Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Follow Us:
Top Stories

Five stories to read about voting rights

Sen. Joe Manchin

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is trying to negotiate a compromise on the For the People Act.

Sarah Silbiger-Pool/Getty Images

This week, governors and legislatures across the country took action to change voting rules in a handful of states while Senate Democrats made modifications to the sweeping election overhaul bill known as the For the People Act.

While many state legislatures are debating bills to alternately ease or restrict voting, the most progress has been made in states that are tightening election rules. This week, Texas and Florida took big steps in that direction, while New York became the latest to restore voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences.

Here are five key stories to keep you in the loop on the latest activity.


Senator Joe Manchin Seeks Compromise on Voting Rights Legislation (The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register)

Texas GOP's voting restrictions bill could be rewritten behind closed doors after key House vote (Texas Tribune)

DeSantis signs controversial new election law making it harder for some Floridians to vote (Orlando Sentinel)

Cuomo signs law to restore voting rights to parolees immediately after prison release (CBS News)

Bill to Give Parties Control over Congressional Primaries in Louisiana Dropped (IVN)


Read More

What Comes Next for the 1 Million People Who Have Lost – or Will Soon Lose – Temporary Protected Status

People hold Haitian flags and signs during a July 2026 rally in San Diego in support of immigrants living in the U.S. with Temporary Protected Status.

What Comes Next for the 1 Million People Who Have Lost – or Will Soon Lose – Temporary Protected Status

At the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term, 1.3 million individuals from 17 countries were living and working in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status, or TPS.

TPS is a humanitarian form of protection from deportation for people who cannot return to their home countries because of an armed conflict, environmental disaster or other extraordinary circumstances.

Keep ReadingShow less
vote pins

vote pins in red, white, and blue with stars and stripes.

Getty Images

The Long Fight to Secure Voting Rights for All Americans

Many Americans think that all US citizens aged 18 or older are entitled to vote. In fact, that has never really been the case in the USA. It has been a tremendously long, hard road to get to where we are today.

The easy part is that the Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the US Constitution lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 in 1971, in response to the Vietnam War. It was considered unjust to draft men to war who were denied the right to vote. In several states felons are denied the right to vote for life.

Keep ReadingShow less
Seattle Washington city downtown skyline

Seattle Washington city downtown skyline during sunset

Getty Images

Local Seattle Government and Indigenous Communities Unite for Sustainable Efforts

Sustainability in government is a discussion at both the local and national levels. What is common today is that this conversation has long excluded Indigenous communities' voices and perspectives from the legislative process.

Too often, local governments enact environmental and sustainability legislation without considering its impact on Indigenous groups.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman checking mail

Close-up of woman's hand putting or receiving letter with voting ballot near a mailbox near her house -

Getty Images

Why Having a Ballot at Home Strengthens Civic Engagement

A legal challenge regarding mail-in voting rules and postal service regulations is currently moving through the federal court system as the midterm elections approach. The dispute involves administrative directives and postal regulations concerning ballot delivery standards and state requirements. Lower courts have previously addressed how these rules are implemented, prompting appeals and legal filings from various administration officials, state attorneys general, and election administrators over operational timelines and voter access.

Brian Miller is the executive director of Nonprofit VOTE, a nationwide organization that works to help nonprofits engage the communities they serve in voting and elections.
In the article "Voting Is Not a Closed-Book Test," Miller explores mail-in voting and why giving voters time and access is critical to a healthy democracy.

Keep ReadingShow less