I’ll have a lot to share all day. But I want to point to two pieces already that exemplify what’s special about today for me.
First, this by @macfathom on New York’s opaque parole board. For people wondering how to change the country, these neglected offices (literally neglected: there are multiple vacancies Govs have long failed to fill) are the nuts & bolts to pay attention to. boltsmag.org/new-york-parol…
Second is a powerhouse resource of election admin by @yeargain.
Trump’s Big Lie has put local officials in the hot seat. If you’ve ever asked who actually manages elections only to give up because it's such a labyrinth, you’ll want to bookmark this: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-b…
There's a lot more on our site, like my guide to criminal justice in the midterms, & @michaelsbarajas's look at what progressive election admin can mean in TX). I'm excited it reflects our drive to produce great journalism & provide public resources for collaborative work.
If you're able, a donation would go a long way to help make this project all it could be, give local politics the spotlight they deserve, and help us continue producing this work — more stories, more resources.
In a big decision, NC's Supreme Court just struck down the GOP gerrymander, 4-3.
Had Dems not won the 2018 Supreme Court race, this would have gone the other way.
2018 is the year that... the GOP tried to rig the election, only to have it spectacularly backfire. Let's recap.
Heading into 2018, the GOP wanted Justice Barbara Jackon (R) to win. It pushed a series of changes to ensure that.
1—It cancelled judicial primaries just for 2018
2—It changed ballot order rules
3—It added partisan ID on ballot
(All these things will soon conspire against them.
Why did they think this helps? Well: Incumbent is a Republican, but it'll be hard for Dems to coalesce around 1 challenger. With primaries cancelled this year, this would mean a November race with one R & multiple Ds. Add partisan ID on ballot, & GOP wins.
Thrilled to share this: I’m launching a new media outlet, Bolts, very soon.
We'll cover the nuts and bolts of power & political change, from the local up — those overlooked elections & decisions that greatly shape policy. Follow us already @BoltsMag!
We'd LOVE your support: ↓
Bolts is focusing on two areas where local governments are so crucial: criminal justice & voting rights.
I’m ecstatic that the amazing @michaelsbarajas has joined @BoltsMag as managing editor! Also: My “What’s on the Ballot” is moving over.
What can you do right now? 3 things.
First: Please follow us on here to stay up to date & help us grow: @BoltsMag.
Second: You can subscribe to our mailing list to not miss anything. (It’s free.) mailchi.mp/37f347f08fa8/b…
Don’t lose sight of the country-defining presidential election today in Chile between the Pinochet-nostalgic José Antonio Kast & left organizer Gabriel Boric.
Huge blow to Dems in Wisconsin, somewhat expected given the GOP-majority court is among the most polarized in the country.
The ruling's effect is that the HEAVILY gerrymandered maps the GOP drew for 2010s will carry into the 2020s, no matter the veto power Dems gained in 2018.
Wisconsin's 2019 Supreme Court race, held far (far) from the national spotlight in the spring of 2019 and which the GOP-aligned candidate carried by 5921 votes (out of 1.2 million) will loom very large when it comes to deciding national power thru this coming decade.
Note these developments should not be not surprises. We know (and should know better) that these local & state elections matter & will have momentous consequences when they're happening.
A Chinese tennis professional accused a state official of sexual assault a few weeks ago. The accusation was wildly and promptly censored. Since then, she disappeared. Now this “email” release:
It's hard to make the words "I've just been resting at home and everything is fine" feel more chilling than this.
The woman’s tennis association directly suggests the statement attributed to the disappeared player is fake: “I have repeatedly tried to reach her, to no avail.”
There was a premature avalanche of stories about New York State as tho results were final two weeks ago. This was frustrating because we went thru this in 2020, when early results were very incomplete and changed a lot when mail ballots were counted.
Rochester is only about a third of Monroe, pop-wise.