Pascal

In North Carolina, new laws are jailing more people, keeping them incarcerated for longer, and exposing them to ICE agents. So how are local officials in a liberal enclave trying to navigate these constraints? Bolts reports: boltsmag.org/buncombe-count…

Bolts recently published a story on a Michigan jail, which is seeing civic engagement amid otherwise dismal conditions. (You may have seen it!) A mag called Prisonality, which is distributed to 2,000+ people in prison just reprinted it & is circulating it. Which is cool to see:

Native organizers went to extraordinary lengths to ensure voters in remote Alaska villages, disconnected from roadways, could cast their ballots. In Newtok, which lacks a post office and thus no mail voting, a last-minute vote-by-fax system was set up. boltsmag.org/alaska-measure…

Voters in Arizona rejected Prop 137 this month, which would have ended judicial elections in the state. "Voters want a say in who their judges are," says Tim Berg, an Arizona attorney. boltsmag.org/arizona-result…

Arizona rejected Prop 137, which would have eliminated the power of voters to decide on whether to keep the judges and justices appointed by the governor. This affirms right for Arizona voters to be a counterbalance against executive & judicial power: boltsmag.org/arizona-result…

Arizonans on Tuesday defeated three GOP measures that would have restricted their voting power, ending judicial elections and squashing future citizen-led initiatives. NEW in @Boltsmag from @pascal_sabino: boltsmag.org/arizona-result…

in AZ: "The voters recognize there are a group of initiatives that would have taken their rights without giving anything in return, and they voted 'No' on those. And on the ones that gave them something— in this case reproductive rights, they voted 'Yes.'" boltsmag.org/arizona-result…

NEW: Monique Worrell has won back her job leading the Orlando prosecutor's office after Ron DeSantis removed her over her reform policies last year. In Tampa, however, Andrew Warren, who was also removed by DeSantis, lost his attempt at a comeback. boltsmag.org/tampa-orlando-…

I'm very proud of the work our team at @boltsmag did yesterday, *&* in recent months, to guide you thru local implications of the election. Shout-out to all of them; @Pascal_Sabino, @laurenk_gill, @alex_burness, @PiperSFrench, @breadandrosie, @michaelsbarajas, @CamilleSquires

Arizona has rejected the measure to end judicial retention elections, preserving the right for voters to weigh in on the judges and justices who run the state court system

Arizona voters have rejected prop 137, which would have retroactively voided the results of today’s judicial ballot and ended retention elections. Arizonans have made it clear they want a say over who runs their courts

Folks: Make sure to bookmark my election night tracker! It includes hundreds of races, from ballot measures to legislatures to supreme courts. We will updating with results after a race is called. So bookmark & share! boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-b…

With no Republicans in today’s race for sheriff of Michigan's Washtenaw County, Democratic nominee Alyshia Dyer is all but guaranteed to lead the department and shape the future of traffic enforcement and community policing policies. boltsmag.org/traffic-stops-…

This GOP-backed measure in Arizona might be the most bonkers thing on the ballot today. Prop 137 would retroactively void the results of today's judicial elections, end future retention elections, and make judicial appointments permanent: boltsmag.org/proposition-13…

There are over 20 language groups spoken in Alaska Native communities. Access to ballots printed in those languages has improved, but there are ongoing legal battles over access to the polls and to voting information in the languages spoken in rural areas.

Alaska Natives are 20 percent of the state population— a huge but diverse voting bloc. But voting in predominantly Native towns is a real issue. The landscape is rugged, and mail is slow. Many communities cannot be accessed by road, only by boat or small plane.

In AK, there is an effort to roll back the Ranked-Choice Voting and Open Primary system. Alaska Native leaders are working to boost rural turnout to protect the system, which they credit with helping elect the first Alaska Native in congress, Mary Peltola boltsmag.org/alaska-ranked-…

Crucially— 80 percent of voters in predominantly Alaska Native districts split their ballots in 2022. That means the current system may allow indigenous communities to more fully express their political preferences, since neither party uniformly represents their interests

Alaska switched to open primaries and RCV in 2022. Supporters touted benefits for independent & nonpartisan voters who make up a huge chunk of the AK.