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  • Without the protections of the Voting Rights Act, many look to state solutions

    April 18, 2022 |

    Prism |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Virginia

    Virginia’s VRA protects voters from suppression, discrimination, and intimidation and has effectively stopped racial gerrymandering and intimidation. Its pro-voting measures include requiring materials in multiple languages, the provision of accessibility accommodations, and requiring public review of any local level voting changes. The legislation also creates a pathway for Virginians to bring civil lawsuits if a procedure negatively impacts economically disadvantaged communities or communities of color.

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  • A busy intersection in Edmonton has been dominated by homophobic street preachers for years

    April 18, 2022 |

    Xtra |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Canada, Edmonton, Alberta

    Fearing that consistent homophobic street harassment by a resource center for queer youth was detrimental to their mental health and safety, activists set up a weekly counter protest to drown out the harmful messages. The counter-protest grew from a single person to the Pride Corner on Whyte movement with several hundred social media followers. Over time, the participation of dozens of unhoused and housed queer and trans youth provided opportunities for social service outreach, including a mentorship program that paired youth with older queer and trans participants who offer friendship and emotional support.

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  • Could the highly political redistricting process be more independent? San Antonio may find out

    April 17, 2022 |

    San Antonio Express-News |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, San Diego, California

    San Diego’s independent redistricting commission has aimed to take politics out of drawing district maps since 1992 by preventing City Council from drawing or approving its own map. Instead, nine commissioners from over 100 applicants were chosen based on background and qualifications by three randomly selected retired judges. The member selection process, rules for transparency, open public engagement and no tolerance for conflicts of interest are keys to its success. There is more equitable infrastructure investment and greater voter turnout now, which are two positive signs of reduced gerrymandering.

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  • Que Viva El Barrio: One neighborhood's decades-long fight for a less-polluted future

    April 08, 2022 |

    San Diego Union-Tribune |

    Documentary |

    Over 15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Barrio Logan, California

    Residents in Barrio Logan have been fighting for years for policy changes to minimize industry in the area and make the community less polluted. After a decades-long battle, the city council recently passed an act that no new industry can come to the area and created housing-only sections for residents to live comfortably.

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  • From scandal to scrutiny: How intense citizen oversight reshaped Oakland police

    April 06, 2022 |

    CalMatters |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

    Since 2016, complaints filed against Oakland police officers have triggered parallel investigations by both the department's internal affairs unit and the city's Civilian Police Review Agency. When an outcome is disputed, the final decision is made by the Civilian Police Commission, a system that has resulted in the city sustaining complaints against officers at a rate more than double the state average between 2018 and 2020.

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  • Red/Blue Workshops try to bridge the political divide. Do they really work?

    April 06, 2022 |

    NPR |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States

    Braver Angels stages workshops in all 50 states to encourage civil discussion and active listening between polarized Democrats and Republicans. Through conversations that ask them to consider stereotypes and "humanize the other," participants say they come away with a better understanding of their commonalities.

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  • Shiny new ballots: Record number of states eyeing ranked-choice voting

    March 25, 2022 |

    Courthouse News Service |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Alaska

    More states and cities are adopting ranked-choice voting system, which are said to be friendlier and more inclusive. In a ranked-choice system, voters rank multiple candidates in order of preference and a winner must get over 50% of the votes. This often occurs by being a voter’s second choice, so many argue there is less political vitriol since, rather than ignoring voters committed to other candidates, politicians must appeal to them as at least their second choice. Data in the six California cities that use the system show slight increases in the number of women and people of color running for office.

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  • These rural organizers have found an answer to dog whistle politics: Multi-racial, working-class solidarity

    March 24, 2022 |

    The Real News Network |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, North Carolina

    Organizers with Down Home North Carolina use deep canvassing, a door-knocking strategy based on active listening and in-depth, nonjudgmental conversation, to spark political discussions with voters who are often left out of the democratic process. Canvassers are trained to center issues of race and class to build solidarity across demographics and recorded high levels of support from voters in 82% of conversations surveyed between November 2021 and January 2022.

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  • Democracy Comes to Michigan

    March 21, 2022 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Michigan

    A grassroots campaign ended gerrymandering in Michigan by passing an initiative requiring districts be drawn by citizen-commissions rather than politicians. The all-volunteer campaign went door-to-door collecting enough signatures to get the initiative on the ballot and used creative voter-engagement techniques to sustain the support. Once the ballot initiative passed, 9,300 people applied for the first commission. A third-party firm ultimately selected four Democrats, four Republicans, and five non-partisan people as commissioners, who worked together very well to redraw districts.

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  • Good Talk

    March 16, 2022 |

    The Washington Post |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    The University of Pennsylvania created a Civil Dialogue Seminar to teach students how to communicate across political divides. The seminar, which is part of a growing civil dialogue movement taking place among Gen Z, includes social psychology curriculum to help students navigate difficult conversations with people they disagree with. Students participate in the Red and Blue Exchange, small group conversations about controversial topics, where they practice having conversations about issues that elicit strong responses. Students also investigate their own emotional responses with weekly journal reflections.

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