Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Follow Us:
Top Stories

New Mexico lawmakers debate allowing convicts to vote

New Mexico's legislature this week began considering a bill to give convicted felons the right to vote while incarcerated or on parole. The legislation would go further than the initiative approved by last fall by Florida voters, who restored voting rights for all convicted felons, except murderers and sex offenders, and further than the law President Trump signed in December, easing some of the most punitive prison sentences at the federal level without restoring the franchise to federal convicts.

In Albuquerque, supporters told a state House panel the bill was an important vehicle for boosting the rights of minority groups that have historically had disproportionately high incarceration rates. Opponents lambasted the idea of extending such rights to violent offenders.



The bill's sponsor, Democratic state Rep. Gail Chasey, citing statistics that show 94 percent of New Mexico's 7,000 inmates will eventually be released, said allowing them to be politically active while in prison will make them more engaged citizens when they get out.

Under current New Mexico law, people convicted of felonies are removed from the voting rolls and prohibited from voting again until after they have completed their sentence, probation or parole. Maine and Vermont are the only states that do not take the vote away from the incarcerated.


Read More

Silver sign of Department of Justice on a classical concrete wall with plants as foreground.
Silver sign of Department of Justice on a classical concrete wall with plants as foreground.
Getty Images, Dragon Claws

The Ku Klux Klan Returns to Power

Last month, the Department of Justice initiated a baseless lawsuit against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). This retributive action, like the previous frivolous actions brought against other individuals and organizations who defend the rule of law and judicial administration, is not only meritless, but is primarily intended to harass, intimidate, and render dysfunctional an organization that is interfering with the administration’s goal of fomenting hate and perpetuating its ethnic cleansing agenda of America.

Letitia James, James Comey, Mark Kelly, Jerome Powell, Minnesota Democrats, protesters at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, former military intelligence community lawmakers, John Bolton, Adam Schiff, John Brennan, Congressional Representative Lamonica McIver, Newark, New Jersey Mayor Ras Baraka, and fifteen law firms have been previous targets of such fabricated claims. The Department of Justice (DOJ), which has posted the worst success rate in the country's history, has been plagued by significant corruption and politicization, undermining its independence and integrity. It has shut down departments previously focused on enforcing the civil rights laws, national security, corruption, ethics, money laundering, and terrorism in order to focus on deportations of non-criminals, dismantling civil rights, and harassing the administration’s enemies. There have been forced resignations of prosecutors who resisted political pressure, indicating a shift towards loyalty over legal judgment. Disciplinary actions against judges and prosecutors who criticize the executive have become commonplace. Attacks on judges, even those appointed by the president, who follow the law rather than the president’s illegal policies, are routine. The DOJ's internal oversight and ethics capacity have been weakened, raising concerns about the rule of law and the Department’s abuse of justice.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Civility Trap

a woman debating with a man at a table

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

The Civility Trap

When Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke last January at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he offered a warning that reached well beyond geopolitics. Too often, he said, nations “go along to get along,” accommodating rather than confronting hard truths. That instinct may preserve short-term calm, but it ultimately leaves countries weaker, more vulnerable, and less prepared for what lies ahead.

His warning resonates far beyond international affairs.

Keep ReadingShow less
House Democrats and Republicans Clash over Free Speech in Higher Education

Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, addresses the chamber in front of a portrait of George Miller.

(Matthew Junkroski / MEDILL)

House Democrats and Republicans Clash over Free Speech in Higher Education

WASHINGTON — Witnesses and representatives sat in silence as Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, spoke about how universities should strive for intellectual diversity and introduce controversial ideas. Rep. Alma S. Adams, D-N.C., agreed with his rhetoric, but went on to criticize her Republican colleagues for standing in the way of free expression.

“Unfortunately, what we often see, especially in hearings like this, is not a good faith effort to strike that balance, but a selective narrative,” Adams said. “My colleagues on the other side of the aisle frequently claim that there’s a free speech crisis on college campuses, arguing that universities lack viewpoint diversity and silence certain perspectives.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Primary Elections Skew Representation: Inside the 2026 Primary Problem
us a flag on mans shoulder
Photo by Manny Becerra on Unsplash

Primary Elections Skew Representation: Inside the 2026 Primary Problem

Earlier this year, the Bridge Alliance and the National Academy of Public Administration launched the Fellows for Democracy and Public Service Initiative to strengthen the country's civic foundations. This fellowship unites the Academy’s distinguished experts with the Bridge Alliance’s cross‑sector ecosystem to elevate distributed leadership throughout the democracy reform landscape. Instead of relying on traditional, top‑down models, the program builds leadership ecosystems—spaces where people share expertise, prioritize collaboration, and use public‑facing storytelling to renew trust in democratic institutions. Each fellow grounds their work in one of six core sectors essential to a thriving democratic republic.

Below is an interview with Beth Hladick. Beth is the Policy Director at Unite America, where she oversees original research and commissions studies that diagnose the problems with party primaries and evaluate the effectiveness of reform solutions. In addition to her research portfolio, Beth leads outreach efforts to educate stakeholders on elections and reform. She brings a nonpartisan perspective shaped by her experience at the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Oregon State Legislature, and the U.S. Senate.

Keep ReadingShow less