Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Urban League embraces heart of ‘democracy reform’ agenda as aiding black electorate

A prominent civil rights group garnered headlines last week by detailing how Russia's 2016 election disinformation campaign was focused on highlighting racial tensions. But the National Urban League's report also forcefully argued that widespread voter suppression policies made Russia's efforts easier, and the fine print is a case for enacting almost all the most prominent proposals in the "democracy reform" movement.

The 43rd annual "State of Black America" report, which focuses on a different aspect of African-American life and public policy each year, recommends 11 policy changes to fight what it believes is a "serious threat and sustained attack" on democracy through American politicians' efforts to disenfranchise one-eighth of the electorate.


The group's president, Marc Morial, says the message "to the enemies of democracy is this: We see you. We know what you're doing, and we won't let you get away with it. We will shine a light on these evil deeds."

The report details how black voters were targeted "with surgical precision on social media" by a Russian-based organization called the Internet Research Agency, which reached millions of users across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms with messages aimed at dividing America on racial lines.

Recommendations that are high on the to-do list for many "good government" groups address both foreign and domestic challenges to voting rights and election administration, including:

  • Eliminating the strictest voter ID requirements.
  • Permitting automatic voter registration, online registration and same-day registration.
  • Restoring voting rights to felons after completing their sentences.
  • Requiring paper verification of ballots as a check on computer tampering.
  • Ending systems that too aggressively purge voter rolls.

Some of the more ambitious items on the Urban League's wish list are:

  • Rewriting the Voting Rights Act to revive requirements that jurisdictions with histories of racial discrimination get preclearance from Washington before changing any election rules.
  • Making it illegal to distribute false information designed to dissuade certain groups from voting.
  • Giving statehood (and thereby full-fledged seats in Congress) to Washington, D.C.
  • Persuading states to award their electoral votes to the national popular vote winner.

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