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PA should follow California's lead and mail ballots to every registered voter in the state

Roxanne Patel Shepelavy

May 15, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Pennsylvania

Governor Gavin Newsome in California ordered vote-from-home ballots be sent to all registered voters for the November 2020 election due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While some states allow people to vote by mail for any reason, a ballot is usually obtained only by request, which evidence shows does not lead to the same increased voter turnout as automatically receiving a ballot. Absentee voters do tend to be white and upper-middle class, but some voter-rights organizations such as Committee of Seventy have shifted priorities to getting everyone who is eligible to request a vote-from-home ballot.

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Can Vote by Mail Work in Low Income Minority Neighborhoods?

Eric Cortellessa

May 14, 2020 |

Washington Monthly |

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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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Stifled Progress

Hannah O. Brown Becca Burton

May 11, 2020 |

The Marjorie |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Florida

Less than two years after Florida voters abolished the state’s lifetime ban on voting by anyone with a felony criminal record – a law that disenfranchised more than 10% of the state's voting-age people – an estimated 50,000 affected people had registered to vote and organizers were working to register the balance of the 1.4 million newly eligible voters. Amendment 4, the Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative, won widespread voter approval and initially survived an attempt by legislators to undermine it thanks to a grassroots movement organized by formerly incarcerated people.

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An Army of Equality Voters

Chris Rudisill

May 01, 2020 |

QNotes Carolinas |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) identified 57 million voters who identify as LGBTQ or allies and used digital and print ads, direct mail, and text and phone outreaches to turnout these “equality voters” in the 2018 mid-term elections. The campaign registered 30,000 new voters and trained 1,600 local volunteers who logged more than 20,000 hours for HRC-endorsed candidates. The campaign effectively increased turnout in the group from 36% in 2016 to 56% in 2018. While there are many more LGBTQ and ally voters not included, the group worked with Catalist to identify voters who are motivated by LGBTQ equality.

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Colorado's Vote-by-Mail System Could Save the 2020 Election. Why Aren't More States Using It?

Peter Wade

April 30, 2020 |

Rolling Stone |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

Colorado achieved the second-highest voter turnout rate in 2018 in part by allowing universal mail-in voting. Three out of every four Colorado residents polled support mail-in voting, making it hugely popular as well. Many people are now looking to successful mail-in states like Colorado to pave the way for universal mail-in voting in the upcoming presidential election.

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Coronavirus is generating a surge of interest in voting by mail in the 2020 presidential election. It's not a panacea

Anthony Man

March 29, 2020 |

Tampa Bay Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Florida

The Covid-19 pandemic has increased interest in and use of alternative voting methods in Florida. Among Democrats in the 2020 primary, where most of the primary action took place, voting by mail was up 33% from 2016 and early voting at regional sites was up 20%, while in-person voting on primary day was down about 25%. Offering voting alternatives is not a panacea, there are some drawbacks including a greater percentage of rejected ballots among certain demographic groups, however it can help ease concerns among voters about voting in person during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Voting by Mail Would Reduce Coronavirus Transmission but It Has Other Risks

Jessica Huseman

March 24, 2020 |

ProPublica |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

As the COVID19 pandemic continues, officials are looking ahead to the United States’ presidential election in November and considering mail-in ballots. While it is a limited-contact way of voting, it presents massive challenges in terms of scaling. Things like infrastructure, cost, and voter privacy and fraud have to be considered, which is why states are turning to those who have had some success already, like Minnesota and Montana, to learn from.

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How to Save Elections From a Pandemic

Eric Cortellessa

March 16, 2020 |

Washington Monthly |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Salt Lake City, Utah

The coronavirus pandemic swept the nation at a time when many would be going to polling stations to cast their votes in primary elections, but vote-at-home practices are providing a solution for this civic inconvenience. Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and now Utah have all implemented statewide all-mail election campaigns that not only improve voter turnout, but also cost less to taxpayers than only relying on in-person polling booths.

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Advocates, teachers aim to help growing number of young Texas voters wield their power

Vicky Camarillo

March 11, 2020 |

Corpus Christi Caller Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Texas

Organizations and educators in Texas work to increase voter engagement among young people. Schools must provide voter registrations, but many don't, so some teachers register students and teach the importance of civic participation. Several groups also work to get high school and college-age voters to the polls. MOVE Texas and Texas Rising registered thousands of young voters on National Voter Registration Day in 2019. Utilizing technology, going to where young people are, and teaching media literacy increased civic engagement among young people in 2018, although the turnout was still relatively low at 25%.

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How organizations, lawsuits are fighting voter suppression in Texas

John C. Moritz

March 05, 2020 |

Corpus Christi Caller Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Texas

Civil rights groups used a lawsuit and a vigilant network of activists to defeat an attempt to purge qualified voters from the list of Texas' eligible voters and to guard against ongoing attempts to disenfranchise naturalized citizens and other people of color. In 2019, the Texas Secretary of State's office compiled a list of what it said were as many as 100,000 illegally registered voters. Countering claims of fraud and threats of prosecution, activists forced the state to abandon the effort and oust the secretary of state. A study shows at least 17 million names have been cut from voter lists nationwide.

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