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There's a nationwide shortage of poll workers. Cities are relying on teens for help

Rory Linnane

January 23, 2020 |

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Many cities are turning to 16- and 17-year-olds to address poll worker shortages. Election officials say the students are also more tech savvy, racially and ethnically diverse, and enthusiastic. 400 students in Minneapolis, which has the highest turnout in midterm elections, made up 16% of all poll workers and were at 131 of its 132 polling places. Milwaukee has had less success recruiting students. In 2016, the last year they reported this data, students made up just 1% of poll workers. Structural barriers caused by high poverty rates and much lower compensation than other cities likely limit success.

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A Vision for a Just recovery - La Marana's work Post Hurricane Maria

Ambika Samarthya-Howard

January 20, 2020 |

New Haven Independent |

Video |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Puerto Rico

La Maraña, a nonprofit in Puerto Rico, created a model for how communities could recover from disasters like the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017. By including community voices in the design and planning process of recovery projects — which can focus on water, food, energy, roads, communication, or security — the organization hopes the projects are more likely to succeed and promote longterm community civic engagement.

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Ranked Choice Voting Gains Traction For 2020

Lynsi Burton

January 10, 2020 |

Yes! Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United Arab Emirates, Maine

Already adopted in eighteen cities and five states, ranked choice voting, a system where voters rank candidates running in an election from their first to last choice, is growing in popularity across the United States. Those states and municipalities that have ranked choice voting claim that this system is fairer and more democratic and the electorate is more satisfied as a result.

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Minneapolis Activists Ask Local Leaders to Invest in Communities, Not Cops

Isabella Garcia

January 09, 2020 |

Yes! Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

In Minneapolis, Minnesota, a coalition of organizers and community members called Reclaim the Block advocates for divestment from the city's police force and into more community-based initiatives and services. Advocates for the group argue that rather than solving issues like homelessness, opioid addiction, and mental health crises, policing can actually make the situation worse off. The broad coalition successfully petitioned the city to move funds out of the police force and into the newly created Office of Violence Prevention.

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'Scary Moms' Are Part Of The Citizen War Against Pollution In Pakistan

Diaa Hadid

January 06, 2020 |

NPR |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Pakistan, Lahore

In cities across Pakistan, smog and air pollution are dire health threats but the country's government hasn't done enough to take it seriously - so citizens are pushing back. Initiatives to crowd source air quality data and a push from local mothers to encourage parents to use school buses for their children to lower transportation emission is raising awareness and producing results.

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'You Are Killing Us? We Will Make You a Joke.' Meet Ahmed Albasheer.

Tina Rosenberg

December 26, 2019 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Haven, Connecticut

Ahmed Albasheer is an Iraqi journalist who uses a combination of humor and grassroots organizing to teach youth in Iraq and across the world about their government's corruption with his show, "The Albasheer Show.” He has been compared to Jon Stewart in how his weekly series airing on YouTube and satellite television engages young people through his comedic timing and straight-forward manner of speaking. As a result, protests have erupted, and the government has killed protesters in response, but Albasheer continues to boost morale and amplify their voices in solidarity.

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Wisconsin once had a 'model' voting rights program for people with disabilities. Officials have let it decline.

Rory Linnane

December 23, 2019 |

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Wisconsin's program to make voting and polling locations accessible for people with disabilities once garnered national attention, though it has since fallen behind where it used to be. The program called for an audit of voting locations every two years, and follow up action plans for inaccessible locations.

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Explaining 'Citizens Assemblies', a Real Kind of Democracy

Julia Hotz

December 18, 2019 |

Vice |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Leeds

In the city of Leeds, England, a group of randomly selected demographically representative citizens came together to solve the climate crisis. This group of twenty-one strangers formed the Leeds Climate Citizens' Jury, which is a smaller version of the better-known Citizen's Assembly. Over the course of several weeks, the members of the assembly or jury learn about and discuss how to tackle a certain political problem, like climate change. Similar assemblies have formed in Ireland, Australia, and Poland to tackle political problems like abortion and nuclear storage.

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Translators help Korean American voters in Harris County find their electoral voice

Alexa Ura

November 26, 2019 |

The Texas Tribune |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

Even in multicultural and diverse Harris County, Texas, with a population greater than 26 states and over 145 languages spoken, some groups, like Korean Americans, are marginalized when it comes to voting and civic participation due to language and other cultural barriers. Houston resident is fighting this marginalization by organizing Korean American Early Voting Day, which provides Korean-speaking Texans with translated voter guides and other translation services.

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When Residents Support Solar—Just ‘Not in My Backyard'

Linda Poon

November 20, 2019 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Fredericksburg, Virginia

Solar power panels are broadly supported across America, as concern about climate change increases; however, not all supporters want solar power plants in their backyard. Now, companies and local governments work to install these renewable energy sources while informing neighbors and stakeholders of the benefits of these plants.

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