The Topline: Democracy's Daily Digest
Two voting bills advanced yesterday—one in the Georgia legislature and one signed into law in Iowa—with the stated aim of increasing voters' faith in the system. Don't believe it. Reducing opportunities to vote isn't about improving voter confidence; it's about suppressing participation among voters you're unable to win over. Fortunately, at least one state gets it. In Kentucky, a bill to boost voter access and election security is receiving widespread support from both parties. The proposal preserves Democrat-preferred policies the state implemented to increase voter access during the pandemic, and it includes election integrity measures typically favored by Republicans. Secretary of State Michael Adams says the bipartisan bill makes him proud to be a Kentuckian. It should. The rest of the country should take notice. —Evan McMullin
Love THE TOPLINE? Help us spread the word and earn TOPLINE rewards here.
Guarding the Capitol
U.S. Capitol Police should expand staffing, focus on intelligence-gathering, and coordinate better with the National Guard to prevent another attack like the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection. Those are the key conclusions of a security review headed by retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who asked Honoré to lead the review, called the report a draft that will require additional funding. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy accused Honoré of "notorious partisan bias" and said Pelosi wants to turn the Capitol into a "fortress." —USA Today
— The end of the line. The Supreme Court disposed of the last of Donald Trump's challenges to state election procedures yesterday, rejecting his appeal regarding Wisconsin's handling of mail-in ballots. The action was basically a formality. If the court had intended to take up the case, it would have done so before Congress counted the Electoral College vote, the process that was delayed several hours by the insurrection. —NBC News
— Another arrest. A New York man with ties to the Oath Keepers militia group and to Trump's longtime adviser Roger Stone has been arrested and charged in connection with the insurrection. He was seen in a video flanking Stone on the morning of Jan. 6, outside a Washington, D.C., hotel. —ABC News
— Infiltration. Stone may be a useful idiot, but White supremacists really want to hang around with cops and service members. According to an investigation by the FBI's San Antonio division, right-wing extremists "very likely seek affiliation with military and law enforcement entities in furtherance of" their ideologies. —ABC News
MORE: The officers danced at a Black Lives Matter rally. Then they stormed the Capitol —The New York Times
Cottle: Don't let extremists bully Congress
"Although March 4 came and went without a bloody coup attempt—that is, without another bloody coup attempt—damage was still done. Lawmakers abandoned their workplace out of fear of politically motivated violence. This not only disrupted the people's business. It also sent a dangerous signal that Congress can be intimidated—that the state of American government is fragile. Of course the safety of lawmakers and other Capitol Hill workers must be a priority. But allowing the government to be held hostage by political extremists is unacceptable." —Michelle Cottle in The New York Times
Michelle Cottle is a member of the New York Times editorial board, focusing on U.S. politics.
MORE: Biden, House Democrats take different paths on GOP extremes —The Boston Globe
Voting smackdown in Georgia
The Georgia Senate passed a sweeping bill yesterday to roll back no-excuse absentee voting, require more voter ID, and create new obstacles for voters after Republicans lost elections for president and the U.S. Senate in the state. The legislation passed without a single Democratic vote. Democrats argued that the measure is based on the "big lie" that President Biden stole the election. They say the restrictions would especially harm Black voters after struggles for ballot access during the civil rights movement. The bill now advances to the state House of Representatives. Stay tuned. —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
MORE: Iowa governor signs Republican bill restricting voting access into law —NBC News
Floyd trial proceeding
The trial of former Minneapolis Police Ofc. Derek Chauvin, who is charged with killing George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes last May, is moving forward with jury selection today. Jury selection was abruptly halted yesterday amid a dispute over the possible reinstatement of a third-degree murder charge. Hennepin Co. District Court Judge Peter Cahill's decision to press forward today, despite the lack of resolution on that question, has drawn criticism, as it could later serve as grounds for a defense appeal to have the case thrown out. —The Washington Post
MORE: Trial begins for Des Moines Register reporter arrested for covering George Floyd protests —Des Moines Register
Boot: The GOP's double standard
"The stark differences in accountability between Democrats and Republicans underscore the reality that the GOP these days is interested only in keeping power—not in exercising it responsibly. The only thing, it seems, that Republican elected officials can do to arouse the ire of their base is to criticize Trump. Republicans have no right to crow about Democratic misconduct until they show more interest in getting their own house in order." —Max Boot in The Washington Post
Max Boot is the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
MORE: Cuomo faces mounting Democratic backlash as top New York state lawmakers call for resignation —CNN
Focus on social media regulation
— Part of a broad 1996 federal law on telecoms, the statute exempts websites from being sued for removing content deemed to be "obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable" as long as the companies are acting in "good faith."
— As the power of social media has grown, so has the prospect of government regulation. Republicans accuse increasingly influential big tech companies of stifling conservative viewpoints. These complaints were amplified when Facebook, Twitter, and others cracked down on misleading posts about the 2020 election.
— "A constitutional non-starter." Len Niehoff, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, says, "If an online platform wants to have a policy that it will delete certain kinds of tweets or users, forbid certain kinds of content, that is an exercise of their right as an information distributer. And the idea that you would create a cause of action that would allow people to sue when that happens is deeply problematic under the First Amendment." —Associated Press
Patrick: Why the past year was so hard on democracy
"Although domestic factors typically have the largest impact on democracy in any given country, external ones can also influence its fortunes. Over the past year, three major international forces exacerbated the global decline in freedom: the COVID-19 pandemic, faltering leadership from major democracies, and anti-democratic campaigns by authoritarian states." —Stewart Patrick in World Politics Review
Stewart Patrick is the James H. Binger senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of "The Sovereignty Wars: Reconciling America with the World."
MORE: First independent report into Xinjiang genocide allegations claims evidence of Beijing's 'intent to destroy' Uyghur people —CNN
This past week, Idaho State Republican Rep. Mike Boyle said, "You know what? Voting shouldn't be easy!" Boyle is part of a larger movement seen in many Republican-run states to curtail voter rights and accessibility. While I agree that voters have a responsibility to be informed and that reasonable safeguards are needed to protect against voter fraud, there is absolutely no reason to make the voting process itself difficult. The real reason for this movement is obvious: Trump supporters want to restrict voting to people who are more likely to vote their way.
I am a center-right independent, no fan of the left wing of the Democratic Party. I am fed up with the modern Republican Party, which shows few signs of learning from recent events. Folks, it's time for a common-sense party of moderate Republicans, more conservative Democrats, and Independents; a segment of America that I believe represents a majority. It's time. —Patrick N., Idaho
The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
Got feedback about THE TOPLINE? Send it to Melissa Amour, Managing Editor, at editor@thetopline.com.
CARE ABOUT DEMOCRACY? SHARE SOME DEMOCRACY.
If you love THE TOPLINE, share it with your friends and reap the rewards—from a shoutout in an issue of TL, to exclusive swag, to a call with Evan and Mindy.
Your Dashboard has everything you need to easily share THE TOPLINE
and track your progress.