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Denver will allow smartphone voting for thousands of people (but probably not you)

Andrew Kenney

March 07, 2019 |

The Denver Post |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

In the hopes of making voting more accessible, the city of Denver, Colorado will allow their international voters, a population of about 4,000, to vote electronically on an app called Voatz. Already used by about 144 voters in West Virginia during the 2018 election, Voatz uses blockchain technology, which stores user votes across encrypted servers. Though some have cited security concerns, many hope the voting app will replace the current more insecure digital method.

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Mail-in votes helped make Florida's election a nightmare. A solution? More mail-in votes

David Smiley

February 28, 2019 |

Miami Herald |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Florida

Over the past two decades, Florida has notoriously been plagued with voting complications, which have called into question the integrity of many state and national elections. In an attempt to simplify voting, Florida is now opting for three parallel systems: Election Day precincts, early voting centers, and by mail.

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Native American Rights Groups Are Targeting Six States to Fight Voter Suppression in 2020

Massoud Hayoun

February 14, 2019 |

Pacific Standard |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, North Dakota

Native American voters are disproportionately impacted by restrictive voter ID laws, particularly those that require proof of address because many Native Nations do not use formal street addresses. In response, the voting rights group Four Directions helped create and implement a system that allowed tribal officials to set up at polling places and immediately generate an ID on tribal letterhead with an address based on a location that a voter pointed to on a map. The group also supported lawsuits to expand polling places, lessening the financial and travel burdens for Native American voters.

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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 |

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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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Voter ID tied to lower Wisconsin turnout; students, people of color, elderly most affected

Cameron Smith

September 30, 2018 |

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Wisconsin

Voter ID laws may reduce voter turnout, enough to change election results. For example, according to a UW-Madison study, thousands of people in Dane and Milwaukee counties did not vote in the 2016 presidential election because of confusion over new voter ID requirements or a lack of proper identification. Meanwhile, voter fraud, the justification for such voter ID laws, has been found to be a largely overblown fear by a federal judge.

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Restoring Ex-Convicts' Voting Rights

Nina Sparling

August 29, 2018 |

WhoWhatWhy |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

A digital tool called Restore Your Vote launched in the summer of 2018 to help ex-convicts understand their voting restoration status after re-integrating into society. The initiative, which has been piloted in Alabama, aims to reduce disenfranchisement in ex-convict communities by targeting unclear language, misinformation, and lack of access to education.

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More Cities Want to Embrace ‘Democracy Vouchers'

Tanvi Misra

August 08, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Seattle residents receive cash vouchers to contribute to local campaigns of their choosing. The taxpayer-funded program aims to broaden political participation and counter the influence of big donors. The idea is spreading to other cities, including Albuquerque and Austin.

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Drive Against Gerrymandering Finds New Life in Ballot Initiatives

Michael Wines

July 23, 2018 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Public opinion is turning against gerrymandering faster than the Supreme Court. Five states are holding ballot measures on the issue spurred ahead by tens of thousands of citizen’s signatures, and political uncertainty is pushing legislators themselves to get behind apolitical redistricting commissions.

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