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Youth climate councils aim to locally combat climate crisis

Marianne Dhenin

September 12, 2022 |

Prism |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Antonio, Texas

Through the San Antonio Mayor's Youth Engagement Council, students network with municipal officials, conduct research, and complete community-based projects to help them develop policy proposals around issues such as the climate crisis. Participants have organized workshops and collected food and hygiene donations to support vulnerable residents and say serving on the council has provided them a venue to work on issues that are important to them.

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How to Fix America's Confusing Voting System

Aliyya Swaby Annie Waldman

September 12, 2022 |

ProPublica |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

The Center for Civic Design helps states simplify ballot and registration forms to make their voting processes more accessible for people with low literacy, who are more likely to struggle with the complex language of most election materials. Such reforms have led to fewer ballots being rejected, including in New York, where a redesigned absentee ballot helped the number of rejected ballots drop from 22 percent to just 4 percent.

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The life-changing power of West Virginia's only queer youth summer camp

Nico Lang

September 07, 2022 |

Xtra |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Weston, West Virginia

The Appalachian Queer Youth Summit, West Virginia's only summer camp for LGBTQ2S+ teenagers, provides a welcoming venue for campers to explore their identities and connect with other queer youth, all while building skills in storytelling, advocacy, citizen lobbying, and knowing your rights. Participants have gone on to advocate for changes in their state, successfully driving efforts to ban conversion therapy at the municipal level, and have also formed a tight-knit community that extends beyond the camp grounds.

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Primary Turnout Surged in Wards 7 and 8. Mail-In Voting Is a Big Reason Why.

Alex Koma

August 23, 2022 |

Washington City Paper |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

Following the expansion of mail-in voting during the COVID-19 pandemic, Washington, D.C. mailed a ballot directly to every eligible voter in its 2022 primary election. The strategy is considered a crucial factor contributing to increased voter turnout in two of the city's poorest and most underserved wards, which saw their highest percentage of eligible voters casting ballots since the 2010 primary.

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South Africans say apps step in where government fails

Kim Harrisberg

August 17, 2022 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: South Africa

Apps are providing vital services when the South African government is unable to do so. From informing citizens of power cuts to filling in potholes and seeking mental health, these citizen-build resources are addressing community issues and even creating employment opportunities.

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TIRRC Votes harnesses "Black and brown political power"

Dulce Torres Guzman

August 15, 2022 |

Tennessee Lookout |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Tennessee

Ahead of Tennessee's August 2022 primary, organizations such as TIRRC (Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition) Votes and the Effendi Foundation targeted their outreach toward immigrant communities to increase turnout in key elections, resulting in wins for several TIRRC-endorsed candidates. The organizations relied on culturally-relevant strategies, including employing engagement coordinators from multiple countries, bringing candidates to speak at local mosques, and using community-specific language in written outreach.

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The Democracy Deficit

Ravi Agrawal

August 09, 2022 |

Foreign Policy |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: France

In response to the yellow vest movement, France decided to experiment with "open democracy" by convening the French Citizens Convention on Climate, which asked 150 randomly-selected citizens to consider ways for the country to curb greenhouse gas emissions. With the help of more than 100 experts, the convention developed 149 recommendations that were used as the basis for France's most ambitious climate legislation proposal to date.

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Black and Hispanic Students Find Their Voice Through Civics Education in Sacramento

Srishti Prabha

August 08, 2022 |

The Observer |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Sacramento, California

Sacramento's Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Center offers a civics education program where students of color can learn about movements spearheaded by marginalized people, connect with like-minded peers interested in making change, and develop their voices as advocates. Students have gone on to intern at City Hall, advocate for issues like improved WiFi access and higher teacher pay, and even work for the center themselves.

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‘Better for democracy': Two US cities offer Arabic voting ballots

Ali Harb

August 03, 2022 |

Al Jazeera |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Michigan

Municipal officials in two southeast Michigan communities exercised their local governing power to bypass federal voting legislation that does not include Arab Americans among the "disenfranchised communities" with a right to receive election ballots in their first language. Through a city council resolution and collaboration among county officials, the Michigan Secretary of State, and Dominion Voting Systems, the cities offered Arabic ballots for the 2022 state primary, which is thought to be the first example of Arabic-language ballots being offered in a state-organized election in the United States.

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Group seeks to turn Arizona's primaries into nonpartisan elections

Caitlin Schmidt

July 30, 2022 |

Arizona Daily Star |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

States such as Washington and California have nonpartisan "top-two" primaries, in which the top two vote getters move on to the general election regardless of their party affiliation. In Washington, voter turnout in primary elections has jumped from 18 percent in 2003, before the law went into effect, to nearly 55 percent in 2020.

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