1A Remaking America: The elections theory that could disrupt democracy

WAMU 88.5 | By June Leffler

Published September 21, 2022 at 1:08 PM EDT

An election worker moves between voting booths at a polling location in Hermon, Maine.

The pandemic changed the 2020 election. Voters turned out in record numbers. Many Americans took advantage of mail-in and early voting.

But since 2020, pro-democracy groups say states have enacted 50 laws that make voting harder or undermine the process.

We discuss a case that could drastically change how federal elections are run. The U.S. Supreme Court will decide on the merit of the “independent state legislature theory,” which claims state lawmakers have the sole authority to govern federal elections without checks from governors, secretaries of state, constitutions, or courts.

We ask law experts what legal standing this theory has and what it could mean for your vote. Will this lead to more gerrymandering?

This conversation is part of our Remaking America collaboration with six public radio stations around the country. Remaking America is funded in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.