American Oversight in 2024: Tracking Threats to Democracy, Exposing Anti-Democratic Influences, and Protecting the Public’s Right to Information

The past year has been a tumultuous one for our democracy, and significant challenges lie ahead. As American Oversight prepares to combat the corruption and abuses of power that President-elect Trump has promised, we’re taking a look back at 2024 and some of the biggest stories from our work building an informed public and a strengthened democracy.

Attacks on Democratic Institutions

The 2024 Anti-Democracy Playbook

We mapped out the vast network of national voter suppression efforts in our 2024 Anti-Democracy Playbook, which analyzed eight tactics used by anti-democracy activists and political leaders in states across the country to suppress votes and sow chaos and confusion about voting processes ahead of the election. These include:

• Mass voter-registration challenges: Activists flooded election offices with challenges, disrupting administration procedures and adding to mistrust. This was enabled by a misinformation campaign to dismantle the Electronic Registration Information Center, the nonpartisan organization designed to ensure accurate voter rolls. We obtained  recordings of meetings of the Election Integrity Network, a prominent election denial group, in which members commented on the deficiencies of EagleAI, a supposed ERIC replacement.
• Politically motivated litigation: Conservative groups leveraged lawsuits to question the integrity of election laws and practices, consuming court resources and creating a narrative of widespread flaws​. 
• Anti-immigrant conspiracy theories: False and xenophobic claims about noncitizens voting illegally have proliferated, using harmful rhetoric that can chill voter turnout and even lead to violence.
• Voter intimidation: Election denial activists mobilized poll watchers and used surveillance tactics around ballot drop boxes. 
• Partisan election administration: Several states have shifted election oversight to partisan officials or bodies, fostering an environment in which election results are questioned based on political motivations​. 
• Certification delays: Anti-democracy proponents pushed for delays in election certification, citing minor discrepancies as grounds for extensive investigation and creating more chaos and uncertainty​. 
• Hand counts: Advocates of hand counts falsely argue that electronic voting machines are unreliable, pushing for manual ballot counting which is more costly, prone to error, and time-intensive​. 
• State voter fraud investigations: Some states have established offices dedicated to chasing nonexistent evidence of widespread voter fraud, intimidating eligible voters and reinforcing unfounded narratives about election fraud​. 

The resource contains thousands of pages of public records we obtained, and has been continually updated. 

American Oversight’s Threats to Democracy Tracker

This year, American Oversight launched its Threats to Democracy Tracker, a comprehensive, interactive resource that maps out and spotlight the actions of election deniers, election subverters, and partisan actors across the country who promoted the 2020 “Big Lie” or continue to work to undermine U.S. democracy.

Bringing Scrutiny to the Partisan Wing of the Georgia State Election Board

In the months leading up to the 2024 election, the Georgia State Election Board’s far-right, Trump-aligned majority — whom Trump referred to as his “pit bulls” — drew scrutiny for its efforts to undermine trust in the vote and avoid accountability. In July, the three members of that majority held a meeting in violation of Georgia’s Open Meetings Act, during which they tried to advance controversial new rules. After we sued, the board withdrew its problematic rules, later reintroducing them during a properly noticed meeting — but one held less than three months before the election. 

After filing records requests for SEB members’ communication records, including any related to EagleAI, we learned that two of the ultraconservative members had systematically obstructed requests by using private email accounts for business and refusing to adequately search for or produce records. We filed an Open Records Act lawsuit against SEB and one of its members, Janice Johnston, in October. At the same time, we sent a formal letter to the Georgia inspector general, attorney general, and other state officials urging an investigation into the SEB’s violations of the law. We also sent records preservation notices to state and local election officials in Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin reminding them of their legal obligation to retain all election-related documents, including communications on personal devices or accounts.

Shining a Light on Conservative Efforts to Sabotage Direct Democracy

In the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, people across the country gathered signatures in support of ballot initiatives that would ensure access to abortion in their states. In response, state legislators, conservative officials, and anti-abortion rights groups took aim at these citizen-led democratic actions. We launched an investigation into efforts to undermine direct democracy and sabotage ballot measures. 

Going Behind the Scenes of Conservative Attacks on Public Education

American Oversight’s investigation of the anti-democratic forces attacking public education has unearthed several batches of important public records, including communications — reported on by the New York Times Magazine — that shed light on Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ efforts to enshrine religion in public school curriculum. We’ve filed several requests for Walters’ communications related to curriculum reviews and with far-right groups or other state education agencies, and in August sent a letter to the Oklahoma State Department of Education demanding their release. 

Our investigations have revealed the extent of the far-right influences in other states. According to records we obtained, the Virginia Department of Education proposed dozens of revisions to the state’s African American history curriculum — including recommendations to remove references to racism and white supremacy. Records we obtained from North Carolina show significant confusion among teachers after the state passed a law that bars “instruction on gender identity, sexual activity, or sexuality” in younger grades.

Maryland Board of Elections Passes Bylaw in Response to American Oversight’s Findings and Public Reporting

Records we obtained from the Maryland State Board of Elections showed that two members were communicating and coordinating with a far-right election denial group called United Sovereign Americans, which was suing the board. After the Baltimore Banner reported on the records, the board passed a bylaw prohibiting members from communicating with litigants.

Threats to Civil Rights and Liberties

Spotlighting the Dangers of Excessive Heat in Prisons

According to documents we obtained, reported on by NPR this spring, people in Texas state prisons submitted more than 4,200 complaints made over just five months of 2023. The issue of excessive heat in prisons that lack air conditioning has drawn increased attention as climate change threatens the South with more extreme weather, including in Florida. But in response to our request to the Florida Department of Corrections for heat complaints, the department sent us just two complaints.

Groundbreaking Report on Preventable Deaths in ICE Detention

In June, we published a report with the American Civil Liberties Union and Physicians for Human Rights that revealed 95 percent of immigrant deaths in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities could likely have been prevented with adequate medical care. “Deadly Failures: Preventable Deaths in U.S. Immigration Detention,” one of the most comprehensive studies published to date on deaths in immigration detention, cites more than 14,000 pages of documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, state public record act requests, and civil litigation that reveal a wide array of harmful and egregious practices in ICE detention facilities.

The report generated significant media coverage and spurred Sen. Dick Durbin to launch an investigation of medical and mental health care for people in ICE custody. In fighting for the release of ICE records, American Oversight encountered significant delays and obstruction. The report also included key recommendations for ICE to make improvements to transparency practices. “The documents underpinning this report can’t undo the harm caused by ICE’s failures, but they can provide something invaluable: accountability,” American Oversight’s Executive Director Chioma Chukwu said. “That’s why American Oversight fought to shine a light on these records — to provide answers to deserving loved ones and to ensure those responsible for preventable tragedies are made to answer.”

Abuses of Power

Matt Gaetz Withdraws from AG Consideration Following American Oversight Lawsuit

Trump’s announcement that he would nominate Matt Gaetz to lead the U.S. Justice Department drew considerable backlash, including because of a host of troubling allegations about his conduct. In November, we sued for records from the federal FBI investigation of Gaetz for serious criminal allegations, including sex trafficking of a minor. Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration shortly thereafter.

Fighting for the Rule of Law and the Ability to Hold Presidents Accountable

Last December, we filed an amicus brief in Trump’s appeal of an earlier ruling that he was not immune from prosecution in his federal election interference case. Our brief, which presented a compelling argument that the appeals court did not have jurisdiction to hear the appeal, was cited in oral arguments in January. In February, the court agreed that Trump did not have immunity from criminal prosecution.

In June, however, the Supreme Court partially agreed with Trump’s claims, effectively granting him immunity by further delaying the case. “Our democracy depends on an informed electorate,” American Oversight’s Chukwu said in response, and the decision “deprives the public of critical information by preventing this case from immediately proceeding to trial — and ensuring that Trump didn’t have to face trial before the election.” 

Holding Michael Gableman Accountable

In November, the Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation filed a disciplinary complaint against Michael Gableman, the former state Supreme Court justice who led the Wisconsin Assembly’s partisan and baseless inquiry into the results of the 2020 presidential election. The complaint outlines Gableman’s conduct and his failures to comply with state public records laws, as revealed through American Oversight’s litigation.

Exposing the Far-Right Constitutional Sheriffs Movement

We continued to investigate the far-right constitutional sheriffs movement — fueled by the fringe theory that sheriffs have more law enforcement power in their home counties than any other government body or individual — and its followers’ close connections with prominent election deniers. In addition to our litigation against the office of Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, we also continued to uncover records from Sheriff Dar Leaf in Michigan, who frequently communicated with anti-democracy activists. “Nothing is more dangerous to our democracy than a movement based on election lies promoted by radical law enforcement officials who falsely believe they are the ultimate authority, including on matters of election administration,” American Oversight’s Chukwu told the Guardian in April. 

Email Detailing Project 2025 Recruitment

Records we obtained, highlighted during a House Oversight Committee hearing in September, shed light on Project 2025’s recruitment methods, included an email in which a Heritage Foundation representative suggested that contributors to the effort could be recommended for political appointments in a second Trump administration.

Erosion of Government Transparency

Fighting in Court to Affirm the Public’s Right to Government Records

In 2024, American Oversight took legal action in states across the country where officials were undermining access to public records. 

• We sued Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ office for its pattern or practice of unlawful delay in releasing public records, after several requests seeking its communications and calendars went unanswered. 
• In May, we sued Pinal County, Ariz., and Sheriff Mark Lamb for failing to properly respond to multiple requests; in December, we reached a settlement, having revealed the sheriff’s office’s failures in responding to records requests, including the office’s admission in court filings that it had not begun searching for requested communications until after we sued.
• Our lawsuit against Arizona’s Cochise County and two supervisors who had delayed the 2022 election certification forced the release of public records related to election administration and election denial efforts, including hundreds of communications that had been deleted.
• In a victory for transparency in October, a federal judge ordered the release of the Army’s report regarding Trump’s August visit to Arlington National Cemetery, where an incident reportedly occurred involving members of Trump’s campaign and cemetery staff. The document released to American Oversight and reported on widely was heavily redacted, with the claimed exemptions effectively confirming the existence of an open law enforcement investigation.
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton continue fighting to withhold records we sued for more than two years ago, including communications with pro-gun advocacy groups and communications from the days surrounding the Jan. 6 insurrection, when Paxton spoke at the “Stop the Steal” rally. The latest delay, reported on by the Houston Chronicle in November, comes from the governor and attorney general’s dangerous argument that not even the state Supreme Court can ensure the governor’s compliance with the Texas Public Information Act.
• In May, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of American Oversight in our lawsuit — filed back in 2017 — seeking communications between Trump administration officials and members of Congress or staff about efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The ruling made clear that government agencies cannot use the “consultant corollary” doctrine to evade public disclosure when the supposed consultants have their own interests in the outcome of agency decisions. But despite the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Management and Budget agreeing that the remaining records are agency records subject to FOIA, the House Committee on Ways and Means continues to prolong the case.

Working with Partners to Safeguard Our Democracy

At American Oversight, we’re experts at prying loose public records that officials often want to keep hidden. This year alone, we obtained nearly 2,000 sets of documents from agencies across the country, providing the public with tens of thousands of pages of government records. We’re proud to work with other pro-democracy and civil rights agencies, whether it’s teaming up with them in important coalitions, joining partners in key litigation, or providing trainings or assistance with requests. This year, we worked with more than 120 partner organizations on issues like immigration, policing, democracy protection, voting rights, and many others.