Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Virginia on the verge of banning guns at the polls

Ralph Northam

Virginia's bill to ban guns at polling locations now awaits Gov. Ralph Northam's signature.

Megan Lee/Flickr

Following significant incidents of voter intimidation in the 2020 election, Virginia is poised to enact a law banning people from carrying guns near polling stations.

The measure would prohibit anyone from knowingly possessing a firearm within 40 feet of a polling location beginning an hour before polls open to an hour after they close. With approval from the House of Delegates last month and the state Senate on Thursday, the bill is now headed to Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam's desk for his signature.

Heightened activity and heated rhetoric from partisan extremists led to major concerns about armed conflict at the polls during the early voting period and on Election Day last year. As a result, Virginia and other states are considering rules to improve voter safety.


If Northam signs the bill, Virginia would become the seventh state, plus D.C., to explicitly ban guns of all kinds in and around polling places. Four more states ban concealed weapons at the polls. Most of the remaining states have rules banning guns from schools, churches, government offices and other types of buildings that often serve as polling locations. (The bill's opponents argue Virginia already has such a law in place, making the legislation unnecessary.)

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

The Virginia measure would also prohibit possession of firearms within 40 feet of the building the electoral board uses to determine election results or recount ballots. Exceptions to this rule include qualified or retired law enforcement officers, a person whose private property falls within the 40-feet perimeter or a licensed security officer on duty within the boundary.

Violating this rule would be a misdemeanor, punishable of up to a year in jail, a maximum fine of $2,500 or both.

The bill was approved by the General Assembly along party lines, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposing. Only two Democratic House members voted against the bill.

Lori Haas, director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence's Virginia chapter, said this bill would "protect an essential function of our democracy" and "bring us one step closer in ensuring Virginians' freedom from gun violence.

Read More

Business professional watching stocks go down.
Getty Images, Bartolome Ozonas

The White House Is Booming, the Boardroom Is Panicking

The Confidence Collapse

Consumer confidence is plummeting—and that was before the latest Wall Street selloffs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Drain—More Than Fight—Authoritarianism and Censorship
Getty Images, Mykyta Ivanov

Drain—More Than Fight—Authoritarianism and Censorship

The current approaches to proactively counteracting authoritarianism and censorship fall into two main categories, which we call “fighting” and “Constitution-defending.” While Constitution-defending in particular has some value, this article advocates for a third major method: draining interest in authoritarianism and censorship.

“Draining” refers to sapping interest in these extreme possibilities of authoritarianism and censorship. In practical terms, it comes from reducing an overblown sense of threat of fellow Americans across the political spectrum. When there is less to fear about each other, there is less desire for authoritarianism or censorship.

Keep ReadingShow less
"Vote" pin.
Getty Images, William Whitehurst

Most Americans’ Votes Don’t Matter in Deciding Elections

New research from the Unite America Institute confirms a stark reality: Most ballots cast in American elections don’t matter in deciding the outcome. In 2024, just 14% of eligible voters cast a meaningful vote that actually influenced the outcome of a U.S. House race. For state house races, on average across all 50 states, just 13% cast meaningful votes.

“Too many Americans have no real say in their democracy,” said Unite America Executive Director Nick Troiano. “Every voter deserves a ballot that not only counts, but that truly matters. We should demand better than ‘elections in name only.’”

Keep ReadingShow less
Hands outside of bars.
Getty Images, stevanovicigor

Double Standard: Investing in Animal Redemption While Ignoring Human Rehabilitation

America and countries abroad have mastered the art of taming wild animals—training the most vicious killers, honing killer instincts, and even domesticating animals born for the hunt. Wild animals in this country receive extensive resources to facilitate their reintegration into society.

Americans spent more than $150 billion on their pets in 2024, with an estimated spending projection of $200 million by 2030. Millions of dollars are poured into shelters, rehabilitation programs, and veterinary care, as shown by industry statistics on animal welfare spending. Television ads and commercials plead for their adoption. Stray animal hotlines operate 24/7, ensuring immediate rescue services. Pet parks, relief stations in airports, and pageant shows showcase animals as celebrities.

Keep ReadingShow less