Latest news with #voterSuppression
Associated Press
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Things to know about the Voting Rights Act and the cases that could unravel it
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was follow-up legislation to the Civil Rights Act passed a year earlier. In a break from tradition, then-President Lyndon Johnson went to Capitol Hill to sign the bill rather than hold a signing ceremony at the White House. His daughter Luci Baines Johnson told The Associated Press in a 2023 interview that he did it to honor the courage of members who had supported the legislation even though it could cost them their seats in Congress. What did the Voting Rights Act do? There were several elements to the law, but it primarily ended the discriminatory practices against Black voters that were prevalent in many states, including poll taxes and literacy tests that allowed those voters to be turned away. The law also established a process known as preclearance, which required that all or parts of 15 states with a history of discriminatory practices in voting get federal approval before making changes to the way they hold elections. What did voter suppression look like before the law was enacted? The 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870 and barred states from preventing people from voting on the basis of race, color or a previous condition of servitude. Despite the amendment, several Southern states were able to enact literacy tests on Black citizens that were not required of white citizens who had either voted or were descendants of voters from before the ratification of the 14th Amendment. That tactic was known as the grandfather clause and worked to exclude Black voters. Black citizens also were excluded in some states from participating in party primaries. Poll taxes, or fees for voting, were a barrier, and lynching and other forms of violence served to intimidate would-be Black voters. What fueled the passage of the Voting Rights Act? Civil rights activists were holding a series of marches and protests in Alabama in 1965 when a pastor was arrested in the town of Marion. Afraid he would be lynched, his supporters planned a night protest march to the jail from a nearby church. They were met by police. A church deacon, Jimmie Lee Jackson, was fatally shot in the ensuing melee. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference and local leaders considered taking Jackson's body from Marion to Montgomery. Instead, he was buried near Marion and plans were made to stage a march from Selma, 30 miles (48 kilometers) away and a more logical staging area. In what became known as Bloody Sunday, on March 7, 1965, hundreds of marchers were met by state troopers, who attacked them on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Footage of the violence shocked the country and provided momentum for the landmark federal law. When did the voting rights protections begin to erode? In 2013, the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision known as Shelby v. Holder that removed the preclearance requirement in the law. Within hours, states began announcing changes to their laws that began restricting voting rights. That accelerated in Republican-controlled states after President Donald Trump began falsely claiming his loss for reelection in 2020 was due to widespread fraud. Where are we now? The Supreme Court is deciding whether to hear a case out of North Dakota in which the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has held that private individuals and entities cannot file voting rights challenges. This is how the vast majority of such cases have been brought. The court has said that only the U.S. attorney general can file those cases. Two other 8th Circuit panels have made similar rulings. Other circuits have ruled that there is a right of private action for such challenges. Separately, the Supreme Court is waiting to be briefed by attorneys in a Louisiana case that centers on whether a congressional district drawn to benefit Black voters is constitutional. At issue is Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which requires political maps to include districts where minority populations' preferred candidates can win elections. There also are ongoing actions at the state level as well as an executive order by Trump and congressional legislation that would require documented proof of citizenship to register to vote. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of voting rights at
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Biden robocall producer found not guilty of criminal charges
A political consultant was found not guilty of 11 felony charges Friday over AI-generated robocalls that mimicked President Joe Biden's voice discouraging Democrats from voting in the 2024 New Hampshire primary. The charges against Steve Kramer included voter suppression and impersonating a presidential candidate. AG vows to keep working on voter integrity after target found not guilty Attorney General John Formella said his office will keep working on efforts to protect voter integrity after a judge found Steven Kramer not guilty of state felonies for making a robocall that mimicked the voice of former President Joe Biden that urged Democrats not to vote in New Hampshire's 2024 primary. On Feb. 6, he identified two Texas companies and one business owner as having placed those robocalls. After the verdict in Belknap Superior Court, Attorney General John Formella noted that the Federal Communications Commission had already fined Kramer $6 million and two telecommunication companies another $1 million for violations of federal anti-robocall regulations. Kramer had been paid $150 by a political consultant working for Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips to produce the audio used to call roughly 25,000 likely voters two days before the Jan. 23, 2024 primary. Judge Elizabeth Leonard allowed Kramer's defense team to claim he didn't commit a crime because New Hampshire's primary was a 'straw poll' as it wasn't sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee. 'That, ladies and gentlemen, was a brazen attack on your primary,' Kramer's lawyer Tom Reid told the jury, referring to the DNC's actions. 'And it wasn't done by Steve Kramer. 'He didn't see it as a real election, because it wasn't,' Reid said. Kramer's lawyers also argued the use of deepfake technology was protected speech rather than voter suppression. If convicted, Kramer would have faced decades in prison, with each felony carrying a prison term of up to seven years. He also faced 11 misdemeanor charges that each carried up to a year in jail. Kramer's lawyers argued he didn't impersonate a candidate because the message didn't include Biden's name and the former president wasn't on the primary ballot. Former Democratic Party chair testified at recent robocall trial Former Democratic Party Chairman Kathy Sullivan testified in the criminal trial of Steven Kramer who was found innocent of multiple charges regarding his manufacture of a robocall that mimicked the voice of former President Joe Biden to urge New Hampshire Democrats not to vote in the 2024 primary. All of those calls urged anyone with questions to call Sullivan's home telephone number. Biden honored the DNC calendar and refused to file to run or campaign in New Hampshire; he won the primary easily with a record write-in vote. All the calls left the telephone number of former Democratic Party Chair Kathy Sullivan. During the trial, Sullivan testified that her belief was that Kramer's goal was to suppress the vote. Kramer was paid $259,946 by Phillips's campaign to help the long-shot presidential candidate get on the ballot in New York and Pennsylvania. The campaign told media outlets that that work included production and distribution of a robocall that used Phillips's voice. But the Phillips campaign denied any knowledge of the Biden robocall. Kramer testified during the trial that he had no regrets even though his actions led to AI regulations in multiple states including New Hampshire. He said he came up with the stunt as a warning for how AI can be misused. He chose to use it in New Hampshire believing it would have the most impact. In a statement Friday, Formella said the state 'will continue to work diligently to address the challenges posed by emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to protect the integrity of our elections.' klandrigan@
Washington Post
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
New Hampshire jury acquits consultant behind AI robocalls mimicking Biden on all charges
A political consultant who sent artificial intelligence-generated robocalls mimicking former President Joe Biden to New Hampshire Democrats last year was acquitted Friday of voter suppression and impersonating a candidate. Steven Kramer, 56, of New Orleans, admitted orchestrating a message sent to thousands of voters two days before the state's Jan. 23, 2024, presidential primary. Recipients heard an AI-generated voice similar to the Democratic president's that used his catchphrase 'What a bunch of malarkey' and, as prosecutors alleged, suggested that voting in the primary would preclude voters from casting ballots in November.
CBS News
13-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
New Hampshire jury acquits consultant behind AI robocalls mimicking Biden on all charges
By HOLLY RAMER Associated Press A political consultant who sent artificial intelligence-generated robocalls mimicking former President Joe Biden to New Hampshire Democrats last year was acquitted Friday of voter suppression and impersonating a candidate. Steven Kramer, 56, of New Orleans, admitted orchestrating a message sent to thousands of voters two days before the state's Jan. 23, 2024, presidential primary. Recipients heard an AI-generated voice similar to the Democratic president's that used his catchphrase "What a bunch of malarkey" and, as prosecutors alleged, suggested that voting in the primary would preclude voters from casting ballots in November. "It's important that you save your vote for the November election," voters were told. "Your votes make a difference in November, not this Tuesday." Kramer, who would have faced decades in prison if convicted, testified that he wanted to send a wake-up call about the potential dangers of AI when he paid a New Orleans magician $150 to create the recording. He was getting frequent calls from people using AI in campaigns, and, worried about the lack of regulations, made it his New Year's resolution to take action. "This is going to be my one good deed this year," he recalled while testifying in Belknap County Superior Court. Prosecutors argued the calls amounted to an attack on the integrity of the primary, while Kramer's defense tried to direct outrage at the Democratic National Committee instead. At Biden's request, the DNC dislodged New Hampshire from its traditional early spot in the 2024 nominating calendar, but later dropped its threat not to seat the state's national convention delegates. Biden did not put his name on the ballot or campaign there, but won as a write-in. Kramer, who owns a firm specializing in get-out-the-vote projects, argued that the primary was a meaningless straw poll unsanctioned by the DNC, and therefore the state's voter suppression law didn't apply. The defense also said he didn't impersonate a candidate because the message didn't include Biden's name, and Biden wasn't a declared candidate in the primary. Jurors apparently agreed, acquitting him of 11 felony voter suppression charges, each punishable by up to seven years in prison. The 11 candidate impersonation charges each carried a maximum sentence of a year in jail. "Our commitment to enforcing election laws remains steadfast," New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella said in a statement. "We will continue to work diligently to address the challenges posed by emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to protect the integrity of our elections." Kramer also faces a $6 million fine by the Federal Communications Commission, but he told The Associated Press that he won't pay it. Lingo Telecom, the company that transmitted the calls, agreed to pay $1 million in a settlement in August. The agency, which did not respond to requests for comment, was developing AI-related rules when Donald Trump won the presidency, but it has since shown signs of a possible shift toward loosening regulations. And though many states have enacted legislation regulating AI deepfakes in political campaigns, House Republicans in Congress recently added a clause to their signature tax bill that would ban states and localities from regulating artificial intelligence for a decade.
Associated Press
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
New Hampshire jury acquits consultant behind AI robocalls mimicking Biden on all charges
A political consultant who sent artificial intelligence-generated robocalls mimicking former President Joe Biden to New Hampshire Democrats last year was acquitted Friday of voter suppression and impersonating a candidate. Steven Kramer, 56, of New Orleans, admitted orchestrating a message sent to thousands of voters two days before the state's Jan. 23, 2024, presidential primary. Recipients heard an AI-generated voice similar to the Democratic president's that used his catchphrase 'What a bunch of malarkey' and, as prosecutors alleged, suggested that voting in the primary would preclude voters from casting ballots in November. 'It's important that you save your vote for the November election,' voters were told. 'Your votes make a difference in November, not this Tuesday.' Kramer, who would have faced decades in prison if convicted, testified that he wanted to send a wake-up call about the potential dangers of AI when he paid a New Orleans magician $150 to create the recording. He was getting frequent calls from people using AI in campaigns, and, worried about the lack of regulations, made it his New Year's resolution to take action. 'This is going to be my one good deed this year,' he recalled while testifying in Belknap County Superior Court. Prosecutors argued the calls amounted to an attack on the integrity of the primary, while Kramer's defense tried to direct outrage at the Democratic National Committee instead. At Biden's request, the DNC dislodged New Hampshire from its traditional early spot in the 2024 nominating calendar, but later dropped its threat not to seat the state's national convention delegates. Biden did not put his name on the ballot or campaign there, but won as a write-in. Kramer, who owns a firm specializing in get-out-the-vote projects, argued that the primary was a meaningless straw poll unsanctioned by the DNC, and therefore the state's voter suppression law didn't apply. The defense also said he didn't impersonate a candidate because the message didn't include Biden's name, and Biden wasn't a declared candidate in the primary. Jurors apparently agreed, acquitting him of 11 felony voter suppression charges, each punishable by up to seven years in prison. The 11 candidate impersonation charges each carried a maximum sentence of a year in jail. 'Our commitment to enforcing election laws remains steadfast,' New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella said in a statement. 'We will continue to work diligently to address the challenges posed by emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to protect the integrity of our elections.' Kramer also faces a $6 million fine by the Federal Communications Commission, but he told The Associated Press that he won't pay it. Lingo Telecom, the company that transmitted the calls, agreed to pay $1 million in a settlement in August. The agency, which did not respond to requests for comment, was developing AI-related rules when Donald Trump won the presidency, but it has since shown signs of a possible shift toward loosening regulations. And though many states have enacted legislation regulating AI deepfakes in political campaigns, House Republicans in Congress recently added a clause to their signature tax bill that would ban states and localities from regulating artificial intelligence for a decade.
