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  • Red/Blue Workshops try to bridge the political divide. Do they really work?

    Braver Angels stages workshops in all 50 states to encourage civil discussion and active listening between polarized Democrats and Republicans. Through conversations that ask them to consider stereotypes and "humanize the other," participants say they come away with a better understanding of their commonalities.

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  • Shiny new ballots: Record number of states eyeing ranked-choice voting

    More states and cities are adopting ranked-choice voting system, which are said to be friendlier and more inclusive. In a ranked-choice system, voters rank multiple candidates in order of preference and a winner must get over 50% of the votes. This often occurs by being a voter’s second choice, so many argue there is less political vitriol since, rather than ignoring voters committed to other candidates, politicians must appeal to them as at least their second choice. Data in the six California cities that use the system show slight increases in the number of women and people of color running for office.

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  • These rural organizers have found an answer to dog whistle politics: Multi-racial, working-class solidarity

    Organizers with Down Home North Carolina use deep canvassing, a door-knocking strategy based on active listening and in-depth, nonjudgmental conversation, to spark political discussions with voters who are often left out of the democratic process. Canvassers are trained to center issues of race and class to build solidarity across demographics and recorded high levels of support from voters in 82% of conversations surveyed between November 2021 and January 2022.

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  • Democracy Comes to Michigan

    A grassroots campaign ended gerrymandering in Michigan by passing an initiative requiring districts be drawn by citizen-commissions rather than politicians. The all-volunteer campaign went door-to-door collecting enough signatures to get the initiative on the ballot and used creative voter-engagement techniques to sustain the support. Once the ballot initiative passed, 9,300 people applied for the first commission. A third-party firm ultimately selected four Democrats, four Republicans, and five non-partisan people as commissioners, who worked together very well to redraw districts.

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  • Good Talk

    The University of Pennsylvania created a Civil Dialogue Seminar to teach students how to communicate across political divides. The seminar, which is part of a growing civil dialogue movement taking place among Gen Z, includes social psychology curriculum to help students navigate difficult conversations with people they disagree with. Students participate in the Red and Blue Exchange, small group conversations about controversial topics, where they practice having conversations about issues that elicit strong responses. Students also investigate their own emotional responses with weekly journal reflections.

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  • The Stop Asian Hate movement is at a crossroads

    The Stop AAPI Hate movement has increased the public’s awareness of the increase in hate crimes and prejudice as a result of COVID-19. The movement collects incident reports and uses the data to advocate for change. In addition to increasing awareness by ensuring that hate crimes did not go unnoticed, more people have participated in protests and become engaged with organizations working to stop anti-Asian racism. The movement has also fueled some policy wins, such as Congress’ approval of the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act.

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  • How progressives are winning over the rural voters Democrats abandoned

    Pennsylvania Stands Up has effectively built support for progressive causes in rural areas using deep canvassing techniques, which emphasize active listening and asking non-judgemental questions instead of political sloganeering.

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  • Despite Hurdles, Automatic Voter Registration Law Adds to Voter Rolls

    Illinois’ 2018 automatic voter registration law resulted in 111,000 additional voter registration applications. Under the automatic system, eligible voters are automatically registered to vote with their most up-to-date address and information every time they interact with state agencies, like the DMV. Each time there is a new interaction with a state agency, voter rolls are updated and individuals who don’t want to be registered can proactively opt-out.

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  • California offers graduation honor to encourage active civic engagement

    The State Seal of Civic Engagement, which is affixed to high school diplomas, recognizes student civic participation. The program is intended to increase civic participation among youth and strengthen civics curriculum by making the learning more active instead of passive. Criteria for what qualifies for the seal varies and is meant to be inclusive and accessible. It ranges from high-level demonstrated knowledge in civics courses to participation in actual civic engagement projects. Several districts have partnered with a nonprofit that supplies “action civics” curriculum and teacher training.

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  • The Town That QAnon Nearly Swallowed

    The Sequim Good Governance League (SGGL) formed in response to right-wing agitators taking over positions of power and spreading misinformation. SGGL recruited progressive and moderately conservative candidates who successfully defeated incumbents with the help of dozens of volunteers they trained. Volunteers worked around the clock, sent out emails, put up signs around the town, and used their most effective tool: having one-on-one conversations with other residents. SGGL-backed candidates now hold the majority of government offices.

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