Civic Engagement Archives | Page 12 of 20 | American Democracy Minute

State Legislatures Attempting to Limit Voter Power by Making Citizen Ballot Initiatives Harder to Win

March 9, 2023March 9, 2023

In our January 2023 predictions for state anti-voter legislation, we anticipated efforts to make citizen ballot initiatives harder, to keep voters from passing reforms that political parties & legislatures don’t like. Sorry to say, we were right.

Minnesota Restores Voting Rights to as Many as 55,000 Formerly Incarcerated Felons

March 7, 2023March 7, 2023

Because there are so many efforts around the country to restrict the vote, our reports are often negative. Today we have a good news story from Minnesota, where as many as 55,000 more citizens can now vote.

Wyoming Legislature Restricts Change of Affiliation Rules, Making ‘Cross-Over’ Voting Harder

February 28, 2023February 28, 2023

Today we’re reporting on the Wyoming legislature’s effort to end “cross-over” voting in primary elections, and a recently-killed bill to allow municipalities to use ranked choice voting.

Florida Group Leading Effort to Restore Voting Rights to Formerly-Incarcerated Felons is Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

February 22, 2023February 22, 2023

In 2018, Florida voters passed Article 4, an initiative which restored voting rights to 1.6 million felons who had completed their sentence and parole. In the face of continued efforts by Florida’s Governor & legislature to block those rights, the Florida organization which led the initiative has been nominated for the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize.

Cities & Counties Also Get Gerrymandered; California Citizens are Fighting Back

February 20, 2023February 20, 2023

When we think redistricting, we generally think about our state’s Congressional, house and senate districts. But city and county districts are also reapportioned through redistricting – and also increasingly gerrymandered. Citizens in California are fighting back.