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  • San Juan County expands in-person voting on the Navajo Nation during the pandemic

    October 18, 2020 |

    The Salt Lake Tribune |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Navajo Nation, United States, Utah

    A legal settlement in Utah expanded access to voting on Navajo Nations and influenced similar settlements in Arizona. All registered voters receive a mail-in ballot, but counties also offer early voting and election-day polling locations, where Navajo translators are available. Counties run bilingual radio, print, and social media ads to inform residents about their voting options. The hybrid in-person and mail-in system boosted turnout of active voters in San Juan County’s 2018 election by 10 percentage points from 2014, when the lawsuit was filed because the county closed in-person polling places.

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  • Rise in Use of Ballot Drop Boxes Sparks Partisan Battles

    October 16, 2020 |

    Stateline |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States

    Free-standing ballot drop boxes during the pandemic provide assurance to voters who worry about the reliability of the postal service or health risks at polling places. Drop-box voting gradually won acceptance in states relying entirely on remote voting. By 2016, most voters in three big states used drop boxes. Many states lack rules governing the number of allowed drop boxes per county, which has contributed to partisan feuds over the numbers of collection boxes. The battles have focused on claims of ballot-security threats, but there is little evidence drop boxes are less secure than other methods.

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  • Towson University professor aims to bolster local election security at voting sites

    October 16, 2020 |

    The Baltimore Sun |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Annapolis, Maryland

    More than 1,930 Maryland poll workers were trained to protect ballot integrity from security threats based on research about where those threats may come from. The program, one of the few in the country focused on election security at polling places themselves, was developed by a researcher inspired by reports of Russian interference with the 2016 election. The research showed Maryland's greatest vulnerabilities were electronic poll data and voter registration, the network connection between election officials and local election boards, and access to ballot scanners at voting sites.

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  • In San Diego, Black Muslims are working to expand voting access in jails

    October 14, 2020 |

    The GroundTruth Project |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, California

    Pillars of the Community hires people incarcerated in local California jails to register new incarcerated voters and conduct civic engagement education behind bars. Pillars, a faith-based criminal justice advocacy group led by Black Muslims, registers hundreds every year, many of whom did not know they were eligible to vote and did not know how to register on their own. Those voting in 2020 will be able to vote on state referenda concerning expanding voting rights for people with felony convictions and on ending cash bail.

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  • Doctor Offices In Wisconsin Step In To Help Register Voters

    October 14, 2020 |

    NPR |

    Podcast |

    3-5 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    VotERdoctors partners with doctors, clinics, community centers, and hospitals to register voters. Staff can wear badges with a QR code that patients can scan with their cellphone, which takes them to a webpage that offers information about how to register to vote, including a live help line if the patient gets stuck. Some facilities, such as Progressive Community Health Centers in Milwaukee, send monthly text messages to their patients to remind them to register. VotER is being used by more than 300 U.S. hospitals and about 40,000 patients have gotten help registering or requesting ballots.

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  • Equality of Opportunity

    October 13, 2020 |

    Montana Free Press |

    Podcast |

    Over 15 Minutes

    Response Location: Crow Indian Reservation, United States, Montana

    Legal challenges have protected Native voting rights since the 1980s, when districts diluting native votes were ruled unconstitutional and redrawn. In 2012, three tribes sued to increase access to registration and polling sites. The county settled, agreeing to open offices on two reservations two days a week. In 2018, tribal leaders challenged a law limiting the number of ballots someone could collect on behalf of others. A judge agreed that, by disproportionately suppressing Native votes, it was unconstitutional. The legal challenges increased voter turnout and helped elect more Native representatives.

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  • Illinois advocates work to ensure ballot access for jail voters during pandemic

    October 13, 2020 |

    The GroundTruth Project |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Cook County, Illinois

    Many people who are currently incarcerated still retain the right to vote, and as the 2020 election approaches advocates in Illinois are making sure that those who are in Chicago’s Cook County Jail have access to ballots. Under a newly implemented law, Cook County Jail was designated as a polling place, which increased access for pretrial detainees and those serving certain misdemeanor convictions, and ultimately resulted in a higher voter turnout for the March primaries.

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

    October 10, 2020 |

    Channel 3000 |

    Text |

    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

    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

    October 06, 2020 |

    Vox |

    Text |

    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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