bolts

bolts, 5 days ago to random

Colorado on Friday adopted a first-in-the-nation mandate to turn local jails into in-person polling places.

“It’s really a gold standard for what all states can aspire to,” a jail voting expert told Bolts. https://boltsmag.org/colorado-voting-centers-in-jails-bill/

bolts, 11 days ago to random

Minnesota has twice tried to end prison gerrymandering, but lawmakers failed to pass the reform on both occasions. This time a Democratic legislative trifecta saw the bill get passed and signed into law. https://boltsmag.org/minnesota-ends-prison-gerrymandering/

bolts, 11 days ago to random

Oregon secretary of state candidate Dennis Linthicum wants to stop all mail voting. He’ll face Democrat Tobias Read in November's race to be the state's top elections official.

NEW in Bolts: https://boltsmag.org/oregon-secretary-of-state-election-linthicum-read/

bolts, 12 days ago to random

Tennessee has added new steps for residents who've lost their voting rights and want to regain them. The steps cost money.

A resident of Nashville would have to pay $159.50 to petition a judge to regain their rights. https://boltsmag.org/tennessee-restricts-rights-restoration/

bolts, 16 days ago to random

Prison gerrymandering means that conservative, rural areas with prisons get inflated population totals.

“You shouldn’t be counted where you lay your head, as a prisoner,” says one Minnesota lawmaker who pushed for a ban on it. “You’re there involuntarily.” https://boltsmag.org/minnesota-ends-prison-gerrymandering/

bolts, 17 days ago to random

Virginia lawmakers passed a bill banning the practice of pressuring defendants to give up their constitutional protections.

But it was vetoed by Governor Glenn Youngkin. https://boltsmag.org/fourth-amendment-waiver-virginia-police-traffic-stops/

bolts, 17 days ago to random

Minnesota just became the latest state to eliminate prison gerrymandering. A new law will end the practice of counting incarcerated people where prisons are located, which skews political power within the state.

NEW in Bolts: https://boltsmag.org/minnesota-ends-prison-gerrymandering/

bolts, 19 days ago to random

“I will not make prison my life,” says Vega Moore, who has earned his GED and taught himself multiple languages while incarcerated.

But despite these rehabilitation efforts, Virginia's parole board just denied him release for the fourth time. https://boltsmag.org/virginia-parole-nearly-vanished-glenn-youngkin/

bolts, 20 days ago to random

Pinny Sheoran, president of the League of Women’s Voters of Arizona, is alarmed about a Republican proposal to restrict direct democracy: "The ruling minority doesn’t want to share the power with the public." https://boltsmag.org/arizona-ballot-measure-would-restrict-popular-initiatives/

bolts, 19 days ago to random

John Barrow tried running for Georgia’s supreme court in 2020 but state officials exploited a loophole to outright cancel elections. On Tuesday, he is mounting a challenge to a justice appointed by Governor Brian Kemp. https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/your-guide-to-the-may-21-elections/

bolts, 20 days ago to random

Arizona Democrats haven’t run the state government for decades, but they’re aiming to make gains this fall. They’re hoping to flip the legislature for the first time since 1966. https://boltsmag.org/arizona-ballot-measure-would-restrict-popular-initiatives/

bolts, 22 days ago to random

An Arizona constitutional amendment, placed on the November ballot by GOP lawmakers, would severely restrict direct democracy through strict geographic requirements on ballot petitions.

NEW in @bolts: https://boltsmag.org/arizona-ballot-measure-would-restrict-popular-initiatives/

bolts, 23 days ago to random

In California, absentee voters with low vision and other disabilities often have to give up their right to a secret ballot. “We want to vote the same way that other people do,” says a blind man who's suing the state. https://boltsmag.org/california-electronic-voting-disability-rights/

bolts, 25 days ago to random

To take a plea in Virginia, defendants routinely give up their constitutional protections against unreasonable search — sometimes for years.

One local organization is working to teach people about the dangers of forfeiting these rights. https://boltsmag.org/fourth-amendment-waiver-virginia-police-traffic-stops/

bolts, 29 days ago to random

Black Virginians are far more likely than white residents to get offered plea deals under the condition that they agree to waive some of their constitutional rights for years, opening them up to random and invasive police searches long after their cases have been resolved. https://boltsmag.org/fourth-amendment-waiver-virginia-police-traffic-stops/

bolts, 1 month ago to random

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law last month that bars civilian oversight boards from investigating instances of police misconduct, further restricting their ability to bring accountability. https://boltsmag.org/florida-weaken-civilian-police-oversight-bodies/

bolts, 1 month ago to random

A federal decision has struck down a North Carolina law that criminalized the act of voting while serving a felony conviction: https://ncnewsline.com/2024/04/23/federal-judge-rules-das-cant-prosecute-disenfranchised-probationers-for-mistakenly-voting/

bolts, 1 month ago to random

There are state supreme court elections this year in 33 states. At stake? Cases ranging from abortion access to voting rights, and a lot more.

@taniel walks you through what's on the ballot, state by state. https://boltsmag.org/your-state-by-state-guide-to-the-2024-supreme-court-elections/

bolts, 1 month ago to random

Two Colorado justices who voted to keep Donald Trump on the state's ballot are up for retention this year, as is one justice who joined the majority in declaring him ineligible. https://boltsmag.org/your-state-by-state-guide-to-the-2024-supreme-court-elections/

bolts, 1 month ago to random

Tomorrow, Summer Lee, a member of Congress who is part of the Squad, faces challenger Bhavini Patel, who has taken issue with Lee’s criticism of Israel’s actions. https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/primaries-on-the-pennsylvania-ballot-april-23/

bolts, 1 month ago to random

Over 26 years, Mississippi DA Doug Evans and his team struck Black prospective jurors more than 4 times as often as white ones, famously in Curtis Flowers' case. Despite lawsuits and complaints, he never faced any discipline and retired on his own terms. https://boltsmag.org/mississippi-da-doug-evans-retires/

bolts, 1 month ago to random

Iowa Justice David May faces voters for the first time since his 2022 appointment.

Last year, he sided with the anti-abortion camp, voting to reverse a lower-court ruling that had blocked a new ban on abortions after six weeks. https://boltsmag.org/your-state-by-state-guide-to-the-2024-supreme-court-elections/#IA

bolts, 1 month ago to random

Why do so many criminal cases resolve with plea deals instead of going to trial? One New Jersey public defender says the lack of diversity in the jury box is one reason. “The expected composition of the jury affects the way we advise people.” https://boltsmag.org/new-jersey-juries-service-people-with-criminal-convictions/

bolts, 1 month ago to random

NEW in Bolts: @taniel guides you through 15 primaries to watch in Pennsylvania next week, from Congress to the legislature.
https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/primaries-on-the-pennsylvania-ballot-april-23/

bolts, 1 month ago to random

Michigan Democrats won two special elections tonight, regaining a majority in the state House.

This also means that they will once again enjoy full control of the state government. https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/democrats-retake-michigan-house-special-election-wins