Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Democrats push for automatic voter registration in Wisconsin, New York

Progressive lawmakers in Wisconsin and New York want to make voting easier for their constituents by creating automatic registration systems.

In Wisconsin, funding for automatic voter registration was removed from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' budget by Republicans, but some liberal legislators are still fighting. They have introduced a bill that would automatically register residents when they receive or renew their driver's licenses or state ID cards, Wisconsin Public Radio reports.


New York Democrats are also pushing for automatic voter registration. On Thursday, state lawmakers will hear input from experts and officials on the logistics of creating an AVR system, per the New York Daily News. Earlier this session, Democrats in Albany took advantage of their control of both legislative chambers by passing other voter-friendly bills with the hopes of boosting state election participation.

Wisconsin and New York join a growing state-led movement to implement automatic voter registration. Over the past five years, 15 states and the District of Columbia have adopted AVR — most through partnerships with state agencies, such as the Department of Motor Vehicles.



After adopting automatic registration systems, these states have seen significant increases to their voting populations, according to research conducted by the Brennan Center for Justice. Washington, D.C., saw the most modest growth, with a registration bump of 9.4 percent. Georgia, on the other hand, had its voting population skyrocket by 93.7 percent.

Read More

Similarity Hub Shows >700 Instances of Cross-Partisan Common Ground

Two coloured pencils one red and one blue drawing a reef knot on a white paper background.

Getty Images, David Malan

Similarity Hub Shows >700 Instances of Cross-Partisan Common Ground

It is a common refrain to say that Americans need to find common ground across the political spectrum.

Over the past year, AllSides and More Like US found >700 instances of common ground on political topics, revealed in Similarity Hub. It highlights public opinion data from Gallup, Pew Research, YouGov, and many other reputable polling firms.

Keep ReadingShow less
U.S. Refines Military Strategy in Africa As Development Programs Face Cuts

Royal Moroccan Armed Forces service members and U.S. Army Soldiers hold an African Lion banner during a Moroccan F-16 flyover at the closing day of African Lion 2025 (AL25) at Tantan, Morocco, May 23, 2025.

By Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Mallett/U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

U.S. Refines Military Strategy in Africa As Development Programs Face Cuts

WASHINGTON – Both the Trump administration and its critics agree the U.S. risks losing influence in Africa to rivals like China and Russia. But while the administration argues its commercially driven foreign policy will reverse the trend, critics warn that retreating from development and diplomacy could deepen the problem.

Under the Trump administration, the U.S. plans to consolidate embassies, scale back USAID operations, and pivot towards a security and commercial driven approach on the continent. While U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) defense officials insist their core missions within Africa will remain intact, civilian experts and lawmakers argue that abandoning diplomatic and development tools opens the door for strategic competitors to fill the void and fails to take into account what would best benefit African countries.

Keep ReadingShow less