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A woman timing another women in the military as she does push ups.

Hegseth Made the Fitness Test Harder for Women in Combat Roles. Most Female Marines Are Passing.

​Paintings of Stalin

The Stalinization of America

The sky clears behind the U.S. Capitol after rainy weather

We Didn't Get This Angry Because Americans Changed: We Got This Angry Because Washington Did

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee speaks as Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, U.S

Trump's Sale of Arms to Israel Violates U.S. Law

Video: Meet the citizen activists championing primary reform

Video: Meet the citizen activists championing primary reformplay icon
The Fulcrum
By The FulcrumJan 23, 2023
The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum staff.
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After a major year of progress, where we saw Maine adopt open primaries and Nevada vote to enact nonpartisan open primaries, over a dozen states are birthing local movements grounded in reforming the primaries. Several will likely be on the ballot in 2024.

The strength of this explosion in activity is that it is organic, decentralized, and powered by very different types of Americans with diverse politics, concerns, and solutions. The discussion features Margaret Kobos (Oklahoma United for Progress), Michael Calcagno (All Oregon Votes), Joe Kirby (South Dakota Open Primaries) and Steve Goldstein (Save Democracy AZ). Open Primaries President John Opdycke hosted the discussion.


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Media & Technology

How Democracy Dies Alongside a Constricted Press

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Bridging & Common Ground

America’s Quiet Strength: Rising Above Power, Chaos and Cruelty

People standing in a circle with their arms around each other.
Bridging & Common Ground

Recovery Is Sacred Work: Faith, Belonging, and the Crisis of Dependence

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Voting Booths set up in rows on Election Day

Faith leaders can help renew America's social and civil contracts by protecting every eligible vote and honoring lawful results. Here's how to get involved.

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Dignity, Democracy, and the Courage to Stay Engaged

Crises are arriving faster than we can absorb them: climate, loneliness, artificial intelligence, housing, addiction, debt. In communities across Washington state, what I see is not mainly anger. It is a sense of being overwhelmed.

When everything feels urgent, people are tempted to withdraw. And when enough of us quietly withdraw, we can begin to believe that nothing works anymore and the rules no longer apply.

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United States Capitol building with US flag

United States Capitol building shows classical architecture and an American flag waving against a clear blue sky.

Getty Images

Our Democracy Is a Beast, When It Should Be a Buffalo

The Fulcrum is committed to nurturing the next generation of journalists.

We asked Alejo Cruz, a Fall Fulcrum Fellow, to share what democracy means to him and how he sees its current health.

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Hand with "VOTE" stickers

Hand with "VOTE" stickers

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California’s 22nd District and the Myth of the Predictable Voter

For years, I thought California’s Central Valley presented one of the more puzzling electorates I encountered as a public-opinion researcher.

I conducted dozens of surveys throughout the Valley, including communities that would eventually become parts of David Valadao’s congressional districts. One pattern was difficult to miss. Democratic registration, particularly among Latino voters, often suggested a considerably more Democratic electorate than appeared on Election Day. Participation was uneven, and Latino Democratic registration did not translate into equivalent electoral strength.

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