BREAKING: for months, Ohio's SOS Larose has claimed that he wanted to expand drop boxes in Ohio counties, but that Ohio law prevented him from doing so.
Just now, all three judges in our drop box appeal agreed with us that nothing in Ohio law prevents him from adding more.
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"We agree with the trial court that the Secretary's interpretation of R.C. 3509.05 is not reasonable and that the statute neither prescribes nor prohibits ballot drop boxes at locations other than the boards of elections....
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"...If, as appellees argue, the Secretary wants to permit additional drop boxes, he has the authority to do so and nothing in this decision prohibits him from rescinding Directive 2020-16 and issuing a new directive accordingly."
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Now that the law is clarified....for the third time....as allowing more drop boxes, we call on Frank Larose to make good on his public and private commitment to add drop boxes.
There is still time to add them for the final weeks of this election.
END
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As much as I loathe all the damage Musk has inflicted on our government and our country, Trump’s latest response in their battle is as dark as it gets.
Let me tell you why:
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When I worked in Russia, and as it was growing in corruption in front of our eyes, one of the most clearcut tell-tales of its slide into lawless authoritarianism was that as most people began to behave corruptly—
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what determined if you were prosecuted or investigated for that corruption was simply whether you were in power or in good standing with those power.
Political power was essentially about which corrupt entity wielded the tools needed to punish others.
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“David Pepper has the experience and the skills to help us make a better American future. Read, learn — and act."
- @TimothyDSnyder
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“In Saving Democracy, David Pepper explains the tactics of authoritarians in America and offers strategies to fight back. For anyone who wants to know what to do and how to make a difference, this book provides a practical and badly needed road map.”
- @anneapplebaum
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Friends-
In recent months, I’ve been working hard to update my most recent book (from 2023): “Saving Democracy: A User’s Manual.”
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If Project 2025 had had a chapter outlining the role the federal judiciary could play in putting all its dark promises into place—and allowing authoritarianism to advance quickly and broadly—here are what the key elements would be:
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1) create immunity for federal officials engaging in official acts
2) make it as difficult as possible for courts and those aggrieved by illegal acts to stop them—even after they have been found to be illegal or when they are blatantly illegal
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3) use rulings to create a culture where federal district court orders can be regularly ignored with incredibly slow or no repercussions whatsoever
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A huge ruling in Ohio yesterday: universal vouchers struck down as unconstitutional
A 🧵 on some of the damning facts:
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1) Columbus City Schools receive only $2,800 per student (45,000 students) from the state, while the 7,500 voucher-funded private school students within its district are funded at more than $5,400 per student
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2) Cleveland/University Heights: $1,700 for each public school student vs. $5,500 per private/voucher student in the same community
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