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Can a Group of Scrappy Young Activists Build Real Progressive Power in Trump Country?

Jimmy Tobias

October 18, 2018 |

The Nation (New York) |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Leaders from Lancaster Stands Up, an independent political organization, are bridging the gap between Democrats and Republicans in small, rural, conservative towns. They are building a progressive base by going back to the basics: door knocking and having conversations with voters. Their membership has grown to 800 people, and they’ve closed the gap between a progressive candidate and the Republican incumbent.

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This Is What Democracy Looks Like

Sarah Holder

October 09, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Effective visual messaging doesn’t just make political candidates stand out, it can also entice unlikely voters to the polls. The key is to pick up on what people respond to and take risks, including by hiring design firms new to election work.

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A Grassroots Call to Ban Gerrymandering

Erick Trickey

September 23, 2018 |

The Atlantic |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Lansing, Michigan

In Michigan, a group of people decided they were done with gerrymandering: a political process in which district maps are redrawn to favor one party over another. They formed a group called “Voters Not Politicians,” and did what no one thought they would be able to do. “The crowdsourced campaign held 33 town-hall meetings in 33 days, wrote a ballot proposal to give redistricting powers to a citizens’ commission” and “collected 425,000 petition signatures in four months to secure a spot on Michigan’s ballot—a rare feat, usually accomplished only by hiring paid signature gatherers.”

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More Cities Want to Embrace ‘Democracy Vouchers'

Tanvi Misra

August 08, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Seattle residents receive cash vouchers to contribute to local campaigns of their choosing. The taxpayer-funded program aims to broaden political participation and counter the influence of big donors. The idea is spreading to other cities, including Albuquerque and Austin.

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How to Raise an ‘Army of Angry Moms and Women' From Your Own Kitchen

Edward Isaac-Dovere

August 07, 2018 |

Politico |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

What started as one mother upset over the 2012 Sandyhook school shooting has morphed into Moms Demand Action, a powerful political force with more than five million people on its list and 300,000 active volunteers. Founder Shannon Watts estimates the grassroots group around has helped block the majority of NRA-sponsored bills and succeeded in passing 1,000 of their own restricting guns. Many volunteers are also running for office.

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How to Win Elections in a System 'Not Set Up for Us'

Russell Berman

July 30, 2018 |

The Atlantic |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Atlanta, Georgia

120 people attended the second annual Black Campaign School, a training program created by the Collective PAC, a progressive political action committee that is trying to get more black candidates into office. The Collective also trains and recruits candidates. In 2016 the Collective backed five candidates, four won. “It was the kicking-off point to say we want to bring folks together on the local, state, and federal level to share and learn, build a community, and hopefully help folks win.”

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Drive Against Gerrymandering Finds New Life in Ballot Initiatives

Michael Wines

July 23, 2018 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Public opinion is turning against gerrymandering faster than the Supreme Court. Five states are holding ballot measures on the issue spurred ahead by tens of thousands of citizen’s signatures, and political uncertainty is pushing legislators themselves to get behind apolitical redistricting commissions.

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Women of Color Face Significant Barriers When Running for Office. But They're Finding Support

Linda Kramer Jenning

July 13, 2018 |

Yes! Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

This election cycle, organizations are recognizing that women of color running for office need guidance and resources that take into account the challenges women of color face. “We needed to create a space that is unique for Black women to talk about the challenges and opportunities that exist that are unique for Black women so we can move Black women up the political pipeline.”

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Can the A.C.L.U. Become the N.R.A. for the Left?

Joel Lovell

July 02, 2018 |

The New York Times Magazine |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States

The ACLU has unrolled a new operation to counter human rights abuses under the current administration. They’ve hired more lawyers, taken 170 “Trump-related legal actions, and filed 83 lawsuits against the Trump administration. They’re also getting more engaged with electoral races, something they have never done before. “That’s the way we’re going to survive this. Pressure in the courts, pressure from the public.”

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How an Unknown Reformer Rescued One of America's Most Troubled School Districts

Eliza Shapiro

June 30, 2018 |

Politico |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Camden, New Jersey

In his five years as superintendent of Camden public schools, Paymon Rouhanifard shepherded in a new era of increasing graduation and decreasing suspension rates. Rouhanifard "avoided the extremes of zigzagging educational trends" and combined his background as both a politician and an educator to offer up a long term path to improvement, one that took into consideration the fate of public and charter schools alike. As Rouhanifard moves on, he leaves a unique legacy, one he hopes will prove resistant to the whims of short-term education reform trends.

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