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Water Warriors

Michael Premo Rachel Falcone

November 04, 2019 |

PBS POV |

Documentary |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Canada, New Brunswick

After an energy company began exploring New Bruncwick territory for oil and natural gas, Indigenous tribes and white people worked together to protect their water and ban fracking. They held protests at government buildings and set up road blocks to prevent equipment trucks from getting out. Some of the protests included violent clashes with police, which made national news and drew more supporters. As a result of their actions, the government put a moratorium on fracking in the Canadian province.

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How More Than 50 Women Walked Out of a Prison in Oklahoma

Cary Aspinwall

November 04, 2019 |

The Marshall Project |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Taft, Oklahoma

More than 500 people in Oklahoma had their drug possession felony sentences commuted after voters approved an initiative that changed some drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. The commutation led to a mass release of prisoners, something that took collaboration between social service groups to make sure those leaving had housing, job support, and other essentials.

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Let's nix Columbus Day and make Election Day a paid holiday instead

Roxanne Patel Shepelavy

October 14, 2019 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Sandusky, Ohio

Sandusky, Ohio, recently got rid of Columbus Day in favor of a holiday on Election Day, following the lead of several countries around the world such as South Africa, Germany, and India. Sandusky's swapping of Columbus Day for Election Day is largely symbolic, but symbols can be powerful, especially for small towns.

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Can 'deliberative polling' solve political polarization?

Fareed Zakaria

October 13, 2019 |

CNN |

Broadcast TV Programs |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Dallas, Texas

While many politicians use political polarization to their advantage, communities across the world are finding that talking through the divide can actually have an impact on how someone votes. Polls conducted before and after community dialogue sessions show that perspectives of many of those participating changed, and in Ireland, many think this strategy is what resulted in the legalization of abortion.

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City Campaign Finance System Charts Path—and Highlights Challenges—for State Reform

Kate Pastor

October 09, 2019 |

City Limits |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

New York City's campaign finance system has offered a blueprint for a similar statewide system. Since it was implemented, the city's campaign finance program, which awards public funds up to a certain limit to candidates, has helped grassroots candidates launch competitive campaigns against entrenched, deep-pocketed opponents.

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Jewish and Arab women unite to defy Bedouin voter suppression in Israeli election

Eetta Prince-Gibson

September 18, 2019 |

Public Radio International (PRI) |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Israel

Jewish and Arab organizers arranged for volunteers to bring Bedouin women in remote villages to their polling place to vote in parliamentary elections. Bedouin villages on tribal lands don’t have polling places, so dozens of women volunteers used their own cars (due to a last-minute ruling making it hard for organized groups to bus voters) to bring hundreds of Bedouin women to distant polling stations. Many of the women would not have voted without the help of the volunteers, who contributed at least in part to the 10-percentage point voter turnout increase in Arab communities.

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How Women Are Faring in the World's Largest Refugee Camp

Jennifer Chowdhury

September 17, 2019 |

Zora |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Bangladesh, Ukhia, Cox's Bazar

In the Kutupalong Refugee Camp in Bangladesh, Rohingya women are overcoming the societal restraints that bound them at home in Myanmar and becoming leaders and change-makers in their community. Despite resistance from the men, hundreds of women in the camp banded together to form a group called Shanti Mohila. This allowed them to push for more peace and justice and issues like domestic violence, and they even received support from Legal Action Worldwide to prosecute crimes against the Rohingya people.

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Young voting advocates take up the fight against suppression

Milan Polk

August 29, 2019 |

The GroundTruth Project |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Greenville, South Carolina

Young advocates for voting rights are fighting back against laws that make it difficult for young people and other marginalized groups to register to vote. Through public campaigns, lawsuits, and voter registration drives, these youth advocates are taking action as their peers come of age to vote.

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San Francisco voters rank their candidates. It's made politics a little less nasty.

Lee Drutman

July 24, 2019 |

Vox |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

In 2002, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to adopt ranked choice voting, which allows voters to rank their candidates by 1st choice, 2nd choice, and so on, in what effectively becomes an instant run-off. This heads off voter fatigue in successive rounds of voting. But also, ranked choice voting encouraged more campaigning, voter engagement, and coalition-building.

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Rohingya Women Aren't Just Refugees—They're Leaders

Jennifer Chowdhury

July 09, 2019 |

Marie Claire |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Bangladesh, Teknaf, Cox's Bazar

The Shalbagan refugee camp in Bangladesh is one of 30 similar camps to elect leaders, except in this one women made up half of the elected officials. Over 40,000 Rohingya refugees live in the camp, and they come from Myanmar where women rarely held jobs or participated in the community. The new female leaders are getting a lot done here, dealing with anything from making sure that aid is properly distributed amongst them to domestic disputes to monsoon preparation.

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