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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 |

Text |

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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The Way America Votes Is Broken. In One Rural County, a Nonprofit Showed a Way Forward.

Jessica Huseman

November 12, 2019 |

ProPublica |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Ackerman, Mississippi

In Mississippi, a recent election went off without a hitch thanks to new voting machines built by nonprofit VotingWorks. The machines, which were not approved by federal or state regulators, were easy to use, set up, and take down, and improved security of votes.

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Water Warriors

Michael Premo Rachel Falcone

November 04, 2019 |

PBS POV |

Documentary |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Canada, New Brunswick

After an energy company began exploring New Bruncwick territory for oil and natural gas, Indigenous tribes and white people worked together to protect their water and ban fracking. They held protests at government buildings and set up road blocks to prevent equipment trucks from getting out. Some of the protests included violent clashes with police, which made national news and drew more supporters. As a result of their actions, the government put a moratorium on fracking in the Canadian province.

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How More Than 50 Women Walked Out of a Prison in Oklahoma

Cary Aspinwall

November 04, 2019 |

The Marshall Project |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Taft, Oklahoma

More than 500 people in Oklahoma had their drug possession felony sentences commuted after voters approved an initiative that changed some drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. The commutation led to a mass release of prisoners, something that took collaboration between social service groups to make sure those leaving had housing, job support, and other essentials.

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Let's nix Columbus Day and make Election Day a paid holiday instead

Roxanne Patel Shepelavy

October 14, 2019 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Sandusky, Ohio

Sandusky, Ohio, recently got rid of Columbus Day in favor of a holiday on Election Day, following the lead of several countries around the world such as South Africa, Germany, and India. Sandusky's swapping of Columbus Day for Election Day is largely symbolic, but symbols can be powerful, especially for small towns.

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Can 'deliberative polling' solve political polarization?

Fareed Zakaria

October 13, 2019 |

CNN |

Broadcast TV Programs |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Dallas, Texas

While many politicians use political polarization to their advantage, communities across the world are finding that talking through the divide can actually have an impact on how someone votes. Polls conducted before and after community dialogue sessions show that perspectives of many of those participating changed, and in Ireland, many think this strategy is what resulted in the legalization of abortion.

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City Campaign Finance System Charts Path—and Highlights Challenges—for State Reform

Kate Pastor

October 09, 2019 |

City Limits |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

New York City's campaign finance system has offered a blueprint for a similar statewide system. Since it was implemented, the city's campaign finance program, which awards public funds up to a certain limit to candidates, has helped grassroots candidates launch competitive campaigns against entrenched, deep-pocketed opponents.

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Jewish and Arab women unite to defy Bedouin voter suppression in Israeli election

Eetta Prince-Gibson

September 18, 2019 |

Public Radio International (PRI) |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Israel

Jewish and Arab organizers arranged for volunteers to bring Bedouin women in remote villages to their polling place to vote in parliamentary elections. Bedouin villages on tribal lands don’t have polling places, so dozens of women volunteers used their own cars (due to a last-minute ruling making it hard for organized groups to bus voters) to bring hundreds of Bedouin women to distant polling stations. Many of the women would not have voted without the help of the volunteers, who contributed at least in part to the 10-percentage point voter turnout increase in Arab communities.

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