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Democracy Reform: Voters Not Politicians

Richard Davies Jim Meigs

July 10, 2020 |

How Do We Fix It? |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Michigan

Voters Not Politicians is a grassroots initiative that, with the help of hundreds of volunteers, ran a successful campaign to defeat gerrymandering in Michigan. The state has a citizen-led ballot initiative option, so the group held townhall meetings and gathered over 410,000 voter signatures to get the initiative on the statewide ballot. The measure was challenged in courts, but the group raised funds for legal help and the initiative passed by a margin of 61-39 percent. The new law requires that an independent group of average citizens will decide district boundaries with full transparency.

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How Other Countries Handled Their Jobs Crises

Cardiff Garcia

June 17, 2020 |

NPR |

Podcast |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States

Varying tactics have been adopted in response to the worldwide pandemic, prompting financial implications; some more successful than others. Germany and Japan, in particular, have been able to maintain low unemployment rates in comparison to the US. Germany's approach is a work-sharing program, or "Kurzarbeit," which allows employers to reduce hours for all employees instead of letting some employees go, preventing workers from experiencing the uncertainties of unemployment. South Korea's successful approach to containing the virus prevented the loss of jobs and prompted a faster return to normal.

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How Switzerland avoided a coronavirus 'catastrophe' by protecting cross-border workers

Daniel Wighton

June 12, 2020 |

The Local |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Switzerland

Switzerland avoids a total shutdown of borders in order to keep its healthcare system functioning during the covid-19 health crisis. Healthcare workers are vital to border cities such as Geneva, which relies on cross-border workers who commute to and from the country on a daily basis. Health workers were given faster access at border crossings and other employees were encouraged to work from home after tax treaties and agreements were quickly re-written and passed to avoid workers and employers from being penalized.

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What Estonia could teach us about internet voting in a post-pandemic world

Chris O'Brien

June 11, 2020 |

VentureBeat |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Estonia

Estonia’s i-Voting system is currently used by 46.7% of voters and allows them to vote from home using a government-issued smart card. To vote, residents need a computer with a card reader or can have their encrypted ID linked to their cell phone SIM card. They can track their vote with a QR code and are able to change their choices any time during the 10-day voting period. Estonia is currently the only country to use this method, in part because eroding government trust has prevented the use of centralized systems that track personal information.

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After April's election difficulties, would a vote-at-home system make more sense for Wisconsin?

Patricia McKnight

May 20, 2020 |

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

States that use universal voting by mail can be models for all states to protect voters amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Voting by mail can also increase voter turnout. After sending 2020 primary ballots to all registered voters, two Wisconsin districts had voter turnout about twice that of the statewide turnout. States also report that, after high startup costs, voting by mail is cheaper over the long term. Colorado successfully uses intelligent bar codes to track ballots and avoid fraud. Setting up the system before the November 2020 election would be difficult, as is reaching those without a permanent address.

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Can Vote by Mail Work in Low Income Minority Neighborhoods?

Eric Cortellessa

May 14, 2020 |

Washington Monthly |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Maryland and Ohio recently held elections almost entirely by mail and their different approaches provide insight into the impact on low-income voters, particularly those without permanent addresses. All registered voters in Maryland were sent mail-from-home ballots whereas Ohio voters had to request a ballot. Despite some reports of issues, turnout in Maryland increased 10 percentage points overall and 6 points in Baltimore City, indicating no widespread disenfranchisement in poorer counties. In Ohio, the extra step created a barrier for many voters and turnout decreased from 43.6% in 2016 to just 22.6%.

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Hoping for Federal Help, Cities Experiment with Rental Assistance

Jared Brey

May 12, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Many U.S. cities have responded to Covid-19 related layoffs by using a portion of the CARES Act funds to create local rent assistance programs that keep renters in homes and landlords generating income. For example, Dallas used $13.7 million from the CARES Act for a rent assistance program and within 26 hours they had 25,000 applicants, with about 10,000 meeting requirements and funds likely going to just 1,000 renters. States and cities do not have enough money to meet the demand for rent assistance and are urging the Federal Government to pass a recently introduced bill that will provide more funding.

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Greece Has ‘Defied the Odds' in the Pandemic

Iliana Magra

April 28, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Greece, Thessaloniki

Because of early and quick actions by the government – and a compliant populace – Greece has seen under 200 COVID-19 deaths, relatively low compared to its European counterparts. The country was quick to cancel large gatherings, enforce mandatory quarantines after travel, increase its healthcare infrastructure, and impose a strict shelter-in-place order. While these measures have seemingly had an impact, limitations like lack of testing and outbreaks in refugee camps are making some question those results.

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California lessons from the 1918 pandemic: San Francisco dithered; Los Angeles acted and saved lives

James Rainey Rong-Gong Lin II

April 19, 2020 |

Los Angeles Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

Two of California’s major cities – Los Angeles and San Francisco – are learning from their history with the Spanish Influenza during the COVID-19 pandemic. The two cities had different approaches, with San Francisco strongly requiring masks, shutting down later, and opening up earlier and Los Angeles shutting down almost immediately and waiting an extra month to open up. Over one hundred years later, leaders are looking back to learn from mistakes to save lives.

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Comic Relief From COVID-19: Leaders Really Meme It When They Say Stay Home

Mary Chris Jaklevic

April 10, 2020 |

Kaiser Health News |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States

Some officials are using humor to urge citizens to follow Covid-19 directives like staying at home and social distancing. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot used memes shared under #whereslightfoot as inspiration for a public service announcement, where she uses humor to reinforce the city’s stay at home order. Other officials, such as the governors of New York, California, and Kentucky, have created humorous videos, engaged in playful banter, and enlisted the help of famous comedians to reach people. The response has been positive, but some critics worry that sarcasm can cause people to push back on the advice.

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