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  • As last of Georgia ballots are counted, a look at how voter turnout hit record high

    November 05, 2020 |

    The GroundTruth Project |

    Multi-Media |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, Georgia

    A massive, though unofficial, multi-issue coalition made up of voter advocacy, legal, and other social justice groups, increased participation in Georgia’s elections. The groups conducted voter outreach year-round and ran ads, social media campaigns, and sent direct mail to educate voters about their rights and promote civic engagement. They also focused on systemic changes, such as pressuring the state to replace old voting machines and challenging “exact match” signature laws. Their work decreased voter suppression and the disenfranchisement of communities traditionally overlooked in the political process.

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  • On Election Day, Facebook and Twitter Did Better by Making Their Products Worse

    November 05, 2020 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States

    Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites defended against election-related disinformation campaigns by quickly identifying and removing fake accounts and putting labels and warnings on posts that made false claims of voter fraud and premature claims of victory. Instead of frictionless usability, they slowed or shut down core parts of their products such as limiting political ads, tweaking recommendation algorithms, and/or preventing sharing and comments on questionable posts. Threats will continue in the weeks ahead, but the companies have prevented widespread disinformation campaigns so far.

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  • Electronic ballots are effective, fast and used all over the world — so why aren't used in the U.S.?

    November 04, 2020 |

    Poynter |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: Brazil

    Electronic voting, used in 25 countries, has proven safe and efficient. In Brazil, with about 150 million voters, the 2018 presidential results were announced just over two hours after polls closed. Election officials test the system regularly, which even the machine manufacturers are not allowed to do, and hacking the machines is almost impossible because of at least 30 digital barriers to overcome. The machines are not connected to the internet, which means a hacker would have to physically possess the machine to breach it. Electronic receipts for each ballot also allow for an easy recount if needed.

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  • 2020 is a curveball for civics. How Chicago classrooms are responding

    November 04, 2020 |

    Chalkbeat Chicago |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

    Chicago-area high school teachers are approaching the mental-toll of election cycles on their students by rethinking curricula. Some teachers are approaching election anxiety by hosting empathetic dialogues by addressing students' anxieties and exploring their individual powers. Students also completed lessons that required them to have conversations with the adults in their lives regarding general voting information. Other educators are placing emphasis on exploring media literacy and understanding online propaganda with students.

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  • Los Angeles voters just delivered a huge win for the defund the police movement

    November 04, 2020 |

    Vox |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

    By framing their police-reform proposal as an investment in community services rather than a bid to take money away from policing, the Re-Imagine L.A. County coalition of racial and criminal justice advocacy groups won voter approval for what could be the most significant realignment of public safety spending since the 2020 policing protests began. Los Angeles County voters approved Measure J, which mandates that the county allocate 10% of its $8.8 billion discretionary local budget to "direct community investment," and not to law enforcement. The Sheriff's Department accounts for $2 billion of that budget.

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  • Social Media Companies Survived Election Day. More Tests Loom.

    November 04, 2020 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States

    Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube implemented pre-planned measures that limited the ability to use their sites to spread election-day disinformation. Twitter quickly added warning labels to election day tweets from political figures, including the president, that falsely claimed vote fraud or victory. Sharing and commenting on the tweets was also limited. Facebook also labeled disinformation posts but did not prevent commenting, liking, or sharing them. Some election-related videos on YouTube were removed for spreading disinformation, violating the company’s policy prohibiting deceptive practices and scams.

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  • How to Combat Disinformation Targeting Black Communities

    November 03, 2020 |

    Yes! Magazine |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States

    Several groups are working to counter disinformation aimed at the Black community by spreading accurate information and elevating local voices as trusted messengers. Organizations have disseminated accurate information via social media, used hackathons and video game launches to get Black and other youth of color interested in voting, provided shareable content to progressive organizations, and created a guide to help people identify fake accounts and bots. Nonprofit First Draft also provides a two-week disinformation training course in English and Spanish with daily lessons sent by text.

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  • Take Me Out To The Ballot Box

    November 03, 2020 |

    FiveThirtyEight |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States

    The coronavirus made cramped or high-risk polling locations untenable so at least 39 sports arenas have opened up their facilities for voting. Their expansive size allows them to welcome large numbers of voters while maintaining social distancing protocols. Many are outdoors, which lowers the risk of transmitting the virus even further. Prompted by calls from athletes, arena owners’ site the summer’s racial-justice demonstrations as inspiration for supplying the spaces since voting is a key way to create definitive changes. Voters were thrilled to cast their ballots in a sports arena.

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  • Inside Democrats' efforts to fight election security threats

    November 02, 2020 |

    Politico |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States

    The Democratic National Committee (DNC) built up its digital defenses, successfully protecting the 2018 midterm election from the cyber-hacking that occurred in 2016. The DNC now trains staff to spot cyber threats, conducts simulated phishing campaigns to test employees’ vigilance, and security staffers regularly meet with their House and Senate campaign counterparts to offer their security expertise. The DNC also requires protections, such as two-factor authentication, which requires a temporary code in addition to a user’s password and conducts regular “spot checks” of Democrats’ cybersecurity practices.

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  • Could Ranked Choice Voting Work in D.C.?

    November 02, 2020 |

    Washington City Paper |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

    In ranked choice voting voters rank all candidates in order of preference so that if no candidate wins a majority, a second round of counting eliminates candidates with the fewest votes and allots voters’ second choices towards the top vote getters. The process repeats until a candidate wins a majority. Since candidates benefit from being a voter’s second choice, they have an incentive to reach out to and appeal to a broader range of voters. Maine and Takoma Park, DC are models of its effective, and DC is considering a broader implementation. Some local Virginia districts will use ranked choice in 2021.

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