Commerce Department official George Cook was named acting Census Bureau director while simultaneously serving as Commerce Department’s acting undersecretary for economic affairs (which oversees the Census Bureau) and as chief of staff to that role—an unprecedented concentration of power …
George CookCensus BureauDepartment of CommerceDonald Trumpinstitutional-capturecensus-manipulationstatistical-integritypolitical-interferenceelectoral-manipulation
In a controversial move, the Texas Legislature voted to change quorum rules and pass a new congressional map creating five additional safe Republican seats without Democratic members present. The legislature modified procedural rules to allow passage despite the absence of Democratic lawmakers, who …
Texas LegislatureTexas RepublicansGreg AbbottTexas House DemocratsTodd Hunterredistrictinggerrymanderingquorum-violationconstitutional-crisiselectoral-manipulation+2 more
Governor Brian Kemp signed Georgia’s SB 202, the “Election Integrity Act of 2021,” implementing a sweeping 98-page voter suppression law that became the first major state enactment of Trump’s “Big Lie” and ALEC’s post-2020 model legislation. Passed on strict …
Governor Brian KempGeorgia Republican LegislatureSecretary of State Brad RaffenspergerAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)ALECvoter-suppressionelectoral-manipulationGeorgiabig-lie+2 more
Following Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss and false claims of widespread fraud, ALEC developed new model election legislation to give Trump’s “Big Lie” systematic legislative form across states. The organization partnered with Heritage Action and the State Policy Network to …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Heritage FoundationHeritage ActionState Policy NetworkRepublican state legislatorsALECvoter-suppressionelectoral-manipulationbig-lieTrump+3 more
Throughout 2021, at least 440 bills containing voter restriction provisions were introduced across 49 states, representing the largest coordinated assault on voting rights since Jim Crow and demonstrating ALEC’s systematic model legislation deployment at unprecedented scale. The Brennan Center …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Heritage FoundationHeritage ActionRepublican state legislatorsState Policy NetworkALECvoter-suppressionelectoral-manipulationbig-lievoting-rights+3 more
The Supreme Court rules 5-4 in Rucho v. Common Cause that partisan gerrymandering claims present “political questions beyond the reach of the federal courts,” effectively eliminating federal judicial oversight of even extreme partisan redistricting. The decision gives state legislatures …
Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s office purged approximately 1.4 million voters from registration rolls between 2012-2018 using an ’exact match’ system that required perfect alignment between voter registration and DMV/Social Security records. Discrepancies as minor as a …
Brian KempStacey AbramsGeorgia Secretary of State OfficeCommon Cause GeorgiaACLU of Georgia+1 morevoter-purgesexact-matchconflict-of-interestracial-disparityvoter-registration+1 more
Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp refuses to recuse himself from overseeing the 2018 gubernatorial election despite being the Republican candidate, creating an extraordinary conflict of interest. While running against Democrat Stacey Abrams, Kemp maintains control over voter registration, ballot …
Brian KempStacey AbramsGeorgia Secretary of Stateconflict-of-interestgeorgiabrian-kempelectoral-manipulationvoter-suppression
Cambridge Analytica utilizes 87 million harvested Facebook profiles to conduct targeted psychological manipulation for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. The operation represents systematic electoral interference using illegally obtained personal data to influence American voters through …
Cambridge AnalyticaTrump CampaignAlexander NixSteve BannonRobert Mercer+1 moretrump-campaign-2016electoral-manipulationpsychographic-profilingtargeted-disinformationsystematic-interference+1 more
The Guardian’s Harry Davies published the first exposé revealing Cambridge Analytica’s use of harvested Facebook data for US Senator Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign without user consent. Millions of Americans’ personal information were collected and weaponized for political …
Harry DaviesThe GuardianCambridge AnalyticaTed CruzFacebook+1 moreguardian-investigationted-cruz-campaignunauthorized-data-useelectoral-manipulationfacebook-policy-violation+2 more
Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL) Group enters into contract with Aleksandr Kogan’s Global Science Research to acquire Facebook user data for Cambridge Analytica’s political targeting operations. This partnership transforms Kogan’s academic research into a commercial data …
SCL GroupSCL ElectionsAleksandr KoganGlobal Science ResearchCambridge Analytica+2 morescl-electionsdata-harvesting-contractelectoral-manipulationfacebook-exploitationpolitical-targeting+2 more
The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in Shelby County v. Holder struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, which required federal preclearance for voting changes in states with histories of discrimination. Chief Justice Roberts argued the formula was outdated, while Justice Ginsburg warned it …
Chief Justice John RobertsJustice Ruth Bader GinsburgTexas Attorney General Greg AbbottShelby County, AlabamaAttorney General Eric Holdervoting-rightssupreme-courtvoter-suppressioncivil-rightselectoral-manipulation+1 more
Supreme Court 5-4 decision with Thomas and Alito strikes down VRA Section 4(b), enabling voter suppression that benefits Republican donors who fund justices’ luxury lifestyles
Clarence ThomasSamuel AlitoJohn RobertsShelby County Alabamavoting-rightsjudicial-capturedemocracy-erosionracial-justiceelectoral-manipulation+1 more
Within hours of the Supreme Court’s 5-4 Shelby County v. Holder decision striking down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, ALEC-affiliated states began implementing voter suppression laws that had been previously blocked by federal preclearance requirements. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott …
Texas Attorney General Greg AbbottNorth Carolina LegislatureAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Supreme CourtALECvoter-suppressionelectoral-manipulationvoting-rightsShelby-County+2 more
In the 2012 congressional elections, North Carolina Democratic candidates receive over 50% of the statewide popular vote but win only 4 of the state’s 13 congressional seats—a stark demonstration of how the Republican-drawn maps from 2011 effectively nullify voter preferences. The results …
Democratic PartyRepublican PartyNorth Carolina General Assemblygerrymanderingelectoral-manipulationnorth-carolinaREDMAPvoter-suppression
Wisconsin Republicans pass 2011 Wisconsin Act 43, implementing extreme partisan gerrymandering through an unprecedented secret process. The redistricting plan, drawn behind closed doors at a private law firm with rank-and-file Republican legislators required to sign confidentiality agreements, …
Wisconsin LegislatureRepublican PartyMichael Best & Friedrichgerrymanderingwisconsinrepublican-partyelectoral-manipulationREDMAP+1 more
Following the 2010 Republican wave that gave the GOP control of both legislative chambers in twenty-six states, at least 34 states introduced nearly identical voter ID bills in the 2011 legislative session. The bills used ALEC’s 2009 model “Voter ID Act” template language, …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Republican state legislatorsHeritage FoundationState Policy NetworkALECvoter-suppressionelectoral-manipulationcorporate-influencestate-capture+3 more
Republicans achieve historic state legislative gains in the 2010 midterm elections, flipping a net 680 state legislative seats—breaking the previous record of 628 seats set by Democrats in the post-Watergate elections of 1974. The gains give Republicans control of redistricting in key states ahead …
Republican State Leadership CommitteeRepublican Partygerrymanderingelectoral-manipulationrepublican-partyREDMAPstate-legislatures
The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) launches REDMAP (Redistricting Majority Project), a strategic initiative to gain control of state legislatures before the 2011 redistricting cycle following the 2010 Census. The project represents an unprecedented systematic approach to gerrymandering …
Republican State Leadership CommitteeEd GillespieKarl Rovegerrymanderingelectoral-manipulationrepublican-partyredistrictingREDMAP
ALEC’s Public Safety and Elections Task Force approved the “Voter ID Act” model legislation at its July 2009 Atlanta meeting, with final Board of Directors approval on August 27, 2009. The model bill was created in direct response to Barack Obama’s 2008 election victory and …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Hans von SpakovskyHeritage FoundationALEC Public Safety and Elections Task ForceALECvoter-suppressionelectoral-manipulationcorporate-influencestate-capture+2 more
Former Secretary of State James Baker takes control of Bush’s Florida recount strategy, immediately positioning the campaign for Supreme Court intervention rather than focusing on local recounts. Baker’s decision to prioritize legal maneuvering over vote counting demonstrates coordinated …
James Baker IIIKatherine HarrisGeorge W BushMac StipanovichTed Olson+1 morebush-v-goreelectoral-manipulationjames-bakerjudicial-strategysupreme-court-capture+1 more
In June 1979, Paul Weyrich and Jerry Falwell founded the Moral Majority during a meeting at a Holiday Inn in Lynchburg, Virginia, with Weyrich coining the term “moral majority.” The organization represented a strategic alliance between corporate interests and religious conservatives, …
Paul WeyrichJerry FalwellRichard ViguerieHoward PhillipsEd McAteer+2 morereligious-rightcultural-warfarecorporate-fundinggrassroots-mobilizationnew-right+1 more