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Make Voting Easy

Roxanne Patel Shepelavy

November 07, 2018 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Oregon

Voter turnout is higher where voting is made easy. Consider one innovation: vote-by mail. States that allowed mail-in ballots had an average of 10 percent more voting in the 2016 election than other states. More innovations include pre-registering young voters, automatically updating a voter’s address when they move, automatically registering citizens unless they opt out, and same-day voter registration.

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An evidence-based way to help fix our broken politics

Jeff Grabmeier

November 05, 2018 |

Ohio State News |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States

If elected representatives have a few hours to speak with their constituents, where’s what they should do: discuss policy issues online with a small group of randomly selected constituents. Participants appreciate the opportunity to speak with their representatives, rate them more highly, and are more likely to vote for them – even months later. The evidence supporting this method of engaging constituents is so compelling that researchers will present their work to all new members of Congress this year.

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These election tools are here to help you make sense of your long, complicated ballot

Adele Peters

November 02, 2018 |

FastCompany |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States

Easy-to-use web apps provide information about candidates and referendums, gathering information all in one place for voters. BallotReady and We Vote are two such tools.

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The Seattle Experiment

Kenny Malone

November 02, 2018 |

NPR |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Seattle’s “Democracy Vouchers,” funded by a ballot measure to increase property taxes, provide money for residents to make campaign contributions, which increases civic participation and helps people running for office without political connections fund their campaigns. Every city resident receives four 25$ vouchers that they can sign over to the candidate of their choice and mail back in a pre-stamped envelope. Even though only 3% of vouchers were actually used, the number of people contributing to campaigns tripled and several non-establishment candidates were able to run campaigns and get elected.

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Hospitals help patients get out the vote while stuck in bed

Kristen de Groot

November 02, 2018 |

Associated Press |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Some hospitals are finding ways to help their patients vote. Penn Votes Project is an initiative between hospitals and the Penn Law School that helps patients fill out and notarize their absentee ballots. Then there’s Patientvoting.com where patients can find information on medical absentee voting by state. “Every citizen of the United States has the right to vote and we think getting ill shouldn’t impair that process.”

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Thousands of American Indian voters in N.D. getting free IDs

Blake Nicholson

October 31, 2018 |

Associated Press |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Bismarck, North Dakota

In the face of stricter voter ID rules, organizers are working to ensure that those deemed ineligible to vote in North Dakota because of their lack of street address - a group that is disproportionately Native American - are given a chance to participate in America's democracy. So far, projects spearheaded by groups like the Lakota People's Law Project and funded by donations have provided around 2,000 IDs.

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In North Dakota, Native Americans Try to Turn an ID Law to Their Advantage

Maggie Astor

October 30, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Great Sioux Nation, United States, Fort Yates, North Dakota

After a Republican led state law that bans people without an address from voting took effect, Native American tribes in North Dakota began organizing to get out the vote. They even began creating their own addresses. They teamed up with Claremont Graduate University in California and overlaid “ voting precinct maps on satellite images of the reservations and assigned each precinct one address.” “The right to vote can be taken for granted until someone tries to take it away from you, and then it can be the reason you do vote.”

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'A labor of love': Postcard campaign writers seek to increase voter turnout in midterm elections

Sylvie Sturm

October 30, 2018 |

Local News Matters |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

After lackluster experiences phone banking during the 2016 presidential election, volunteers altered their strategy to write postcards to citizens to turn out the vote in the 2018 mid-term elections. Writing postcards was seen as a viable, and personal, alternative to door knocking, phone banking, mass leafleting, and even relatively modern techniques like mass texting.

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How first-time voters are being mobilized in Florida

Mason Berger

October 29, 2018 |

PBS NewsHour |

Multi-Media |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Florida

Voter registration groups, such as Next Gen and the Florida Federation of Young Republicans, were the second most common method of getting new voters to register in Florida. To grab young voters, these organizations showed up in classrooms and club meetings and focused on issues that youth care about, including the cost of college and gun violence.

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Australia Tells America: Here's How to Fix Your Voting System

Tacey Rychter

October 22, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Australia

Australia maintains a high voter turnout by making voting both easy and mandatory. Election day is always on a Saturday, and community groups host barbeques to mark the occasion. If an eligible voter still doesn’t cast a ballot, they can face a fine of up to nearly 80 Australian dollars.

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