voting stories

Demonstrators hold up large cut-out letters spelling "VOTING RIGHTS" at a 2021 rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.

Politics & Government

An appeals court has struck down a key path for enforcing the Voting Rights Act

5:26pm November 20, 2023

by Hansi Lo Wang

Who can sue to enforce key voting protections for people of color under the Voting Rights Act could be severely limited by a lawsuit out of Arkansas, which may be headed for the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Newly elected Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz has refused Republican calls to recuse herself from a redistricting case for calling the state's legislative maps "rigged" while campaigning.

Politics & Government

A Wisconsin redistricting case centers on voter 'islands' and could lead to new maps

4:21pm November 20, 2023

by Chuck Quirmbach

The Wisconsin Supreme Court hears arguments in a case that could toss what critics say are the state's lopsided legislative maps.

A perimeter fence surrounds the U.S. Capitol in February ahead of President Biden's State of the Union speech in Washington, D.C.

Politics & Government

Many voters say Congress is broken. Could proportional representation fix it?

5:00am November 18, 2023

by Hansi Lo Wang

With Congress increasingly polarized, there are growing calls to replace the winner-take-all approach for House elections with a system that advocates say could better reflect the country's diversity.

A person walks in front of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans in 2015.

Politics & Government

An appeals court sets a January deadline for a new Louisiana congressional map

6:56pm November 10, 2023

by Hansi Lo Wang

A federal appeals court is giving Louisiana's GOP-led legislature until mid-January to draw a new congressional map to replace one found likely to violate federal law by diluting Black voters' power.

A voter fills out a ballot in Jackson, Miss., on Tuesday. Federal and local officials have worked closely with researchers to track rumors and conspiracy theories in recent elections but that cooperation is fading under pressure from conservatives.

Politics & Government

Why the fight to counter false election claims may be harder in 2024

5:00am November 10, 2023

Experts say a right-wing campaign has cast efforts to combat rumors and conspiracy theories as censorship. As a result, they say, the tools to tamp down on election falsehoods have been scaled back.

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Leslie Collier, a Republican, is the county clerk in Lewis County, Ky. Her local board of elections consolidated 14 precinct-based voting locations in favor of just four countywide vote centers.

Politics & Government

Many Kentucky counties are consolidating polling sites, raising concerns about access

5:00am November 05, 2023

by Justin Hicks

Many Kentucky residents may have to vote somewhere new in this year's elections. That's because dozens of counties have consolidated polling places — a move that's raised concerns about ballot access.

Congressional term limits are really popular with voters. With experts, not so much.

Politics & Government

Term limits for Congress are wildly popular. But most experts say they'd be a bad idea

5:17pm November 04, 2023

by Ashley Lopez

It's no secret Americans have a negative view of Congress. And that frustration has led to some renewed interest in setting term limits for lawmakers, though it's an idea broadly opposed by experts.

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A voter marks her ballot during early voting, on Oct. 17, 2022, in Atlanta.

Politics & Government

A federal judge says Georgia's political maps must be redrawn for the 2024 election

5:27pm October 26, 2023

by Sam Gringlas

A judge is ordering Georgia to draw new congressional and state legislative maps after finding the current maps illegally discriminate against Black voters.

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While other senators look at the map on their computers, Republican Sen. Ralph Hise, top right, one of the sponsors of a congressional redistricting bill, speaks as the North Carolina Senate debates the bill Tuesday in Raleigh, N.C.

Politics & Government

North Carolina lawmakers approve maps creating gains for the GOP in Congress

4:36pm October 25, 2023

by Ashley Lopez

North Carolina Republicans gave final approval Wednesday to new political districts that are likely to hand the party more seats in Congress next year.

Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen speaks during his inauguration on Jan. 16, 2023, in Montgomery, Ala. After pulling Alabama out of the Electronic Registration Information Center, Allen has now announced a new voter database.

Politics & Government

Republican states swore off a voting tool. Now they're scrambling to recreate it

5:00am October 20, 2023

by Miles Parks

Nine GOP-led states have now pulled out of ERIC, which helps members find election fraud and keep their voter lists up to date. And experts say their new efforts to replicate the group aren't as good.