Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Glitch added noncitizens to Illinois voter rolls

Chicago DMV office

Nearly 600 were registered to vote in Illinois even though they they said they were not citizens when filling out paperwork at DMV offices like this one in Chicago.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

A programming error at the Departments of Motor Vehicles led to nearly 600 noncitizens being added to the Illinois voter rolls in the past two years.

The secretary of state's office notified the Board of Elections in a letter last month that 574 noncitizen residents of Illinois had likely been registered to vote inadvertently while applying for a driver's license or identification card between July 2018 and December 2019. Those people are now being taken off the voter manifests.

It's a relatively rare case of a government agency openly admitting such a mistake, which if left unaddressed could open the officials running the coming election to charges of incompetence or malfeasance.


The integrity of registration rosters — especially in tossup states but even in a stronghold for one party like Illinois is for the Democrats — is one of the big issues civil rights groups on the left and anti-fraud watchdogs on the right are battling over ahead of the presidential election.

Illinois officials explained that the license or ID applicants had answered "no" to a question regarding their citizenship, but their information had been forward to the elections board for a registration card anyway.

The secretary of state's office fixed the glitch in December and provided the board with the names and information of 574 people to be removed from voter rolls, according to the notice, first reported last week by a political blogger in Illinois.

The state also notified those residents their information had been incorrectly included "in a batch transfer of voter registration data" sent to state election officials and if they had received a voter ID card to destroy it, according to the letter.

While the programming error on DMV keypads dates back to July 2018, it's unclear whether any noncitizens used an ID card to vote in the midterm election. Illinois House Republicans have called for an investigation, The Rock River Times reported.

Read More

Entertainment Can Improve How Democrats and Republicans See Each Other

Since the development of American mass media culture in the mid-20th century, numerous examples of entertainment media have tried to improve attitudes towards those who have traditionally held little power.

Getty Images, skynesher

Entertainment Can Improve How Democrats and Republicans See Each Other

Entertainment has been used for decades to improve attitudes toward other groups, both in the U.S. and abroad. One can think of movies like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, helping change attitudes toward Black Americans, or TV shows like Rosanne, helping humanize the White working class. Efforts internationally show that media can sometimes improve attitudes toward two groups concurrently.

Substantial research shows that Americans now hold overly negative views of those across the political spectrum. Let's now learn from decades of experience using entertainment to improve attitudes of those in other groups—but also from counter-examples that have reinforced stereotypes and whose techniques should generally be avoided—in order to improve attitudes toward fellow Americans across politics. This entertainment can allow Americans across the political spectrum to have more accurate views of each other while realizing that successful cross-ideological friendships and collaborations are possible.

Keep ReadingShow less
Close-up of military man holding hands with his therapist during counseling at mental health center.

PTSD Awareness Day is not only a time to advocate for veterans' mental health but also an opportunity for all Americans to reflect on the emotional responses triggered by political division.

Getty Images, Drazen Zigic

National PTSD Awareness Day: A Call to Action for Veterans and Civil Discourse

Each year on June 27, National PTSD Awareness Day shines a light on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), encouraging those affected to seek support. This observance was officially recognized by the U.S. Senate in 2010, following an initiative by Senator Kent Conrad to honor a North Dakota National Guard member who tragically took his own life after serving two tours in Iraq.

PTSD can develop after experiencing or witnessing traumatic events such as combat, assault, accidents, or natural disasters. Its symptoms—ranging from flashbacks and anxiety to mood swings and avoidance behaviors—can be deeply disruptive. PTSD Awareness Day is part of PTSD Awareness Month, which spans the entire month of June, promoting education, treatment options, and community support for those affected.

Keep ReadingShow less
International Students Cope With Growing Mental Health Issues
woman in brown sweater covering her face with her hand
Photo by Dev Asangbam on Unsplash

International Students Cope With Growing Mental Health Issues

Maeve Zhu, an undergraduate at the University of Washington, said moving to Seattle with hopes of studying computer science quickly became overwhelming.

"The hardest part for adjusting to life in the U.S. as an international undergrad was also my first year living overseas alone without my parents around me," said Maeve Zhu, an undergraduate at UW. "Trying to manage your time, your money, and your energy, all while being so lonely, the first year felt like living in a nightmare."

Keep ReadingShow less