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Last Notes

2026-05-05 22:04:00 UTC

Polls will close soon in races that are taking place in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Tennessee.
Bolts is watching U.S. House races, Trump's effort to punish state senators who rebuffed him in Indiana, a special election for Michigan's Senate, and more.
https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/may-2026-elections-guide/

2026-05-04 13:00:04 UTC

A new anti-trans law in Kansas effectively forces trans voters to obtain new documents with inaccurate gender markers, or abstain from voting. “We either won’t be able to vote or participate in public life, or we change our documents.”
https://boltsmag.org/kansas-transgender-license-law-also-threatens-voting-rights/

2026-04-13 22:01:00 UTC

Whittier, a suburb of Los Angeles, votes blue in national elections but its local politics are dominated by the GOP. Its Republican mayor is seeking reelection tomorrow against a challenger who promises to do more to stand up to ICE.
https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/guide-to-elections-in-april-2026/

2026-04-06 20:34:00 UTC

Tomorrow, a runoff in Georgia will decide who fills the open seat left by Marjorie Taylor Greene when she resigned from Congress.
Voters in Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Missouri, Arizona, and other states also head to the polls. Our guide has more:
https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/guide-to-elections-in-april-2026/

2026-03-19 00:00:12 UTC

One of the largest architecture firms in the world is now refusing to design or upgrade ICE prisons, Mother Jones reports:
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/03/ice-dlr-group-detention-corecivic-contract-worker-resistance-trump/

2026-03-04 23:00:28 UTC

Felony conspiracy charges are increasingly being used to quash protest, says a legal scholar. They are “now really effective at going after social movements and coordinated action amongst activists.”
https://boltsmag.org/stanford-san-francisco-felony-conspiracy-palestine-protesters/

2026-02-14 18:04:35 UTC

In the trial of five Stanford students for felony vandalism in connection to pro-Palestine protests, the judge last night declared a mistrial. The jury could not reach a verdict.
https://www.paloaltoonline.com/courts/2026/02/13/stanford-vandalism-case-ends-in-mistrial-after-hopelessly-deadlocked-jury/

2026-02-13 18:38:00 UTC

A Democrat who was elected sheriff in Pennsylvania last fall hopes others are watching: “It sends a message to elected public safety officials across the country that partnering with ICE is a loser in a district that’s remotely a swing district.”
https://boltsmag.org/sheriff-of-bucks-county-pennsylvania-ousted-in-2025/

2026-02-08 17:33:27 UTC

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These were the two elections happening yesterday on our guide to February contests.
Catch up with the results in our guide: https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/february-2026-elections-guide/

2026-02-08 17:33:22 UTC

In a special election yesterday, Democrats easily defended a state House seat in Louisiana despite Donald Trump's double-digit victory in the district in 2024.
And in Leander, Texas, the candidate endorsed by Democrats won the election for mayor.

2026-01-27 18:33:00 UTC

NEW in Bolts: How are neighbors jumping into action and what powers do state and local officials have to restrict ICE or hold agents accountable? Send us your questions.
https://boltsmag.org/send-us-your-questions-on-local-and-state-responses-to-ice/

2026-01-23 18:34:00 UTC

A Massachusetts bill would require judges to reduce someone’s sentence or offer pretrial diversion if they find that the person’s actions were directly related to their experiences of abuse. Advocates hope lawmakers can move it forward this year.
https://boltsmag.org/massachusetts-could-give-abuse-survivors-pathway-out-of-prison/

2026-01-23 15:29:00 UTC

In a meeting earlier this month, the North Carolina Board of Elections approved a plan that did not include an early voting site on several university campuses, reports NC Newsline.
https://ncnewsline.com/2026/01/13/amid-protests-nc-elections-board-rejects-campus-voting-sites-and-sunday-voting-in-several-counties/

2026-01-18 18:30:00 UTC

There has long been confusion around the voting rights of American Samoans. Plenty of non-citizen nationals in Alaska had voted for years prior to the recent Whittier case; few people were aware any issue existed.
https://boltsmag.org/prosecuted-for-voting-american-samoans-alaska/

2026-01-15 01:00:27 UTC

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed an executive order to open jury service to roughly 350,000 people who were banned for life. “It’s monumental,” says Dameon Stackhouse, a formerly incarcerated advocate who spent years pushing for this change. https://boltsmag.org/new-jersey-governor-opens-jury-service-to-thousands-with-convictions/

2026-01-09 17:01:08 UTC

The GOP’s best opportunity to gain a state legislative seat this month is coming on Tuesday in Connecticut, in a special election to replace a Democratic legislator who died last year.
https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/january-2026-elections-guide/

2026-01-08 21:23:00 UTC

Voting rights advocates in Ohio worry that voters won’t realize the state has now banned grace periods for ballots sent through the mail. Lawmakers have not appropriated any money for educating the public on this change.
https://boltsmag.org/ohio-ends-grace-periods-for-mail-ballots/

2025-12-28 15:27:00 UTC

Sheriffs nationwide have enormous control over jail voting access, with many restricting mail and voter guides, making it nearly impossible for incarcerated people to vote. A law in Colorado removed that discretion—and turnout has soared.
https://boltsmag.org/jail-voting-soars-in-colorado/

2025-12-24 18:31:00 UTC

Having secured control of the legislature, Virginia Democrats will likely soon advance constitutional amendments to enshrine abortion rights and restore voting rights to people once they’re released from prison.
https://boltsmag.org/legislative-elections-results-2025/

2025-12-24 01:00:00 UTC

Six states have adopted new maps so far this year: California, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Utah. Several face legal challenges, but Missouri’s is in the most immediate limbo.
Read more in our new explainer on gerrymandering:
https://boltsmag.org/mid-decade-redistricting-your-questions-answered/

2025-12-21 18:28:00 UTC

Trump hoped for big gains when he pressured GOP-led states to redraw their maps this year. But many developments have brought this battle closer to a draw.
Just how much of a draw? Learn more in our latest “Ask Bolts”:
https://boltsmag.org/mid-decade-redistricting-your-questions-answered/

2025-12-14 01:00:00 UTC

Advocates in California will continue to push for relief for people convicted of harming their abusers. “Survivors are resilient, and there’s so many left behind, and so many that this bill would have helped.”
https://boltsmag.org/california-justice-for-survivors-bill/

2025-12-10 00:35:05 UTC

Eileen Higgins has won the Miami mayoral election tonight.
The Democrat has prevailed by a large margin over Emilio González, who had the support of President Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis, and she will replace a retiring Republican. https://floridapolitics.com/archives/769041-eileen-higgins-shatters-glass-ceiling-with-runoff-victory-in-miami-mayors-race/

2025-12-06 01:00:00 UTC

This fall, Hawaii's supreme court rejected an argument that recording interrogations is burdensome for police: “If children can record everyday events with ease, law enforcement cannot claim hardship to record perhaps its most consequential investigative act.”
https://boltsmag.org/hawaii-supreme-court-police-interrogations/

2025-11-28 00:00:07 UTC

Katie Wilson, Seattle’s newly elected mayor, has embraced a city-owned startup designed to emulate Vienna’s social housing model, which involves a public developer building housing designed to be permanently affordable.
https://boltsmag.org/progressives-win-in-seattle-wilson-evans-public-safety/

2025-11-27 15:30:04 UTC

Rejon Taylor was granted clemency by President Biden and taken off of federal death row last year. Trump officials are now sending him to a notoriously harsh supermax prison and Taylor says he wishes he was never granted clemency to begin with.
https://boltsmag.org/death-row-clemency-adx-supermax/

2025-11-13 23:00:16 UTC

Chicago police are required by law to document every time they pull someone over. But an investigation by Bolts and Injustice Watch last year revealed the department failed to report hundreds of thousands of stops.
https://boltsmag.org/chicago-police-secret-traffic-stops/

2025-11-13 15:30:07 UTC

Advocates in New Jersey are asking lawmakers to enshrine into law a state directive restricting cooperation with ICE. “It’s in the hands of the current legislature and the current governor, and you know, we need them to step up and get it passed.”
https://boltsmag.org/immigration-and-new-jersey-governor-election/

2025-11-12 21:30:11 UTC

Three Democratic justices prevailed last week in Pennsylvania.
Justice David Wecht told Bolts, “We all campaigned on the basis of vindicating the Pennsylvania constitution’s free and equal elections clause.”
https://boltsmag.org/pennsylvania-supreme-court-democrats-win-2025/

2025-11-11 14:01:00 UTC

The charge of “felony murder” allows defendants to be charged with the death of an accomplice, even when the killing was committed by someone else. Between 2009 and 2017, 83 percent of people charged with felony murder in Alabama were Black.
https://boltsmag.org/alabama-felony-murder/

2025-11-05 16:15:11 UTC

In case you missed it: The GOP mounted an unusual push to oust three supreme court justices in Pennsylvania and erase Democrats’ majority on the court. In yesterday's retention elections, all three prevailed easily.
https://boltsmag.org/pennsylvania-supreme-court-democrats-win-2025/

2025-11-05 02:36:05 UTC

RESULT: Democrat Mikie Sherrill is elected governor of New Jersey, per the AP. She defeats Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who aligned himself with Trump and campaigned to end state protections for immigrants.

2025-11-05 02:18:24 UTC

Andre Dickens has been re-elected mayor of Atlanta. Aftab Pureval and Justin Bibb won second terms in Cincinnati and Cleveland. Corey O’Connor will be the mayor of Pittsburgh. All are Democrats.

2025-11-03 04:30:06 UTC

On Colorado's ballot on Tuesday, there's a pair of statewide ballot measures that are meant to sustain the state's free school meals program, PBS explains. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-to-expect-in-colorado-on-election-day

2025-10-25 16:00:38 UTC

A Washington state program that directed outreach workers to spend weeks building relationships with homeless people living under highways brought about 1,200 people inside. Seattle mayoral candidate Katie Wilson sees it as a model for the city.
https://boltsmag.org/seattle-mayoral-race-tensions-over-homelessness-harrell-wilson/

2025-10-11 22:00:11 UTC

2025-09-24 16:00:05 UTC

Missouri organizers have a lot on their plate: They’ve already launched a ballot campaign to preserve direct democracy, and they’re also preparing for a so-called veto referendum to block the GOP’s middecade gerrymander.
https://boltsmag.org/missouri-amendment-on-ballot-initiatives/

2025-09-14 14:30:14 UTC

Virginia is currently the only state to strip people of their voting rights for life for any felony. A constitutional amendment would change that, but hinges on November’s legislative races.
https://boltsmag.org/virginia-advances-measure-to-end-lifetime-ban-on-voting/

2025-09-13 22:00:19 UTC

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders campaigned in 2022 on putting more people behind bars. After taking office, she spearheaded a bill limiting parole and bail. Her announcement of a new state prison has sparked fierce opposition in one rural county.
https://boltsmag.org/arkansas-prison-franklin-county/

2025-09-07 13:00:08 UTC

After over 500 hearings, lawyer Douglas Jennings quit representing clients before the South Carolina Parole Board, citing the board's consistent rejections. "I just couldn’t justify taking somebody’s money," he told Bolts.
https://boltsmag.org/parole-plunges-in-south-carolina/

2025-09-05 20:30:17 UTC

Maine’s Question 1 comes as President Trump has called to eliminate mail voting and many red states have restricted access to mail voting. If the practice is banned, he said, “you’re not gonna have many Democrats get elected.”
https://boltsmag.org/maine-question-1-in-november-2025-mail-voting/

2025-09-01 17:30:18 UTC

A ballot measure in Maine that would add new restrictions on mail voting would have an outsize effect in this state, where the average age is the highest of any state in the country and there is a high incidence of disability.
https://boltsmag.org/maine-question-1-in-november-2025-mail-voting/

2025-08-26 00:00:21 UTC

Connecticut lawmaker Josh Elliott was “horrified” to learn that a local company supplied chemicals for federal executions. His office was flooded with calls urging action, and this year he is pushing to ban execution drug sales for good.
https://boltsmag.org/connecticut-banning-participation-in-death-penalty/

2025-08-21 19:00:05 UTC

Our weekly newsletter will keep you up to date on the local politics and policies of criminal justice and voting rights. We outline news you need to know and share behind-the-scenes views of some of our biggest stories. Join us:
https://boltsmag.org/newsletter/

2025-08-19 20:30:05 UTC

The New Orleans police is currently constrained from partaking in almost all immigration enforcement activities by a federal consent decree. But in January, a judge granted a request to wind down this monitoring.
https://boltsmag.org/new-orleans-live-facial-recognition-and-immigation/

2025-08-06 02:14:11 UTC

- reply

Track tonight's results as they are trickling in with our guide to the races to watch. https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/guide-to-elections-in-august-2025/

2025-08-06 02:14:06 UTC

JUST IN: Democrats have defended two legislative seats today in special elections.
They easily prevailed in an election for Rhode Island's state Senate, and narrowly prevailed in an election for Delaware's state House.

2025-07-26 20:30:18 UTC

In Virginia, people leaving prison automatically regained the right to vote under the previous governor. But Governor Youngkin ended that policy and now decides who gets to cast a ballot.
https://boltsmag.org/virginia-governor-rights-restoration-blocked-from-voting/

2025-07-25 13:00:11 UTC

“This guy has clearly stated what his values are, and we’re going to completely ignore that and put the Democratic enforcement on him?” says a Virginia Democrat who opposes her party’s decision to endorse a “pro-Trump, pro-ICE” sheriff.
https://boltsmag.org/chesapeake-sheriff-election-democratic-endorsement-rosado/

2025-07-20 19:00:06 UTC

Oklahoma voters have expanded the state’s Medicaid program and lowered some criminal penalties. Next year, they'll choose whether to raise the minimum wage.
But the GOP has now cracked down on citizen initiatives. https://boltsmag.org/oklahoma-restricts-ballot-initiative-process/

2025-06-20 01:00:07 UTC

A federal court has tossed out a redistricting lawsuit brought by two tribes in North Dakota, declaring that only the DOJ can sue over violations of the Voting Rights Act's Section 2, a devastating blow to the ability of tribes to seek legal recourse. https://boltsmag.org/voting-rights-act-natives-north-dakota/

2025-06-15 20:30:08 UTC

A group in San Diego is patrolling neighborhoods to identify potential ICE presence. They keep watch for vehicles that may belong to federal agencies, and use livestreams, radios, and social media to keep communities informed. https://boltsmag.org/how-volunteer-patrols-are-working-to-protect-san-diego-immigrant-communities-from-ice/

2025-06-04 03:37:44 UTC

Unión del Barrio first started its community patrol program more than thirty years ago in response to police harassment of Latinos. The group reactivated its community patrols recently in response to increased federal immigration enforcement in San Diego. https://boltsmag.org/how-volunteer-patrols-are-working-to-protect-san-diego-immigrant-communities-from-ice/

2025-05-14 03:39:38 UTC

JUST IN: Democrat John Ewing has defeated Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, a Republican who was running for a fourth term.
Ewing, who currently serves as Douglas County's treasurer and will be Omaha's first Black mayor, leads Stothert 56 to 44 percent with most ballots counted.

2025-05-01 18:00:13 UTC

2025-04-26 23:00:11 UTC

Texas law requires that sheriffs order an outside investigation when someone dies in custody. Bolts learned this is not happening in one of Texas' biggest counties—and the state agency in charge of oversight says it's powerless to make officials comply. https://boltsmag.org/texas-jail-death-investigations/

2025-04-15 16:30:05 UTC

Today is Election Day in Newark’s school board race, and 16- and 17 year olds can vote for the first time. Gabrielly Ferreira, who is 16, told Bolts, “Voting gives me power to shape my education.” https://boltsmag.org/newark-teens-gear-up-for-school-board-elections-after-voting-age-extended-to-16/

2025-04-03 15:00:41 UTC

Bolts is hiring a new audience engagement editor.
We will start reviewing applications on Monday: We hope to hear from you before then!
Details are available here: https://boltsmag.org/jobs-at-bolts/audience-engagement-editor/

2025-04-02 17:00:53 UTC

Susan Crawford performed strongly across Wisconsin yesterday, and she flipped ten counties that voted for Trump in November.
Turnout was roughly 30 percent higher than the state’s 2023 supreme court race, and nearly double the 2019 supreme court race.
https://boltsmag.org/wisconsin-supreme-court-result-2025/

2025-04-01 22:00:04 UTC

In Arkansas, organizers working on ballot initiatives already face a mountain of technical rules to satisfy — down to the color of ink that notaries must use on petitions. The state government just passed a barrage of new laws to make this even tougher. https://boltsmag.org/new-rules-from-gop-legislature-target-arkansas-ballot-initiatives/

2025-03-30 22:00:04 UTC

Prisons across the U.S. rely on incarcerated labor, often paying people cents per hour—or nothing at all. Historian Robert Chase answered readers’ questions on how this system developed, how it works today, and efforts to challenge it. https://boltsmag.org/the-past-and-present-of-prison-labor-your-questions-answered/

2025-03-21 13:03:13 UTC

A December audit of Utah’s elections found just two improper votes among 2 million ballots cast statewide. Yet Republican lawmakers cited “election integrity” concerns in pushing to roll back vote-by-mail. https://boltsmag.org/utah-legislation-ending-universal-vote-by-mail/

2025-03-12 23:30:00 UTC

Arkansas Senator Kim Hammer authored several new bills this year restricting ballot initiatives. Now, he’s running for secretary of state — where he’d oversee the very rules he created, with new sweeping powers over citizen-led measures.
https://boltsmag.org/new-rules-from-gop-legislature-target-arkansas-ballot-initiatives/

2025-03-09 15:00:09 UTC

Colorado became the first state to require polling places in all county jails, despite officials insisting incarcerated people already had ballot access. The result? Turnout in jails surged statewide.
https://boltsmag.org/jail-voting-soars-in-colorado/

2025-03-04 00:30:00 UTC

First, LA sheriff’s officials lobbied to get a watchdog prosecuted. Now, they’re using the case “as justification for refusing to submit to meaningful oversight” and declining to share misconduct records, says former oversight commissioner Sean Kennedy.
https://boltsmag.org/the-curious-case-against-a-los-angeles-sheriff-watchdog/

2025-02-23 18:30:00 UTC

Two years after liberals flipped Wisconsin’s supreme court, ushering in a new era on election issues from gerrymandering to drop boxes, conservatives hope to win it back in April. https://boltsmag.org/wisconsin-2025-supreme-court-election-democracy/

2025-02-23 14:30:00 UTC

Robert McWhirter, an expert in constitutional and immigration law, is not aware of any past instance in which a local law enforcement official has faced federal charges for not complying with an ICE directive. And yet the DOJ is threatening prosecutions. https://boltsmag.org/new-york-sheriff-faces-ice-threats-on-immigration-enforcement-in-ithaca/

2025-02-17 02:00:13 UTC

“We need to make sure that eligible voters are able to exercise their right to vote without having to jump through a lot of unnecessary hoops,” Susan Crawford, who is running for the state supreme court in Wisconsin, told Bolts. https://boltsmag.org/wisconsin-2025-supreme-court-election-democracy/

2025-02-14 21:30:02 UTC

If you have a story pitch that would fit Bolts, we would love to hear from you!
Our guide lays out the sort of topics and stories we're interested in, and how to get in touch:
https://boltsmag.org/pitch-us/

2025-02-14 14:00:00 UTC

Florida’s governor has removed elected officials before. New legislation gives him more leeway to do so to force local governments to comply with ICE instructions.
https://boltsmag.org/florida-republicans-immigration-deal/

2025-02-04 23:00:16 UTC

Sheriff Bill Waybourn was reelected despite him flouting state law requiring investigations into jail deaths, which have spiked on his watch. Texas’ jail commission, which has ordered him to comply, only learned of the violation after Bolts' reporting. https://boltsmag.org/a-scandal-plagued-sheriff-wins-another-term-in-north-texas/

2025-02-04 21:30:00 UTC

Malikai and Mason Orozco-Romero, 8 and 4, were killed when their mother’s vehicle was rear-ended by a driver fleeing San Diego police. The reason for the high-speed car chase? A faulty headlight. https://boltsmag.org/after-deadly-car-chases-san-diego-police-oversight-body-wants-to-restrict-pursuits/

2025-02-04 20:54:52 UTC

A city in California is considering making it illegal for someone to be "aiding [or] abetting, a homeless camp, Cal Matters reports. calmatters.org/housing/homelessness/2025/02/fremont-ordinance-aid-abet/

2025-01-15 20:30:00 UTC

A federal appeals court is set to hear a GOP attempt to invalidate 60,000 ballots in the race for a seat on North Carolina’s top court, NC Newsline reports: https://ncnewsline.com/2025/01/10/a-federal-appeals-court-will-hear-the-nc-supreme-court-elections-case/

2025-01-15 13:53:04 UTC

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a leader in the progressive prosecutor movement, is facing a tough re-election fight in 2025. It’s one of the many local elections defining criminal justice policy that we are tracking: https://boltsmag.org/2025-criminal-justice-elections/

2024-12-30 02:00:18 UTC

Michigan’s juvenile justice system disproportionately impacts Black children. A report found that in recent years they were detained at six times the rate of white youth and stayed an average of seven days longer, racking up additional fees. https://boltsmag.org/michigan-juvenile-justice-reform-ending-court-debt/

2024-12-24 15:01:30 UTC

Alyshia Dyer, a former deputy and social worker, will soon take office as sheriff of Washtenaw County, Michigan. She plans to align law enforcement with reforms focused on harm reduction and alternatives to arrests.
https://boltsmag.org/a-michigan-sheriff-and-prosecutor-join-forces-to-implement-progressive-policy-washtenaw-county/

2024-12-24 02:00:07 UTC

California led the U.S. in eugenics, sterilizing over 20,000 people in state institutions from 1909 to 1963. Nazi Germany even studied California’s program while designing its own sterilization policies.
https://boltsmag.org/forced-sterilizations-california-prisons/

2024-12-19 17:00:23 UTC

Bolts is a nonprofit newsroom that relies on your support.
If you enjoy our state-by-state guides and voting cheat sheets, and want to support more of this in 2025, then consider making a donation:
https://boltsmag.org/donate-page/donate/

2024-12-15 18:00:00 UTC

After the 2024 elections, who will run each state’s government?
Bolts sums it up in one graph:
https://boltsmag.org/legislative-elections-2024/
https://assets.journa.host/media_attachments/files/113/658/141/130/989/611/original/da0728b0c620ed90.png

2024-12-07 22:00:00 UTC

Data shows that California property crime rates are at historic lows. But “people's perception of how at risk they are has changed over the last four years,” one researcher noted, in large part due to shoplifting videos that have gone viral on social media.
https://boltsmag.org/california-prop-36-tough-on-crime-prison-reform/

2024-12-04 02:10:00 UTC

Percy Glover first worked as a volunteer boosting civic engagement in Flint’s county jail. Now, he’s hired full-time to ensure the people incarcerated there know their voting rights: “Percy made us part of the process,” says one.
https://boltsmag.org/flint-michigan-jail-candidate-forums/

2024-11-25 21:00:03 UTC

Do you value our work on local politics, criminal justice, and voting rights?
It takes time and resources for our small team to produce it, and you can help!
Start a new monthly subscription, and NewsMatch will multiply your first monthly gift 12x! https://boltsmag.org/donate-page/donate/

2024-11-25 00:00:00 UTC

With no reentry support, Phillip Vance Smith was released from prison into homelessness. His story echoes thousands of others, writing in Bolts that 1 in 6 people left North Carolina prisons last year “as hopelessly as I did” with nowhere to turn.
https://boltsmag.org/north-carolina-prison-reentry/

2024-11-24 18:00:24 UTC

The ‘no’ to repealing ranked-choice voting in Alaska did well in blue areas, while outpacing Kamala Harris’ share of the vote by nearly 9 percentage points statewide. It did best relative to Harris in areas with large Native populations.
https://boltsmag.org/alaska-measure-2-results/

2024-11-21 21:00:00 UTC

In New Jersey, 25% of Black adults are barred from ever serving on a jury.
“We’re whitewashing a space that’s disproportionately affecting Black and brown communities,” said one lawyer. “Which calls into question: who is getting a jury of one’s peers?”
https://boltsmag.org/new-jersey-juries-service-people-with-criminal-convictions/

2024-11-16 21:30:06 UTC

Despite accusations of neglect and abuse by Wexford Health Sources, Illinois inked a 5-year, $4 billion contract with the prison healthcare company, raising fresh questions about the state’s commitment to improving quality of care for incarcerated people. https://boltsmag.org/illinois-prison-health-care-wexford/

2024-11-15 15:27:31 UTC

With a conservative hold on federal courts, state supreme courts are now where voting rights, abortion, and other critical issues will be fought.
@npub1skv…dfdf explains how last week's elections set the stage: https://boltsmag.org/state-supreme-court-results-2024/

2024-11-12 23:30:01 UTC

California voters last week ousted two of the boldest reform DAs to hold office since the “progressive prosecutor” movement began: George Gascón in LA and Pamela Price in Alameda County. https://boltsmag.org/california-progressive-prosecutors-gascon-price-lose-elections/

2024-11-12 16:03:59 UTC

Prop 134 and 136 would have restricted direct democracy in Arizona by making it prohibitively difficult to qualify a measure for the ballot.
“It is heartening that these measures went down pretty solidly,” said an attorney on last week’s results. https://boltsmag.org/arizona-results-of-democracy-measures-prop-134-136-and-137/

2024-11-06 22:32:01 UTC

Republicans have lost their supermajority in the North Carolina House. This means that they will not be able to use party-line votes to override vetoes by Josh Stein, the Democratic Governor-Elect.
https://www.wral.com/story/democrats-break-republican-supermajority-in-north-carolina-general-assembly/21705790/

2024-11-06 15:55:00 UTC

Voters in Nevada approved a ballot measure on Tuesday banning the use of “involuntary servitude” as punishment for a crime. The results of a similar amendment in California are still to come.
Our preview story explains what's at stake: https://boltsmag.org/california-amendment-forced-prison-labor/

2024-11-06 04:30:00 UTC

Monique Worrell, the Democratic state attorney in Orlando who was suspended by DeSantis last year, won 57 percent of the vote tonight, defeating incumbent Andrew Bain. https://boltsmag.org/tampa-orlando-proscutor-elections-2024/

2024-11-06 03:59:56 UTC

RESULT: Voters in Washington, D.C. have approved Initiative 83, establishing ranked-choice voting and allowing independents to vote in primaries.

2024-11-04 23:00:00 UTC

Montana’s supreme court could see a major shift tomorrow. As two justices retire, conservative groups are spending heavily to reshape a court that has long blocked Republican efforts to limit voting rights, abortion access, trans rights, and more. https://boltsmag.org/montana-supreme-court-elections-2024-and-voting-rights/

2024-11-04 15:00:01 UTC

Depending on where you live, you may see a dozen judicial races on your ballot tomorrow, and there’s often very little information available on candidates. But you could find some bread crumbs about their record or approaches to the bench. https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-your-local-ballots-your-questions-answered/

2024-11-04 00:00:01 UTC

Ohio's Issue 1 will determine who gets to draw future state congressional and legislative districts, and it may shift seats as early as 2026.
But more than that, the dispute is adding to a larger saga over the viability of direct democracy in Ohio.
https://boltsmag.org/ohio-issue-1-gerrrymandering-misleading-language/

2024-11-02 14:00:05 UTC

Voting in 3 days, Ohioans are choosing whether to create a new independent redistricting commission. But looking at the ballot, some voters say they’re finding it hard to tell which side is which. https://boltsmag.org/ohio-issue-1-gerrrymandering-misleading-language/

2024-11-01 01:00:01 UTC

D.C. residents have few competitive elections this November, but Initiative 83, which could transform how local elections work, is a big-ticket item to watch. https://boltsmag.org/downballot-stakes-your-questions-answered/

2024-11-01 00:00:02 UTC

Supporters of Arizona’s Prop 312 want unhoused people pushed into treatment. But Will Knight of the National Homelessness Law Center says that mental illness is a “real easy myth to sell” compared to confronting economic issues like high housing costs. https://boltsmag.org/arizona-prop-312-unhoused-ballot-measure/