Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 409 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

Get Loud Arkansas sees success in new voter registration strategy

Mary Hennigan

February 26, 2024 |

Arkansas Times |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Arkansas

Since Arkansas does not allow online voter registration, Get Loud Arkansas collects voters’ information via an online form and then submits the registration paperwork for them, helping reach residents who are less likely to register in person via paper applications. So far, 358 people have registered using the organization’s online system, and nearly 80 percent of those were people under 20.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How a new way to vote is gaining traction in states — and could transform US politics

Zachary Roth

December 28, 2023 |

Stateline |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Alaska

Some states are combining ranked choice voting, which asks voters to rank candidates by order of preference, with Final Five primaries where multiple candidates advance to the general election, rather than one candidate from each major party. After implementing both reforms, Alaska saw more women run for office than in the five previous elections, and an analysis of the system found it improved representation by giving voters more choice and encouraging candidates to appeal to a wider demographic.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Ranked choice is 'the hot reform' in democracy. Here's what you should know about it

Miles Parks

December 13, 2023 |

NPR |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Alaska

Advocates of ranked choice voting, which allows residents to rank candidates from their favorite to least favorite, say the system encourages politicians to appeal to a wider range of viewpoints, as evidenced by a recent congressional race in Alaska in which Mary Peltola, a moderate Democrat, was elected over more extreme candidates. The system is currently used by two states for statewide races and in nearly four dozen cities for local elections.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Does Mandatory Civic Education Increase Voter Turnout?

Jenna Spinelle Michael Berkman Chris Beem

December 04, 2023 |

Democracy Works |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States

Since 2015, 18 states have adopted the Civic Education Initiative, which requires high school students to take an exam modeled on the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Civics test. However, researchers have determined that voter turnout rates did not increase among the target age group in states that adopted the policy.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Little by little, perpetual vote-by-mail list reshapes New Jersey's off-year elections

Nikita Biryukov

November 30, 2023 |

New Jersey Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Jersey

Thanks to a 2019 law, New Jersey voters who request a mail-in ballot one time continue to receive them in perpetuity for future elections without needing to submit another request. The state has seen mail-in voting rates increase in off-year elections since the perpetual vote-by-mail list was created, with 22 percent of votes cast in 2021 attributed to mail-in ballots compared to 16.7 percent in 2019.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The Black Women Who Fought for Ohio's Historic Abortion Win

Larada Lee-Wallace

November 21, 2023 |

ELLE Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Ohio

Ahead of a ballot measure to guarantee access to abortion and reproductive health care in Ohio, the Black-led Ohio Women’s Alliance spoke with more than 1.3 million young female BIPOC voters, framing the campaign as a fight for a wide range of reproductive services. Residents approved the constitutional amendment with 60 percent of female voters and 83 percent of Black voters voting in favor.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Oakland County, Westland clerks tout success of early voting pilot program

Stephen Henderson

November 08, 2023 |

WDET |

Podcast |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Michigan

After Michiganders approved a constitutional amendment allowing residents to vote early in federal and statewide elections, municipal clerks reported that the state’s first test of early voting in November 2023 was a success with nearly 4,600 people casting ballots.

Read More
Go to Original Story
'It was a great, easy day': Central Georgia election officials say GARViS system is a success

Fareeha Abrar

November 08, 2023 |

WMAZ-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Georgia

GARViS, Georgia’s new system for documenting voter records, stores information on roughly 7 million active voters and hundreds of thousands of inactive voters, including their addresses, assigned polling places, sample ballots, and early voting schedules. The George Secretary of State’s Office reports that the new system has helped cut down check-in time on election day from about a minute and a half per voter to about 47 seconds per voter, streamlining the process for both poll workers and residents.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Low turnout but smooth sailing for Michigan's first foray into early voting

Oralandar Brand-Williams

November 07, 2023 |

Votebeat National |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Michigan

Residents who participated in Michigan’s first year of early in-person voting say they appreciated the shorter lines, the convenience to vote on their own schedules, and the ability to feed their ballots into polling place tabulators themselves. Nearly 4,600 voters cast their ballots early in-person across the state.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Counties use high school students as poll workers to shore up staff

Whitney Downard

October 31, 2023 |

Indiana Capital Chronicle |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Indiana

Indiana’s Hoosier Hall Pass program allows 16- and 17-year-olds to miss a day of school to pitch in as poll workers, helping to fill staffing shortages while also giving youth an up-close-and-personal look at the election process. In 2020, about 4.3 percent of poll workers in the state were under the age of 18.

Read More
Go to Original Story