Mississippi SOS paid Experian $50k for voters' consumer data The secretary of state said the deal would "strengthen" election integrity. But Experian told his office it couldn't guarantee its data's reliability.

The Mississippi secretary of state's office paid Experian $50,000 to run nearly 2 million registration checks using unverified commercial data on voters, but incorrect information caused the inactivation of many properly registered voters.

[+] bit.ly/4tZleiX

Supreme Court Arguments Involved Misleading Claims About Mail Ballots Comments by both parties and some of the justices included inaccurate information. Voters could pay the price.

Watson v. RNC could disenfranchise mail voters if the Court rules against Mississippi's law counting ballots mailed by Election Day. Such a ruling would accept baseless allegations about mail voting, sowing distrust and undermining access to the ballot.

bit.ly/4toWWPF

In Georgia data center debate, the real issue is about who wields the power

Powerful tech companies are benefiting from Georgia's tax breaks to build data centers. They don't need incentives, but they get a better deal than the average ratepayer.

State Election Board meets as Georgia faces an election crisis Georgia's State Election Board could consider advancing a petition to switch to hand-marked paper ballots amid a looming July deadline to stop counting votes with QR codes.

GA lawmakers neglected to address a July 1 deadline that could make counting votes with the current system illegal. Now the State Election Board may step in. A proposal under consideration could mandate hand-marked paper ballots starting in July.

[+] bit.ly/4cs2YYs

Louisiana political donors would have addresses redacted from public reports under bill • Louisiana Illuminator The Louisiana Legislature might block the public from seeing the addresses of political donors who give money to election campaigns starting Aug. 1.

The Louisiana Legislature might block the public from seeing the addresses of political donors who give money to election campaigns starting Aug. 1. @jsodonoghue.bsky.social reports

Election measures capsize on the final day of Georgia’s 2026 legislative session - The Current The House and Senate failed to pass a bill to remove QR codes from voters' ballots before the deadline, leaving some lawmakers calling for a special session to address the issue.

Georgia lawmakers ended the 2026 session without resolving the QR code ballot stalemate. With the deadline approaching and no clear solution, some now call on the governor to convene a special session to pass an elections bill.

More: bit.ly/4vbXmtN

State lawmakers race toward Sine Die with major items left to consider The Georgia General Assembly is nearing the end of the 2026 legislative session with major bills still left to consider.

GA — As Sine Die approaches on Thursday, the Senate advances hand-marked paper ballots for midterms, clashing with the House's 2028 delay, as the July QR code deadline lies ahead. Nonpartisan DA races and prosecutor discipline bills have been passed.

+: bit.ly/4tmlXKR

Trump's executive order on mail voting is set to face legal challenges An executive order from President Trump seeks to create federal lists of eligible voters and instructs the Postal Service to send ballots only to approved voters. It faces certain legal challenges.

NEW: Colorado's Democratic Secretary of State @jenagriswold.bsky.social told me she is working with the state's attorney general's office to try to stop President Trump's executive order on mail-in voting through a lawsuit
www.npr.org/2026/04/01/n...

@faircount.bsky.social used AI to help reach 2 million undercounted voters in Georgia. @aapivictoryfund.bsky.social built organizing tools at a weekend hackathon. The same technology everyone's shitting on constantly is already powering progressive wins: progressivesforai.com/archive/issue-7

April 1 marks National Census Day—an annual reminder of the vital role each of us plays in shaping our communities' future.

The 2030 Census may feel far away, but the groundwork starts now. Begin building awareness in your community today—because a fair count begins with everyday conversations.

Local election workers ready for midterms as lawmakers ponder big changes to Georgia’s voting system • Georgia Recorder It’s not March Madness. It’s the annual conference for the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials.

Georgia lawmakers are considering a major election overhaul ahead of 2028. Meanwhile, in Athens, hundreds of election workers are preparing to uphold whatever laws the General Assembly passes—ready to implement the system, whatever it becomes.

[+] georgiarecorder.com/2026/03/25/l...

Mississippi Legislature passes bill requiring citizenship proof for voting Mississippi legislators passed a bill that requires citizenship proof for voters. Some lawmakers say the bill will be "disastrous" for voters.

Mississippi lawmakers passed the SHIELD Act, requiring voter citizenship verification using federal databases. Proponents say it boosts security; opponents warn of barriers for lawful voters. The bill takes effect July 1, with the governor expected to sign.

bit.ly/4uPcjSn

Georgia activists working with Trump administration to influence elections After years of casting doubt about Georgia elections, conservative activists are gaining influence within the Trump administration.

GA – For years, activists cast doubt on Georgia's 2020 election, challenging machines and voter rolls. Officials dismissed them and investigators debunked their claims. Now several are in the Trump administration—and Fulton County is firmly in their sights.

More: bit.ly/4sJwCig

Republicans are Pushing to Make the American Community Survey Voluntary. History Shows That’s a Death Sentence for Data. A voluntary survey will make demographic data “less accurate, less available, and less useful” — and for some rural communities, “a total blackout.”

The ACS provides vital social and economic data, used by planners, businesses, and researchers. Conservative lawmakers want to make it voluntary, which experts warn would degrade data quality, disproportionately harming rural and marginalized groups.

[+] bit.ly/3P1VZx2

State, local policies on immigration enforcement targeted by US Senate Republicans • Georgia Recorder WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans during a Tuesday hearing laid the groundwork for legislation that would prevent state and local governments from making decisions on whether to limit cooperation with t...

Senate Republicans during a Tuesday hearing laid the groundwork for legislation that would prevent state and local governments from making decisions on whether to limit cooperation with the federal government on immigration enforcement.

The Mississippi Free Press is hosting a solutions circle in Moss Point on Thursday, March 19, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. For more information, email solutions@mississippifreepress.org or visit mfp.msp/circlesreg.

Trump Officials Attended a Summit of Election Deniers Who Want the President to Take Over the Midterms The meeting’s participants included Kurt Olsen, a White House lawyer charged with reinvestigating the 2020 election, and Heather Honey, the Department of Homeland Security official in charge of electi...

High-ranking election officials attended a summit where 2020 election deniers urged the president to declare a national emergency to take over the midterms. A draft executive order circulating would ban mail ballots and voting machines under the takeover.

More: bit.ly/3OR1ZZB

🗳️Mississippi — FINAL HOURS TO VOTE TODAY IN THE PRIMARY

Polls CLOSE TODAY, Tues 3/10 at 7 p.m. local time, unless otherwise noted.

Visit your My Election Day for election info: sos.ms.gov/yall-vote

The next redistricting battle might be who is counted in state legislative districts A Republican push to alter the census may lead to a radical shift in redistricting for state legislatures — drawing districts that don't take into account children and non-U.S. citizen adults.

A new redistricting battle looms: whether state legislative districts should be drawn based on "eligible voters" rather than total population. This would exclude noncitizens, children, and some citizens with felony or mental incapacity restrictions.

More: n.pr/4svaUyo

House, Senate advance bills critics say could curb right to protest • Georgia Recorder Two bills that could heighten penalties for protestors passed the House and Senate in separate contentious votes Tuesday.

Story from @mayahoman.bsky.social: Georgia House, Senate advance bills that critics say could curb ability to protest

Bill allowing Georgia property owners to sue over homelessness, immigration clears House • Georgia Recorder The bill targets local governments that decline to enforce some state laws, allowing property owners can sue for financial harm from lost property value.

The Georgia House of Representatives passed a measure Wednesday that could allow property owners to sue city and county governments if they fail to enforce state laws related to homelessness, public safety and immigration.

Story by @alander.bsky.social.

How a handful of states and districts could decide who runs Congress • Georgia Recorder WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats will spend billions of dollars and countless hours campaigning throughout the country ahead of November’s midterm elections, even though control of Congress like...

Despite billions spent, control of Congress rests on just four Senate races and 18 House toss-ups. These are the only contests where candidates have even odds—the rest due to redistricting have effectively been decided before voters cast ballots.

[+] bit.ly/3N5X8mG

The Politics of Judicial Elections 2023-24  Spending hit new highs, fueled largely by interest groups and battles over abortion rights. 

Our new report on the latest state supreme court elections finds:
• $157 million spent nationwide
• 7 states set records
• Interest groups accounted for 54% of spending (also a record)
bit.ly/4b7GIn7

Bill would curb public access to police footage depicting death • Georgia Recorder HB 1223 has prompted criticism from First Amendment advocates, who say the bill would restrict the public's access to government records.

Lawmakers are contemplating a measure that would prevent the public from accessing law enforcement audio and video recordings that show a person’s death after the bill’s sponsor argued that new restrictions are needed to preserve the dignity of the people depicted in the footage.

It's All on the Line! MS Primary Election Phone Bank with SPLC · Fair Count Voters in Mississippi need someone like YOU. On March 10th, primary elections will shape communities—but only if people show up to vote. Fair Count and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) are hosti...

Fair Count and SPLC are hosting a phone bank to help voters get the information they need to participate in Mississippi's primary elections on March 10.

Join us—we'll provide the support to make it easy!

TODAY! Tue, March 3
6pm EST
RSVP 👉🏾 bit.ly/3O9zF4j

Only a fraction of House seats are competitive. Redistricting is driving that lower Primary voters in a small number of districts play an outsized role in deciding who wins Congress. The Trump-initiated mid-decade redistricting is driving that number of competitive seats even lower.

Fewer competitive House races are expected this fall, with experts blaming the White House-initiated mid-decade redistricting. Over 90% of contests will be effectively decided in low-turnout primaries, sidelining general election voters.

[+] n.pr/4b7xM14

How States’ Seats in the U.S. House Could Change After the Next Census At the halfway point in the decade, newly released census data points to continued shifts in representation after the 2030 census, but some big unknowns lurk.

New census estimates suggest major House reapportionment shifts after 2030. Unlike past cycles, considerable uncertainty clouds these projections due to possible long-term immigration changes and other evolving demographic trends.

More: bit.ly/46fJOTh

New GOP anti-voting bill may be the most dangerous attack on voting rights ever The MEGA Act represents one of the most catastrophic proposals for democracy in the United States.

The proposed sweeping elections overhaul known as MEGA, would imposes photo ID, a voter surveillance system, aggressive voter roll purges, universal mail voting and late ballot ban, registration funding cuts, and authorizes suits against officials. Vote expected soon.

[+] bit.ly/4qb07bc

FBI raid in Fulton County relied on previously investigated 2020 election claims • Georgia Recorder The 19-page filing alleges that Fulton County “knowingly and willfully deprive(d)” voters of a fair election process.

The document, which was under seal until Tuesday, cited irregularities in the 2020 election that federal authorities claim necessitated the seizure of the documents, though critics say the claims have already been adjudicated or debunked in the six years since the election took place.

Broadband Access Could Expand to ‘Every Area’ of Mississippi After Federal BEAD Approval Mississippi is one step closer to having internet access in every area of the state after the federal government approved a broadband expansion plan.

Mississippi is one step closer to having internet access in “every area of the state that still lacks access to high-speed internet” after the federal government approved the state’s broadband expansion plan, Gov. Tate Reeves announced Tuesday.

www.mississippifreepress.org/broadband-ac...