Oklahoma voters have expanded the state’s Medicaid program and lowered some criminal penalties. Next year, they'll choose whether to raise the minimum wage. But the GOP has now cracked down on citizen initiatives.
Bolts
Republicans Add New Barriers to Oklahoma's Dizzyingly Fast Process for Citizen Initiatives - Bolts
A new Oklahoma law adds to a string of GOP-run states that have undercut direct democracy by piling on onerous new regulations and raising the thre...
A federal court has tossed out a redistricting lawsuit brought by two tribes in North Dakota, declaring that only the DOJ can sue over violations of the Voting Rights Act's Section 2, a devastating blow to the ability of tribes to seek legal recourse.
Bolts
“A Law Without a Way to Enforce It” - Bolts
In North Dakota as elsewhere, Native voters face a triple threat: judges targeting the VRA, Trump officials hostile to discrimination laws, and a f...
A group in San Diego is patrolling neighborhoods to identify potential ICE presence. They keep watch for vehicles that may belong to federal agencies, and use livestreams, radios, and social media to keep communities informed.
Bolts
How Volunteer Patrols Are Working to Protect San Diego Immigrant Communities From ICE - Bolts
In the early-morning twilight on a cool Friday in April, a half dozen people gathered in a small parking lot in the San Diego neighborhood of City ...
Unión del Barrio first started its community patrol program more than thirty years ago in response to police harassment of Latinos. The group reactivated its community patrols recently in response to increased federal immigration enforcement in San Diego.
Bolts
How Volunteer Patrols Are Working to Protect San Diego Immigrant Communities From ICE - Bolts
In the early-morning twilight on a cool Friday in April, a half dozen people gathered in a small parking lot in the San Diego neighborhood of City ...
JUST IN: Democrat John Ewing has defeated Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, a Republican who was running for a fourth term. Ewing, who currently serves as Douglas County's treasurer and will be Omaha's first Black mayor, leads Stothert 56 to 44 percent with most ballots counted.
A group in San Diego is patrolling neighborhoods to identify potential ICE presence. They keep watch for vehicles that may belong to federal agencies, and use livestreams, radios, and social media to keep communities informed.
Bolts
How Volunteer Patrols Are Working to Protect San Diego Immigrant Communities From ICE - Bolts
In the early-morning twilight on a cool Friday in April, a half dozen people gathered in a small parking lot in the San Diego neighborhood of City ...
Texas law requires that sheriffs order an outside investigation when someone dies in custody. Bolts learned this is not happening in one of Texas' biggest counties—and the state agency in charge of oversight says it's powerless to make officials comply.
Bolts
Officials Play “Accountability Ping Pong” With Jail Deaths in Texas - Bolts
A bipartisan push for jail oversight comes after a North Texas sheriff flouted state law mandating independent investigations of deaths on his watch.
Today is Election Day in Newark’s school board race, and 16- and 17 year olds can vote for the first time. Gabrielly Ferreira, who is 16, told Bolts, “Voting gives me power to shape my education.”
Bolts
Newark Teens Gear Up for School Board Elections After Voting Age Extended to 16 - Bolts
This month for the first time, 16- and 17-year olds will help decide Newark’s school board members thanks to a measure passed last year, just the...
Bolts is hiring a new audience engagement editor. We will start reviewing applications on Monday: We hope to hear from you before then! Details are available here: https://boltsmag.org/jobs-at-bolts/audience-engagement-editor/
Susan Crawford performed strongly across Wisconsin yesterday, and she flipped ten counties that voted for Trump in November. Turnout was roughly 30 percent higher than the state’s 2023 supreme court race, and nearly double the 2019 supreme court race.
Bolts
Liberals Defend Wisconsin Supreme Court, Beating Back Elon Musk - Bolts
The biggest name in Tuesday’s Wisconsin Supreme Court election belonged to neither of its candidates, but to Elon Musk, who spent extravagantly o...