State Democracy at a Crossroads: Key Election Battles, ICE Retreats, and What’s Next After the Primaries - Democracy in the States' Weekly Roundup
Welcome to our first Wednesday edition of your Democracy in the States’ Roundup. Now that most states are fully transitioned from their legislative calendar to campaigns, we thought post-primary Wednesdays might be a good time for this update. Let us know if it works for you!
And, now for this week’s roundup, the federal vs. state fight over election infrastructure intensified this week when a judge blocked the Trump administration’s overhauled citizenship-checking database from being used to purge voters, while the administration separately moved to withhold homeland security funds from states that won’t adopt its election changes. Meanwhile, the FBI has yet to offer justification for last week’s widespread operation, involving over 100 agents searching offices and visiting the homes of employees and volunteers associated with the Ohio Organizing Collaborative. The voting-rights group has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and denounced the action as political intimidation.
Elsewhere, ICE quietly shelved detention-facility plans in several states amid local pushback, and Tuesday’s primaries in Maryland, New York, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Utah set more of the November map. We’re covering these developments and more state-level changes to election administration, redistricting, voter rolls, immigration enforcement, and the data center boom below.
Election administration and primaries
State legislatures are racing to settle election rules before the midterms, even as one state’s new law could cancel an entire election.
Election bills and ballot measures
KANSAS: ‘Coordinated effort’: Kansas Republican leaders have a plan to cancel the 2026 U.S. Senate election.
GEORGIA: Ballot QR code bill headed to governor after Georgia lawmakers scale back hand-counting requirement.
GEORGIA: Georgia lawmakers advance bill to delay voting machine changes until 2028 presidential election.
NORTH CAROLINA: Advocates say a sweeping elections bill moving through the NC House undermines voting rights.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Ayotte signs law raising cap on anonymous campaign donations.
WASHINGTON: Postal Service skips hearing with WA lawmakers on mail-in ballot rules.
OHIO: Ohio Sec. of State candidates split on mail-in voter ID bill; DeWine considering veto.
NEW JERSEY: Mixed reception for bill allowing candidates’ names to be rotated on ballot.
MASSACHUSETTS: Mass. primary election overhaul eligible for November ballot, SJC rules.
RHODE ISLAND: Party leaders, lawmakers champion Rhode Island joining Super Tuesday states.
Primary day and its aftermath
NEW YORK: Big Tech critic loses House race in New York as AI lobby flexes political power.
NEW YORK: Mamdani’s political gamble pays off as his endorsed candidates sweep their primaries.
MAINE: Pingree clinches Democratic nomination for governor after lengthy ranked-choice tally.
MAINE: Two Republican legislative primaries settled with ranked-choice run-offs.
MARYLAND: Election officials urge patience as holiday, mail-in ballots will affect count.
SOUTH CAROLINA: SC primary runoffs Tuesday will set November ballots.
SOUTH CAROLINA: GOP senator running for Congress resigns, enabling voters to replace him in November.
ALASKA: Alaska legislators probe decision to remove candidate from the ballot.
SOUTH DAKOTA: South Dakota Republican state senator charged with felony over false candidate forms.
IDAHO: Idaho PACs spent more than $4.2M on primary races.
Redistricting and gerrymandering
Georgia Republicans dropped plans to redraw the state’s congressional map as the redistricting fight shifts from new maps to defending the ones already drawn.
GEORGIA: Georgia Republican lawmakers drop plans to redistrict, citing pending legal cases.
GEORGIA: On redistricting, Georgia GOP lawmakers concluded today’s election risks outweighed future gains.
MISSOURI: Missouri secretary of state sues to close records on redistricting referendum signatures.
UTAH: After redistricting saga, Moore leads GOP primary for Utah’s second congressional district.
Voter rolls and the DOJ
With a federal judge blocking the administration’s revamped citizenship-checking database, the Justice Department and outside groups still managed to keep pushing into state voter rolls this week, from Wisconsin to Ohio.
ARIZONA: 9th Circuit freezes DOJ appeal over AZ voter rolls while it weighs similar California, Oregon cases.
MARYLAND: Federal judge tosses Justice Department lawsuit seeking Maryland voter records.
WISCONSIN: Wisconsin, outside groups urge appeals court to reject US demand for state’s voter list.
NEBRASKA: Republican National Committee sues Nebraska over state election law.
OHIO: Ohio voter rights group denies any wrongdoing while FBI stays silent on ‘swarms’ across state.
VIRGINIA: Civil rights group files motion to speed up Va.’s reform of voter registration process for ex-felons.
Immigration enforcement and detention
States and advocates continued chipping away at ICE’s detention footprint this week as families fought individual cases through the courts.
ICE pulls back on detention facilities
ARIZONA: Frustrated by inaction on ICE warehouse, activists move to dissolve Surprise, AZ altogether.
FLORIDA: ICE empties ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ amid hurricane season. Activists aren’t buying it.
FLORIDA: Florida still owes $603 million on immigration enforcement contracts.
GEORGIA: DHS appears to axe plan to construct immigration detention megacenter in small Georgia town.
MICHIGAN: ICE scraps plans for Romulus detention center, AG says.
PENNSYLVANIA: ICE plans to offload Berks County and Schuylkill County warehouses, report says.
UTAH: ICE plans to offload Salt Lake City warehouse, report says.
Detainees and due process
NEW JERSEY: Advocates say Delaney Hall detainees have ended hunger strike.
TENNESSEE: Congressman urges Gov. Bill Lee to revoke directive to report immigration status of sick kids.
MINNESOTA: Judge rules DOJ used grand jury subpoenas to coerce Minnesota officials on ICE enforcement during Metro Surge.
Data centers, utilities, and the grid
The data center boom kept colliding with ratepayer politics this week, from utility commission shakeups to local fights over where the next facility gets built.
Utility rates and regulation
INDIANA: Braun replaces chairman of the Utility Regulatory Commission days after AES rate-hike decision.
INDIANA: State regulators approve $70M increase for AES, less than utility originally sought.
LOUISIANA: Gov. Landry weighs in on Entergy’s proposed power plant purchase.
PENNSYLVANIA: Pa. House passes $1.7B tax cut on electricity, reins in utility company profits.
OHIO: Ohio proposed constitutional amendment to ban data centers will not be on this year’s ballot.
ARIZONA: Hobbs vetoes bill to fast-track small nuclear reactors at Arizona data centers.
Local fights over new builds
MONTANA: High interest in data center discussion at Public Service Commission.
MAINE: Jay data center on hold indefinitely as company backs out, despite veto of statewide ban.
MICHIGAN: Senate Democrats propose tighter regulations on data centers amid statewide backlash.
MICHIGAN: House Republican bill would allow aboveground power lines to use highway rights-of-way.
PENNSYLVANIA: Rally attendees criticize Gov. Shapiro for being ‘incredibly cozy’ with data center industry.
NEW MEXICO: New Mexico judge dismisses Project Jupiter data center lawsuit, but offers chance to re-file.
VIRGINIA: Amid statewide drought conditions, data centers face same restrictions as all water customers.
VIRGINIA: Virginia’s data center fight deepens Dem divisions and more state headlines.
WASHINGTON: Big battery farms encounter resistance across western Washington.
CALIFORNIA: This million-square-foot data center would be the biggest in the state. How local leaders are challenging it.