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How a new way to vote is gaining traction in states — and could transform US politics

Zachary Roth

December 28, 2023 |

Stateline |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Alaska

Some states are combining ranked choice voting, which asks voters to rank candidates by order of preference, with Final Five primaries where multiple candidates advance to the general election, rather than one candidate from each major party. After implementing both reforms, Alaska saw more women run for office than in the five previous elections, and an analysis of the system found it improved representation by giving voters more choice and encouraging candidates to appeal to a wider demographic.

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Kentucky Activists Step In to Deliver on the Promise of Voting Rights Restoration

Alex Burness

October 12, 2023 |

Bolts |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Kentucky

After Kentucky reinstated voting rights for people convicted of nonviolent crimes who have finished their sentence, a coalition of activists and nonprofit organizations started using public records, social media, door-to-door canvassing, and other outreach methods to inform formerly incarcerated people of their rights. The effort has helped register more than 89,000 people since 2019, though advocates say the state itself could be doing much more to reach newly-enfranchised voters.

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Incarcerated people partner with state officials to encourage voter turnout in prisons

Evan Popp

September 25, 2023 |

Maine Morning Star |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Maine

In Maine, one of only two states where people in prison retain their right to vote, the Maine State Prison branch of the NAACP engages incarcerated voters through flyers, posters, guest speakers, and group discussions about political issues. Over the past two decades, the organization has helped more than 1,000 people register to vote in Maine prisons.

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Delivering Addresses (and Access) to the Navajo Nation

Peter Yeung

August 25, 2023 |

Yes! Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Navajo Mountain, Utah

The Rural Utah Project is working to connect rural, off-the-grid residents in Navajo Mountain with fundamental services like mail, emergency medical care and voter access that they were often denied due to lacking a formally recognized address. Google’s Plus Code tool is allowing simple 10-digit codes to be generated anywhere in the world and instantly located on Google Maps. The codes can easily be looked up and doubles as a formal address in most cases.

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‘We Have a Right to Put It on the Ballot': How Organizers Are Defending Direct Democracy

Daniel Nichanian

August 16, 2023 |

Bolts |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Ohio

Organizations in politically divided states like Arkansas, Idaho and Ohio are hard at work to protect direct democracy through community organizing and education. These groups have rallied to pass measures like minimum wage increases, medical marijuana and have even organized voters to fail ballot measures like Ohio’s recent Issue 1.

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Cook County Jail Detainees Are Voting, But Getting Informed On The Candidates Can Be Tough

Trey Arline

March 17, 2023 |

Block Club Chicago |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Since instituting in-person voting and bringing in volunteers and advocacy organizations to help with registration, Chicago's Cook County Jail has seen the number of ballots cast by people incarcerated there increase. Turnout in the jail was 25 percent for the February 2023 municipal election, which surpassed the citywide turnout rate of 20 percent.

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Efforts to Expand Ballot Access in Washington State Jails Face Local Pushback

Khawla Nakua

January 23, 2023 |

Bolts |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

Washington lawmakers allocated $2.5 million in grant funding to help jails improve voting access for people incarcerated there, which resulted in a big spike in ballots cast in one facility that participated. But only five counties applied for the grant program, and jail officials interested in participating have faced opposition from political representatives in some areas.

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ND Tribal Advocates Highlight Efforts of Poll Watchers in Midterms

Mike Moen

November 14, 2022 |

Public News Service |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, North Dakota

Organizations such as North Dakota Native Vote stationed trained poll watchers at election sites across the state during the midterms to help assist Indigenous voters being improperly turned away. According to North Dakota Native Vote, the organization recorded only one instance of a voter not returning to complete the process after encountering issues at the polls.

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How this Texas election official is winning voters' trust

Natalia Contreras

November 14, 2022 |

Votebeat |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Forth Worth, Texas

In an effort to minimize disruptions from impassioned poll watchers, one Texas county enhanced transparency by offering tours of the elections office, installing large TV screens to broadcast the tabulation process, publicly posting often-requested information online, and hosting workshops to walk residents through every step of election procedures. The county has been praised for its approach and the 2022 midterm election went off without any outbursts from voting activists.

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Non-Citizen Immigrants On Voting In Takoma Park

Héctor Alejandro Arzate

November 09, 2022 |

DCist |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Takoma Park, Maryland

Non-citizen residents of Takoma Park, Maryland have been able to vote in municipal elections since 1993, and 16- and 17-year-olds there have had access to the ballot since 2013. Residents of the city, where roughly 30% of the population was born outside of the United States, say participating in city elections makes them feel more welcome in the community and helps them get invested in local issues.

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