Solutions Journalism Network

Read More

Read More

Read More

Read More

Read More

Read More

Read More

Read More

Read More

Read More

Read More

Read More

A sanitation strike in Memphis in 1968 led to wage increases and union protections for sanitation workers and also played a role in significant shifts in the local political landscape. The strike and others like it have inspired a long line of similar efforts, including an ongoing sanitation strike protesting French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to raise the country's retirement age.

A light pollution mitigation pledge in Philadephia called Lights Out Philly asks building managers to agree to turn off their lights late at night during bird migration periods to decrease bird collisions with windows.

Michigan is among the states that participate in the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, a program that cross references voter registration and Social Security death data across state lines to help local officials identify and address duplicate registrations. Over the past four years, the state has canceled the registrations of more than 400,000 voters who died and more than 170,000 whose residency changed.

To end prison gerrymandering, the city council in Wilmington, Delaware, counted people who are incarcerated in the local prison at their last address in the city for the 2020 Census. People who are incarcerated there but did not live in Wilmington were not counted.

Morena New York Committee 1 offers programs and events that aim to engage members of the Mexican Diaspora living in the United States and encourage them to participate in Mexican elections. The organization recently mounted three processions in New York City to demonstrate support for the country's sitting president.

An elective course at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island allows students to research and propose improvement projects for their school, which are then voted on and implemented using earmarked funding for the program. The participatory budgeting process has helped revamp the school cafeteria, upgrade the library furniture, replace outdated bathroom mirrors, and more.

Seattle's democracy voucher program, which gives residents $25 vouchers to donate to local candidates of their choice, has resulted in a more diverse donor pool and a big jump in the number of candidates running for local office. But the city has also seen an increase in "outside" spending from groups working on behalf of candidates since the program was implemented.

Barred Business campaigns for improved laws against discrimination in the city and connects residents of Atlanta, Georgia, who were formerly incarcerated with services, funding, and housing.

Seattle's democracy voucher program allows residents to donate to political candidates of their choice using public funding, which has greatly diversified local races and made them more competitive. Now, governments in New Hampshire and Minnesota are considering implementing statewide versions of the program.

Human Development Initiatives trains community members to monitor school infrastructure projects eligible for government education funding and gather information to present to the state board when projects are not completed. As a result of the community tracking efforts, several schools have received significant upgrades.

After enduring unfair working conditions, an organizing committee at a Starbucks in Tennessee, later dubbed the Memphis Seven, became the first of the state to attempt, and succeed, to unionize with help from Starbucks Workers United. Their work inspired a nationwide movement, and now over 250 Starbucks are unionized.

Philadelphia’s Chinatown remains authentic and keeps its position downtown by organizing together to preserve the community through activism.

New York City's Civic Engagement Commission has run two pilot projects implementing participatory budgeting, a process in which local residents help decide how local funding should be allocated. The latest pilot project allocated $1.3 million to 33 projects in "priority" neighborhoods, including youth sports programs and culturally-based mental health workshops.

Ahead of a vote on a ballot measure that would have ensured that no right to abortion could ever be added to Kentucky's constitution, pro-choice activists connected with voters via protests and door-knocking campaigns. Their efforts focused on registering new voters and exploring the nuances of reproductive health care, and the amendment was successfully defeated by a margin of nearly 5 percentage points.

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense was founded following the Sandy Hook shooting to advocate for gun safety reforms. Thanks in part to the group's support and training, roughly half of Moms Demand Action volunteers who ran for office in the most recent election cycle won their races, including several who flipped seats previously held by Republicans.

Ahead of Georgia's runoff election, organizations such as Georgia Youth Justice Coalition and Voters of Tomorrow pushed their outreach with Gen Z voters into high gear through text messages, phone calls, in-person conversations, and campaigns to get early voting centers on college campuses. Their efforts helped members of Gen Z outperform voters ages 25 to 40 in early and absentee voting during the runoff election.

To combat mis- and disinformation, Nigerian startup FactCheck Elections monitors voting results and verifies claims made during political debates and then distributes vetted information via articles, infographics, visual media, and social media. The organization has published more than 100 fact-checks so far.

Ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank their preference of candidates rather than choosing just one, was rolled out in Alaska this year, and exit polling showed that roughly 85 percent of voters found the system "simple" to use. The voting method has now been adopted in 62 jurisdictions across the U.S.

To reach young voters more effectively, a company called Social Currant matched voter advocacy organizations such as NextGen America and Community Change Action with social media creators. The creators' posts about voting and civic engagement reached roughly 13 million people on TikTok and Instagram.

Indonesian domestic workers in Malaysia are leveraging Facebook groups to raise awareness around poor working conditions, empower migrant workers to understand their labor rights, and provide a source of community and connection for employees who are often isolated and in need of support.

The Harbor School, a public high school located on Governors Island, prepares students to work in maritime fields and exposes them to public service careers such as the Coast Guard. They get the opportunity to do hands-on work in the community, including through a project to study the health of New York Harbor and a program that aims to re-establish the harbor's oyster population.

To bolster the security of the 2022 midterm election, officials released frequent alerts and updates about disinformation, cyber threats, and potential physical threats to election workers. A special task force investigated threats against election officials and brought forward four federal cases and several state prosecutions related to the incidents.

After Republican organizations and campaigns in Pennsylvania put renewed effort and resources into registering Amish voters, turnout among Amish communities reached record numbers in the 2020 election. Organizers used "high-touch" outreach including phone calls, door-knocking, and face-to-face mobilization.

To boost turnout in local elections that often see low participation, cities such as Berkeley, Calif. and Ann Arbor, Mich. have shifted their election cycles to match up with higher-profile presidential contests. Researchers found that moving municipal elections to sync up with presidential elections boosts turnout by an average of 29 percent, and at least 11 communities approved similar measures this year to make the switch to even-year elections.

Union’s auxiliary members and miners’ wives work to support the miners on strike from Warrior Met Coal in Alabama by running a strike pantry, collecting donations, and planning strike activities and marches. In some cases, wives agreed to be arrested in the name of the cause. The bonds they’ve formed throughout the process are what keep them going.