Wisconsin election infrastructure is mostly secure — but inaccurate counts are hard to catch and correct

John Bassett

October 10, 2020 |

Channel 3000 |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Wisconsin

Same-day voter registration and the implementation of advanced cyberdefenses have bolstered Wisconsin's voting database, fortifying it against hackers and data breaches. Apprehension about election security prompted the formation of a watchdog group, Wisconsin Election Integrity, which regularly prompts the Wisconsin Elections Commission to update and improve the existing systems. Some machines have been identified as risky and measures to safely use and secure them are underway.

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Latinos hold almost half of all elected positions in Fresno County. Here's how they made gains

Nadia Lopez

October 09, 2020 |

The Fresno Bee |

Multi-Media |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Fresno, California

Latino and Latina politicians hold 48% of Fresno County’s elected positions. These gains were facilitated by the California Voting Rights Act, which calls for the use of district elections instead of citywide races in areas where communities feel disenfranchised. Districts are smaller units, so candidates are elected by their immediate community rather than the entire city. Financing a district election campaign is also more reasonable. District elections lessen the disproportionate influence of populations that historically have higher voter turnout. About 130 of 450 cities have adopted district elections.

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How to fix America's voter registration system so more people can vote

Jen Kirby

October 06, 2020 |

Vox |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oregon

Over a dozen states have adopted some variation of automatic voter registration, which is common in many European democracies. Voters in Oregon are mailed a notification when they are enrolled, which they can send back to opt out if they want. Prior to the 2016 election, 225,000 Oregonians were registered that way and 100,000 of those voted, a turnout rate of 43%. Some believe it is a more accurate way to maintain and update voter rolls. For voter data, states can use DMV and state tax records or join the over 30 states who are members of the nonprofit Electronic Registration Information Center.

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How diverse is your government? These two laws changed who holds power in California

Kim Bojórquez

October 05, 2020 |

Sacramento Bee |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

In California, two laws have helped to open opportunities for less experienced candidates to win state and local offices, which has increased representation among people of color. A 1990 law set term limits for the state legislature, which forces turnover, and the California Voting Rights Act allowed communities of color to demand electoral changes, including by-district elections that have increased Latinx and Black representatives at the local level. These laws have helped to level the playing field but the benefits have not occurred across all districts, instead they tend to be driven by a few cities.

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Ervin Staub: A Holocaust survivor's mission to train ‘heroic bystanders'

Daniel Gordon Joshua Nevett

October 05, 2020 |

BBC |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

By training police officers to intervene when fellow officers engage in brutality or other misconduct, the New Orleans police department has reduced officers' use of force and increased public trust. After the killing of George Floyd by a police officer whose colleagues did not intervene, the ethical-policing model called EPIC (Ethical Policing Is Courageous) is expanding to dozens more cities as ABLE (Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement). It is based on the violence-psychology research of Ervin Staub, whose family was saved by "active bystanders" in Nazi Hungary.

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¿Qué tan diverso es su gobierno? Estas leyes cambiaron quién tiene el poder en California

Kim Bojórquez Juan Esparza Loera

October 05, 2020 |

Sacramento Bee |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

Dos leyes en California (Estados Unidos) han ayudado a abrir oportunidades para que los candidatos con menos experiencia puedan tomar cargos estatales y locales, lo que ha aumentado la representación entre las personas de color. Por un lado, una ley de 1990 estableció límites de mandato para la legislatura estatal, lo que obliga a la rotación; a la vez, la Ley de Derechos Electorales de California permitió a las comunidades de color exigir cambios electorales, incluidas elecciones por distrito que han aumentado la cantidad de representantes latinos y afroamericanos a nivel local.

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What a City-Sized Sharing Economy Looks Like

Lauren Kaljur

October 05, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada

The First Nation–Municipal Community Economic Development Initiative is a nationwide initiative to foster positive relationships, empowering First Nation and municipal leaders to talk as equals. There have been hundreds of requests and 15 pairs completed the program. The goal is to foster joint economic development, but it also initiated discussions about the impact of colonization and ensures First Nations are represented in decision-making. Pairs have cooperated on infrastructure projects, such as highway expansions and solar farms, and have a renewed sense of being connected.

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Minnesota nonprofits boost voter outreach for 2020 election

Kelly Smith

October 05, 2020 |

Minnesota Star Tribune |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Minnesota

Nonprofits increased voter engagement in communities that face barriers to voting. Deaf Equity posted videos on social media in ASL to educate voters on how to register to vote and track mail-in ballots. The Native American Community Development Institute is engaging with voters in rural Minnesota, religious leaders at mosques, churches, and temples are encouraging members to vote, and volunteers at food shelves are handing out voter registration forms. Several groups have received funding to conduct voter outreach with Black and Muslim communities as well as neighborhoods where people have lower incomes.

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Empowering the survivor voting block

Angela K. Evans

October 01, 2020 |

Boulder Weekly |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

Colorado’s Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) helps survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse keep their physical addresses private. Registering to vote requires an address, which is part of the public record. The ACP program can also be used to enroll children in schools, on their driver’s licenses, and in court. ACP works with the postal service to create ghost addresses for survivors and it serves as the only place where the addresses are known. Four thousand people are currently using the service and up to 9,000 have used it since it began.

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After 7 years of voting by mail, Colorado voters aren't taken in by absentee ballot drama

Kevin Duggan

October 01, 2020 |

Coloradoan |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

Colorado's mandatory, all-mail balloting system encounters very few cases of fraud or mistake while making voting easier and more accessible to all voters. Everyone who applies for a driver's license or Medicaid gets registered. Since 2013, ballots are mailed to all registered voters. The state eased into that system by first fulfilling mail-in ballots by request – something 70% of voters already were doing by the time the system became mandatory. One former secretary of state cautions that voter list maintenance is a daunting challenge. But the state's system is often called the most secure in the country.

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