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Republican claims lack of election confidence due to Trump's lies is the 'ultimate voter suppression'
March 08, 2021
On March 8, Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed this bill into law.
Under the law:
<ul class="ee-ul"><li><em>The number of early voting days in the state will be cut, from 29 to 20 days.</em></li><li><em>Polls will close one hour earlier during primary and general elections, at 9 p.m. instead of 8 p.m.</em></li><li><em>Absentee ballots must be returned by the close of the polls on Election Day. The current system allowed ballots to be counted days later as long as they were postmarked before Election Day.</em></li><li><em>Each county can have only one ballot drop box. </em></li><li><em>Local election officials face felony charges if they violate provisions of the law.</em></li><li><em>There will be new limitations on who can return a person's absentee ballot to an election office.</em></li></ul><p>Republican state legislators in Iowa, embracing false and dangerous claims about voter fraud, are fast-tracking a bill that would add restrictions to early and absentee voting. </p><p>While the exact proposals are still being debated, the <a href="https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ba=SF%20413&ga=89">legislation</a> is expected to reduce the number of early voting days, limit when election officials can mail absentee ballot request forms to voters, and limit the use of drop boxes for completed ballots.</p><p><a href="https://sos.iowa.gov/news/2020_11_04.html">Nearly 1.7 million</a> of Iowa's roughly 3.1 million residents voted in the 2020 election, a record. More than 1 million of them voted absentee, another record. The voter turnout helped Iowa Republicans expand their majorities in the statehouse and flip two of the state's four congressional districts.</p><p>Iowa Republican Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, one of the bill's sponsors, defended the bill during a public hearing on Monday, saying that while the November election ran well, people don't trust the U.S. election system. Kaufmann did not acknowledge that the public mistrust has been fueled by the false narrative from former President Donald Trump and other Republicans that the election was stolen. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-fact-check-joe-biden-donald-trump-technology-49a24edd6d10888dbad61689c24b05a5">Fact checkers have rated this</a> false, and the federal government called the November 3 election <a href="https://www.cisa.gov/news/2020/11/12/joint-statement-elections-infrastructure-government-coordinating-council-election">“the most secure in American history."</a></p><p>“The ultimate voter suppression is a very large swath of the electorate not having faith in our election systems, and for whatever reason, political or not, there are thousands upon thousands of Iowans that do not have faith in our election systems," he said.</p><p>Iowa, where the Republican Party plans to hold the first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses in 2024, is among a handful of states with Republican-led statehouses that are quickly advancing bills that experts warn will make it harder to vote. Many of the bills are based on false accusations of voter fraud in the November election, often tied to urban Black voters in swing states.</p><p>In <a href="https://www.gpb.org/news/2021/02/18/georgia-republicans-file-sweeping-elections-bill-limits-early-absentee-voting">Georgia</a>, lawmakers have introduced a sweeping bill that would add restrictions to early voting, including new ID requirements to vote by mail. In <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-legislature-bills-phoenix-0f8b8be7e024504e1c0d9ac9f2a5be97">Arizona</a>, a bill would allow the legislature to overturn the results of a presidential election.</p><p>The Brennan Center for Justice is <a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-laws-roundup-february-2021">keeping track of voting bills</a> moving through state legislatures and estimates that, as of early February, at least 36 states have introduced, prefiled or carried over more than 165 bills that they describe as “restrictive." </p><p>Iowa Republicans passed the bill in the state Senate on Tuesday, one week after filing it. They were scheduled to vote on it in the state House on Wednesday.</p><p>During one of the first votes on the Iowa legislation last week, a Republican lawmaker promoted debunked conspiracy theories about widespread voter fraud.</p><p>“I think myself that Iowans' votes were disenfranchised by some shady dealings in five cities around the country that I think shows what happens when you don't strengthen your election system, when you allow people to game elections to the point that they did in cities such as Philadelphia," Sen. Jason Schultz said <a href="https://www.iowapublicradio.org/ipr-news/2021-02-18/iowa-republican-lawmakers-advance-bill-to-shorten-early-voting-period">ahead of a subcommittee vote</a> Wednesday.</p><p>The new election bill, first made public on <a href="https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=89&ba=SSB1199">February 16</a>, would add restrictions on when election officials can mail absentee ballot request forms to voters. It would also limit drop boxes to one per Iowa county. Another proposal would criminally charge local election officials who violate the bill if it becomes law. Legislators are also considering earlier times for closing polls and requiring absentee ballots to be returned.</p><p>A current version of the bill would reduce the number of days that people can vote early in Iowa from 29 days to 18 days. <a href="https://www.iowapublicradio.org/ipr-news/2021-02-18/iowa-republican-lawmakers-advance-bill-to-shorten-early-voting-period">Kaufmann has defended the change</a> by saying it puts Iowa more in line with the national average.</p><p>Lia Merivaki, an assistant professor of American politics at Mississippi State University, said the shortened early voting will not address purported concerns about election integrity. </p><p>“In terms of say, reducing voter fraud, it is not clear how this policy reaches the goal," she said in an email.</p><p>Iowa used to have <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/early-voting-in-state-elections.aspx">one of the longest early voting periods</a> in the country. In 2017, the new Republican-controlled legislature <a href="https://www.wqad.com/article/news/politics/iowa-passes-bill-requiring-voter-id-heads-to-governor/526-7e8d2b2d-eb9f-4f26-b041-e44a6e080af4">passed a voter ID bill</a> that reduced the period from 40 days to the current 29 days.</p><p>The Iowa State Association of County Auditors, which represents the local officials who help administer elections in the state, opposes the bill.</p><p>Ryan Dokter, president of the association and an election official in northwest Iowa, said during virtual testimony last week that the shortened early voting period: “Increases staffing needs for the counties over time, and also creates opportunities for mistakes."</p><p>Kaufmann said on Monday that Republicans plan to send the measure to Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday. Reynolds <a href="https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2021/02/17/legislature-republicans-advance-bills-shorten-early-voting-iowa-restrict-absentee-ballots/6780255002/">told reporters last week</a> that she was open to reviewing the bill.</p><p>A spokesman for the governor did not immediately respond to a request from The 19th for comment.</p><p><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://19thnews.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=10273"/></p><p>Originally published by <a href="https://19thnews.org/2021/02/iowa-lawmakers-elections-bill/">The 19th</a></p>
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Biden signs two executive orders to advance gender equality on International Women's Day
March 08, 2021
On Monday—International Women's Day—President Joe Biden signed an executive order to establish the White House Gender Policy Council to address gender equality and human rights of women and girls and "ensure that every domestic and foreign policy we pursue rests on a foundation of dignity and equity for women."
"We know that governments, economies, and communities are stronger when they include the full participation of women—no country can recover from this pandemic if it leaves half of its population behind," read a statement released by the White House on the new Gender Policy Council.
<p>
"Elevating the status of women and girls globally is the right thing to do—it is a matter of justice, fairness, and decency, and it will lead to a better, more secure, and more prosperous world for us all," the statement continued. "On International Women's Day, let us recommit to the principle that our nation, and the world, is at its best when the possibilities for all of our women and girls are limitless."
</p><iframe src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=commondreams&creatorUserId=14296273&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1368947283153334274&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2F2021%2F03%2F08%2Fbiden-signs-two-executive-orders-advance-gender-equality-international-womens-day&siteScreenName=commondreams&siteUserId=14296273&theme=light&widgetsVersion=e1ffbdb%3A1614796141937&width=550px" style="box-sizing: inherit; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 266px; flex-grow: 1;" title="Twitter Tweet">
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The council will address a range of issues, including systemic bias and discrimination, sexual harassment and misconduct, gender-based violence, gender equity in leadership, women's economic security—especially in the wake of Covid-19, which has disproportionately <a href="https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/9/feature-covid-19-economic-impacts-on-women" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">affected</a> women—and improving access to comprehensive healthcare.
</p><p>
Jennifer Klein, who served as a senior adviser to Hillary Clinton when she was first lady and secretary of state, and Julissa Reynoso, chief of staff to First Lady Jill Biden, will lead the council, which will report directly to the president.
</p><p>
That makes it "the most powerful body of its kind to date," according to the <em>New York Times</em>, which <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/08/us/gender-policy-council-biden.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reported</a> that "almost every Cabinet secretary will be required to participate with the council, signaling that the council's work is of top priority for every federal agency."
</p><p>
"This is not just a council," Klein <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/08/us/gender-policy-council-biden.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">told</a> the<em> New York Times</em> last month. "It's a plan to take a governmentwide approach to gender equity and equality."
</p><p>
According to <em><a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-executive-order-devos-title-ix_n_60458efec5b660a0f389a4da?ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000067" target="_blank">HuffPost</a></em>, "The council, which will have a staff of six people, will create and submit a strategy to Biden to address gender in policies, programs, and budgets, as well as create an annual report that measures progress."
</p><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" class="" data-tweet-id="1369000172613668867" frameborder="0" id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1369000172613668867&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rawstory.com%2Fr%2Fentryeditor%2F2650982310%23&theme=light&widgetsVersion=e1ffbdb%3A1614796141937&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 551px; height: 651px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="Twitter Tweet"></iframe></div><p>Biden also signed a second executive order on Monday <a href="https://www.axios.com/biden-executive-orders-womens-rights-focus-6c911f9f-203c-4ea7-a1a6-2049f774d61a.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=politics-womensrights" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">directing</a> the Department of Education to review <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/05/06/well-fight-groups-outraged-over-devos-gutting-title-ix-protections-survivors-sexual" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">controversial Title IX provisions</a> issued under former President Donald Trump, which completely transformed how colleges handle sexual assault by bolstering the rights of those accused and allowing schools to abdicate responsibility for assaults that occurred off-campus, which many critics <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/05/06/well-fight-groups-outraged-over-devos-gutting-title-ix-protections-survivors-sexual" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">warned</a> would deter survivors from coming forward. </p><p>The executive order is <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/542052-biden-to-formally-establish-new-gender-policy-council?rl=1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">meant</a> to "ensure consistency with the Biden-Harris administration's policy that students be guaranteed education free from sexual violence," an administration official said.</p><p>The establishment of the Gender Policy Council and DOE review of former education secretary Betsy DeVos' <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-executive-order-devos-title-ix_n_60458efec5b660a0f389a4da" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">harmful</a> Title IX provisions was welcomed by critics of the Trump administration's four years of <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/tag/trump-administrations-harms-to-women/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">attacks</a> on women's rights and gender equality. </p><p>"We applaud the Biden-Harris administration this International Women's Day for establishing this much-needed gender policy committee in a time when disproportionate gender-based discrimination and violence affecting women, girls, and LGBTQ+ communities is at an all-time high," said Serra Sippel, president of CHANGE (the Center for Health and Gender Equity).</p><p>"Without basic human rights for all, there is no gender equality, and sexual and reproductive health and rights are human rights. Period," she continued. "The establishment of the White House Gender Policy Council is a step in the right direction of advancing global health and gender equality once and for all."</p> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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Extremist militia groups are 'turning on themselves' -- and ‘starting to go underground’: MSNBC reporter
March 08, 2021
MSNBC reporter Cal Perry revealed to host Nicolle Wallace that "paranoid" white supremacist and militia groups are starting to "go underground."
In a discussion about George Floyd's accused murderer, Derek Chauvin, Wallace asked if there was a concern that violent militia groups would be present at the trial or outside the courthouse.
<p>Perry explained that in all 50 states there are laws against militias like those who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The problem, he said, is one of enforcement of those laws. In Minnesota, "as is true in the other 49 states, those laws are just not enforced."</p><p>He anticipates two groups coming out " to show force," in uniforms and with long guns. One group would be the Three Percenters, the group formed out of those angry about former President Barack Obama being elected. Perry explained that the Three Percenters will say that they're present to protect local businesses and law enforcement. </p><p>It's a refrain that isn't unheard of, as Kyle Rittenhouse said that he came to the city to "protect local law enforcement," and ultimately ended up on trial for murder after shooting a man. </p><p>"The other groups to keep your eye on is groups like the Boogaloo Boys. They're pretty well known by authorities" and known in Minnesota, said Perry. "It was last May when we saw a self-described Boogaloo Boy shoot an automatic weapon into the police station that was on fire in Minneapolis. He came from Texas. So, again, the question becomes one of enforcement. Now the FBI has stepped up in a big way since Jan. 6." </p><p>He said that as a result of the FBI doing more that they are starting to go underground. </p><p>"What you see is these groups turning on themselves," explained Perry. "Whenever these groups start talking about informants — and these are highly paranoid groups. When I interviewed a self-described militia member in Kentucky, we found out later she had recorded the entire conversation. She had people filming us. This is how paranoid these groups are. When they start feeling like the group is turning on itself from the inside, when they start feeling like there are these informants talking to the FBI, they get nervous and start to go underground. That is happening now. The question is, and I think we all know what the answer is to the question, why didn't that happen in the last administration?"</p><p>See his full report in the video below: </p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">militia groups</small>
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