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The Fulcrum Digest: Voting Access Proposals Are Sweeping the Nation


There has been a surge in legislation to ease access to the polls during the early days of state legislative sessions across the country.

The New York University School of Law's Brennan Center counts at least 230 bills that have been filed or pre-filed at state capitals since the midterm election – with bipartisan efforts to place automatic voter registration, vote-by-mail, same-day registration or the restoration of voting rights for convicted felons on the legislative agendas in 31 states.

Hawaii Moves Toward Always Voting by Mail

Legislators in Hawaii this week began debating a range of election measures including a proposal to make the archipelago the fourth state in the nation that conducts all voting by mail.

Mail ballots are now an option and have outnumbered those cast at traditional polling places since 2014. A bill starting to move in the legislature would shift Hawaii to an exclusively mail-in system in 2022. Previous have been passed by the state Senate but ignored in the state House. However, Democratic majority leaders in both chambers say they are supportive of the reform this session, Honolulu Civic Beat reports.

Ranked-Choice Voting Gets Next Test in D.C. Suburbs

One of the hottest concepts in the world of election modernization is "ranked-choice voting" – where rather than selecting one candidate per contest, voters list candidates for each office in order of preference. Whenever no one secures majority support in the first round, an automated runoff among top finishers kicks in.

It's hailed by supporters as a means of giving more power to voters, enhancing the prospects of outsider candidates, boosting civility in campaigns and producing more consensus-minded lawmakers. Detractors see the system as confusing and in someway disenfranchising.


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Voter ID shouldn’t be this controversial

Residents check in to participate in in-person absentee voting (early voting) at the Municipal Building on March 26, 2025, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

(Scott Olson/Getty Images/TNS)

Voter ID shouldn’t be this controversial

Jonah Goldberg: Voter ID shouldn’t be this controversial

Jonah Goldberg February 11, 2026Residents check in to participate in in-person absentee voting (early voting) at the Municipal Building on March 26, 2025, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images/TNS)

President Trump says that “Republicans” should “nationalize the election” or at least take over voting in up to 15 places where he says voting is corrupt. His evidence of fraudulent voting is that he lost in such places in 2020, and since it is axiomatic that he won everywhere, the reported results are proof of the fraud.

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Democrats’ Demands for ICE Reform Are Too Modest – Here’s a Better List

Protestors block traffic on Broadway as they protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Columbia University on February 05, 2026 in New York City.

Getty Images, Michael M. Santiago

Democrats’ Demands for ICE Reform Are Too Modest – Here’s a Better List

In a perfect world, Democrats would be pushing to defund ICE – the position supported by 76% of their constituents and a plurality of all U.S. adults. But this world is far from perfect.

On February 3, 21 House Democrats voted with Republicans to reopen the government and keep the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funded for two weeks. Democrats allege that unless there are “dramatic changes” at DHS and “real accountability” for immigration enforcement agents, they will block funding when it expires.

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Why ICE's Aggressive Tactics are a Public Health Crisis

Following killings in Minneapolis, ICE operations reignite concerns over overpolicing, racial profiling, and the mental health toll on Black communities nationwide.

Getty Images, David Berding

Why ICE's Aggressive Tactics are a Public Health Crisis

Following the recent killings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents continue to conduct operations across the country. In recent weeks, under-the-radar sweeps have been reported in communities from California to North Carolina.

ICE’s use of targeted policing, harassment, and excessive force has pushed the issue of overpolicing to the forefront again. For many in Black communities across the U.S., these patterns feel painfully familiar, especially considering the agents are charged with infiltrating communities of color to detain “illegal immigrants.” And while some cases of aggressive policing make headlines, there are countless others that never make the news. Nevertheless, the harm is real, affecting the collective mental health of communities of color and others as well.

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Solidarity Without Borders: Civil Society Must Coordinate Internationally to Protect Democracy and Rights

People standing, holding letters that spell out "courage."

Photo provided

Solidarity Without Borders: Civil Society Must Coordinate Internationally to Protect Democracy and Rights

Across every continent, marginalized communities face systematic, escalating threats wherever democracy comes under attack. In the United States, Black Americans confront voter suppression and attacks on our history. Across the Americas, immigrants and racialized communities face racial profiling and assault by immigration enforcement. In Brazil and across South America, Indigenous peoples endure environmental destruction and rising violence. In Europe, Roma communities, immigrants, and refugees experience discrimination and hostile policies. Across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, members of marginalized ethnic and religious communities face state violence, forced labor, and the denial of basic human rights. In every region of the world, members of the LGBTQ+ community face discrimination and threats.

These are not random or isolated acts of oppression. When considered together, they reveal something more sinister: authoritarianism is becoming increasingly more connected and coordinated around the world. This coordination specifically targets the most vulnerable because authoritarians understand that it is easier to manipulate a divided and fearful society. Attacking those who are most marginalized weakens the entire democratic fabric.

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