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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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Design as Democracy: Barcelona's ‘Carritos' Encourage a More Inclusive Urbanism

David de la Peña

July 16, 2018 |

TheCityFix |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Spain, Barcelona

Urban planners in Barcelona have a new way to engage locals who want a voice in urban design. Carritos, or mobile carts, are traveling to public spaces to draw in people who can share their opinions on development projects. This especially helps get feedback from those who do not have time to attend traditional city planning meetings. The goal is to make city planning a more inclusive space.

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Doña Ana County works to build a stronger voting culture

Heath Haussaman

July 16, 2018 |

NMPolitics.net |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chaparral, New Mexico

In Doña Ana County, New Mexico, boosting civic engagement is a priority. County Clerk Scott Krahling has tried several initiatives to do so, including hosting voter registration drives in schools, consolidating local elections, and implementing ranked choice voting. The clerk’s office also values community input. A nonpartisan advisory council and series of community meetings aim to ensure the community has a say in these civic engagement initiatives.

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Yelp for Cops

Simone Weichselbaum

July 16, 2018 |

The Marshall Project |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Police in New York already use algorithms to fight crime and now they have turned to a tech startup that uses algorithms to gauge trust levels towards citizens. The so-called “sentiment meter” is meant to address where police are falling short with the community and it has garnered the interest of police departments in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Grand Rapids, Mich., as well. But some are skeptical of the data methods and what they are actually measuring.

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How New Orleans Is Helping Its Students Succeed

David Leonhardt

July 15, 2018 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

Calling New Orleans' post-Katrina school reform "the most ambitious education overhaul in modern America," journalist David Leonhardt outlines what he sees as the two main pillars holding up New Orleans' success -- autonomy and accountability. Leonhardt writes, "New Orleans is a great case study partly because it avoids many of the ambiguities of other education reform efforts. The charters here educate almost all public-school students, so they can’t cherry pick." Can other districts, who aren't starting from scratch, learn from the city's remarkable progress?

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Women of Color Face Significant Barriers When Running for Office. But They're Finding Support

Linda Kramer Jenning

July 13, 2018 |

Yes! Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

This election cycle, organizations are recognizing that women of color running for office need guidance and resources that take into account the challenges women of color face. “We needed to create a space that is unique for Black women to talk about the challenges and opportunities that exist that are unique for Black women so we can move Black women up the political pipeline.”

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To Combat Gentrification, One City Is Changing How Homes Are Bought and Sold

Lornet Turnbull

July 13, 2018 |

Yes! Magazine |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Buffalo, New York

The city of Buffalo is beginning to gentrify, and long-time residents are trying to stop it and keep housing affordable. Under leadership of locals and with support from city officials, the new Fruit Belt Community Land Trust aims to develop a strategic plan and find ways to keep housing in the hands of community members for the next 99 years. Though there is some opposition from people who want to maintain the value of their homes, the land trust leaders are hoping to demonstrate the value that collective action can add to their neighborhood.

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What If the Teen City Council Is Better Than the Grownup One?

Kriston Capps

July 05, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Takoma Park, Maryland

Takoma Park’s youth council may be the most powerful teen legislature in the nation. The city was the first to lower the voting age to 16 years old, so council members are not only communicating youth perspectives but also voting in local elections.

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Getting Student Power Into the Voting Booth

David Bornstein

July 04, 2018 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

The ALL IN challenge implores leaders at colleges across the United States to better incorporate civic engagement education into curriculum and use non-partisan tactics to encourage students to register to vote. The recent push is in part a response to the discouraging results published by Tufts University in 2014 - during that year's midterm election, only 12 percent of college students voted, and for the 2016 presidential election, less than half cast their vote.

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The Activists Using Embroidery to Protest Mexico's Murder Epidemic

Lauren Cocking

July 03, 2018 |

Broadly |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico, Mexico City

The Fuentes Rojas call attention to Mexico's staggering murder rate and commemorate the lives of victims by staging interventions in public space. By hanging handkerchiefs embroidered with details of a victim's life, the group creates a visceral, empathetic memorial for those that have been lost.

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