The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go. – Dr. Seuss

Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss!

In today’s column I take a quick look at these people/issues:

• Voter Suppression
• Brnovich v. DNC
• COVID 19 Press Briefing

VOTER SUPPRESSION:

Salon.com reported last week that Republicans across the country responded to record voter turnout by unleashing a flurry of legislation aimed at restricting ballot access, citing concerns over unfounded allegations of rampant voter fraud that they themselves stoked for months.

The interesting part of the story is they claim there are at least 253 bills with provisions restricting voting access have been introduced, pre-filed, or carried over in 43 states, mostly by Republicans, according to an analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School, dwarfing the number of similar bills filed at this point in 2020.

Although the Montana Republicans kicked some Montana Democrats ass this last election, they introduced some bills to suppress the voters. That’s batshit crazy. They seem to be following Trump’s lead about voter fraud.

Last month the Montana Republicans sent an email telling supporters:

We know that our opposition will always do everything they can to minimize your voice at the ballot box, and that’s why we need to step up and make your voice heard. We need to ensure our elections are safe and secure…

I found that email very funny. The only ones trying to “minimize your voice at the ballot box” seem to be the Republicans these days.

Maybe the Republican leadership in the Montana State Legislature will invite the “My Pillow Guy” to give a motivational talk about voter fraud…

BRNOVICH V. DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE:

The oral arguments for this voting case are being heard today (March 2) by the U.S. Supreme Court. It’s going to be interesting to see how it turns out.

According to the write-up about the case in Wikipedia:

The present case primarily deals with two election-related policies in Arizona, one passed as a result of the Shelby decision. An existing policy, since 1970 and shared by other states, requires election officials to reject ballots placed by voters that vote in the wrong precinct, including their votes for state and national election matters. The new law, passed as Arizona H.B. 2023 by the Republican-controlled state congress in 2016, made it illegal felony for anyone other than an election official or a family member or caregiver to handle or collect a completed early voting or absentee ballot. The law was passed on the basis to prevent ballot harvesting and eliminate fraud from the election.

It will be summer before we know the decision.

COVID 19 PRESS BRIEFING:

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, made it very clear during the press briefing on Monday that she is worried about states rolling back restrictions and that will erase the progress made.

Montana has done away with some restrictions, and there are nutjobs in the legislature and among us who think the whole thing is a hoax or who don’t trust the guberment.

Read the whole transcript of the press briefing HERE.

## WEAR YOUR MASK TODAY ##