bolts

bolts, 6 months ago to random

Michigan is poised to adopt the first law in the nation to automatically register people to vote as they leave prison. The bill, adopted this month by lawmakers, now sits on the governor's desk. https://boltsmag.org/michigan-automatic-voter-registration-prison/

bolts, 6 months ago to random

NEW: Newly-empowered Democrats made democracy legislation a priority in Michigan this year, adopting a raft of legislation that's meant to make it easier for people to vote, and to protect election systems.

Bolts reports: https://boltsmag.org/michigan-voting-bills-and-2023-session/

bolts, 6 months ago to random

NEW: We are hiring a new staff writer to join our team of editors and other writers. Find out more about the position and how to apply below. https://boltsmag.org/jobs-at-bolts/search-staff-writer/

bolts, 6 months ago to random

Illinois, Minnesota, and New Mexico this year all abolished sentences of life without parole for minors. https://boltsmag.org/juvenile-life-without-parole-new-mexico-minnesota-illinois/

bolts, 6 months ago to random

Michigan first adopted automatic voter registration in 2018, when voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure.

Lawmakers have now passed a bill that would very considerably expand the program. Bolts breaks down how: https://boltsmag.org/michigan-automatic-voter-registration-prison/

bolts, 6 months ago to random

Ron DeSantis signed a law this year that gave Florida the lowest standard among the states that allow the death penalty. It enables split juries to hand out death sentences. https://boltsmag.org/florida-death-row-exonerations-unanimous-juries/

bolts, 6 months ago to random

Black entrepreneurs have complained for years that they've been left out of Ohio’s medical marijuana industry.

Issue 2, which legalized recreational marijuana in Ohio last week, includes provisions to help stop this from happening again. But the GOP is threatening some roll backs. https://boltsmag.org/ohio-voters-issue-2-legalized-marijuana-equity-provisions-expungement/

bolts, 6 months ago to random

Michigan is poised to adopt the first law in the nation that would automatically register people to vote as they leave prison.

The bill, adopted last week by lawmakers, now sits on the governor's desk. New in Bolts:
https://boltsmag.org/michigan-automatic-voter-registration-prison/

bolts, 6 months ago to random

In Pennsylvania, Democrats expanded their majority on the state supreme court and won a wave of county offices that determine policies on mail voting and are charged with certifying results.

New in @bolts from @taniel: https://boltsmag.org/democrats-pennsylvania-election-2023/

bolts, 7 months ago to random

Democrats maintained their 5-2 margin on Pennsylvania's Supreme Court yesterday.

Daniel McCaffery won the open seat in this key swing state where disputes loom over mail voting, gerrymandering, and ballot counting. https://boltsmag.org/pennsylvania-supreme-court-2023-election/

bolts, 7 months ago to random

JUST IN: Maine votes no on Question 8, a constitutional amendment that would have scrubbed a clause excluding people from voting if they are "under guardianship for reasons of mental illness.”

This is the third time the state has rejected the change. https://boltsmag.org/maine-voting-rights-guardianship/

bolts, 7 months ago to random

NEW: After switching to the GOP, the incumbent DA of Pennsylvania's Allegheny County defeated the public defender who beat him in the Democratic primary.

Meanwhile, reformers in the same region see hope in a new, progressive county executive: https://boltsmag.org/allegheny-county-pittsburgh-results-2023/

bolts, 7 months ago to random

NEW: Voters decided who will run the state government in four states on Tuesday, with abortion rights powering Democratic wins in Kentucky and Virginia.

Democrats also made gains in New Jersey, while the GOP kept hold of Mississippi, @taniel reports. https://boltsmag.org/election-night-2023-state-governments-abortion-rights-democratic-wins-kentucky-virginia/

bolts, 7 months ago to random

New in Bolts: We preview 10 local elections coming up this month that matter to voting rights.

These key hotspots will shape how elections are administered across the country and how easily people can exercise their right to vote. https://boltsmag.org/10-local-elections-this-month-that-matter-to-voting-rights/

bolts, 7 months ago to random

After the Kentucky governor restored hundreds of thousands of people’s voting rights in 2019, a coalition led by formerly incarcerated Kentuckians is working to inform people of their rights.

https://boltsmag.org/kentucky-voting-rights-restoration/

bolts, 8 months ago to random

Parties are battling over governorships and legislatures in Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia, with the future of abortion and voting rights in the balance.

New in @bolts from @taniel: https://boltsmag.org/state-government-trifectas-2023/

bolts, 8 months ago to random

Candidates for an open seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court would take election law in opposite directions, as disputes loom over mail voting, gerrymandering, and ballot counting in this key swing state.

New in @bolts for #DemocracyDay: https://boltsmag.org/pennsylvania-supreme-court-2023-election/

bolts, 9 months ago to random

As Louisiana attorney general, Jeff Landry has relentlessly targeted New Orleans and other predominantly Black cities, and shielded its police from reforms. Now he’s vying to do the same as governor.

New in @bolts: https://boltsmag.org/jeff-landry-governor-race-new-orleans-policing/

bolts, 9 months ago to random

A massive new resource from @bolts today: A state-by-state guide to every state supreme court.

We break down their structure, selection procedures, and functions: https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/state-supreme-courts/

bolts, 10 months ago to random

How Mississippi's new parole board is helping expand the state prison system by dramatically cutting approvals and threatening the most frequent pathway out of prison: https://boltsmag.org/mississippi-parole/

bolts, 10 months ago to random

Early policy and personnel decisions are testing whether Brandon Johnson can chart a different course on public safety and policing in Chicago, in line with the activist community that helped usher him into office this spring.

New in Bolts: https://boltsmag.org/on-policing-brandon-johnsons-progressive-promises-meet-their-first-tests/

bolts, 10 months ago to random

A bipartisan group of election administrators in North Carolina is raising alarm about new Republican bills that they say would have “disruptive” effects on election administration. https://www.wral.com/story/local-election-officials-say-proposed-nc-election-changes-would-be-disruptive/20954589/

bolts, 11 months ago to random

Boosted by their new veto-proof majorities, Republicans in North Carolina are closing in on legislation to mandate more collaboration with ICE and preempt local policies hard-won by immigrants’ rights advocates.

New in Bolts: https://boltsmag.org/north-carolina-ice-and-sheriffs-bill-immigration/

bolts, 1 year ago to random

Colorado this week banned local governments from jailing immigrants for ICE.

A new law will will end local detention contracts with ICE, which is expected to change the landscape of immigration enforcement in the state. https://boltsmag.org/colorado-immigration-detention/

bolts, 1 year ago to random

Voting rights groups warn that two new Republican bills targeting Houston elections will create a “feedback loop of problems”, tripping up election officials to then subject them to the state’s new investigatory powers.

https://boltsmag.org/texas-republicans-escalate-attacks-on-election-administration-in-harris-county/