreach – CLC  Victory! Anti-Voter Executive Order Halted in Court – CLC  Understanding the election tech implications in the Trump Administration’s executive order – Verified Voting  Independent Agencies Must Remain Independent – CLC  Can President Trump Do That? – CLC  Why Birthright Citizenship Is an Essential Part of Our Democracy – CLC  Authoritarianism, explained – Protect Democracy The Authoritarian Playbook – Protect Democracy U.S. Supreme Court Significantly Limits Restraints on Unconstitutional Presidential Actions – CLC  Reconciliation Bill Passes the Senate Without Two Dangerous Provisions: Campaign Legal Center Reacts – CLC  The “Self-Evident” Case for Opposing Tyranny – Trevor Potter’s Newsletter White House Eyes Rarely Used Power to Override Congress on Spending – NY TimesAbout CLC:Democracy Decoded is a production of Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to solving the wide range of challenges facing American democracy. Campaign Legal Center fights for every American’s freedom to vote and participate meaningfully in the democratic process. Learn more about us.Democracy Decoded is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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