Bolts

@bolts.bsky.social

5545

Followers

Following

1275

Posts

A publication that covers the nuts and bolts of political change: Boltsmag.org

Posts Replies Media

The U.K.’s Labour Party has said it’ll adopt automatic voter registration if it wins today’s elections. Reformers warn millions of people are currently falling through the cracks of the system. boltsmag.org/how-voting-w...

How Voting Works in the U.K. and France: Your Questions Answeredboltsmag.org On the eve of the French and British elections, Bolts responds to 10 reader questions on how they differ from the U.S. on voter registration, disenfranchisement, proxy voting, and more.

"When I knew my youngest son was on the road, I was nervous all the time. I was on edge,” says Ann Arbor Councilwoman Cynthia Harrison, who is a Black mother. Driven by her experiences, she introduced an ordinance to curb police stops for minor violations: boltsmag.org/traffic-stop...

A Michigan City Ended Low-Level Traffic Stops. Now the County Could Follow.boltsmag.org In the race for Washtenaw County sheriff, candidates want to limit unnecessary policing encounters and reduce fees from traffic enforcement.

Reposted by

Bolts

Clear answers to good questions about voting in France and the UK.

NEW: France and the U.K. are on the cusp of major elections, so we asked you to send us your questions on how voting works in these two countries. We chose 10 to answer — learn about runoffs, gerrymandering, registration, and much more.

In a sharp contrast from the punitive measures used today, vagrancy laws at the founding of the country actually mandated support for the homeless community. “The founders would have been appalled by the behavior of Grants Pass,” one expert told Bolts: boltsmag.org/grants-pass-...

“Designed to be Cruel”: How Grants Pass Will Ramp Up the Policing of Homelessnessboltsmag.org The Supreme Court blessed bans on sleeping outdoors. In a Bolts roundtable, three experts explain that this may encourage aggressive policing over long-term housing solutions.

The U.K. is voting tomorrow. But how do these elections work? Can you vote by mail? Can you vote from prison, or if you live outside of the country? You asked, we answered: boltsmag.org/how-voting-w...

Bolts sat down with three experts in the aftermath of last week's Grants Pass ruling. They explain what the impact will be, and why it was “designed explicitly to be cruel to people experiencing homelessness.” boltsmag.org/grants-pass-...

NEW: The supreme court’s Grants Pass ruling blessed bans on sleeping outdoors. In a Bolts roundtable, three experts explain that this may encourage aggressive policing over long-term housing solutions.

“Designed to be Cruel”: How Grants Pass Will Ramp Up the Policing of Homelessnessboltsmag.org The supreme court blessed bans on sleeping outdoors. In a Bolts roundtable, three experts explain that this may encourage aggressive policing over long-term housing solutions.

Wisconsinites this year are electing their 71 DAs, powerful county officials with wide discretion over who gets prosecuted to what degree of severity. But voters only have any choice in four of those elections. boltsmag.org/wisconsin-20...

For Wisconsin Prosecutors, Elections in Name Onlyboltsmag.org DA candidates are running unopposed in nearly all Wisconsin counties this year, continuing a long streak of uncontested elections that cut off public debate on criminal justice issues.

California changed visitation from a right to a privilege in the mid-1990s to give correctional officers more control over prison activities. boltsmag.org/california-p...

Californians With Family in Prison Inspire Legislation to Remove Barriers to Visitationboltsmag.org People impacted by incarceration championed bills this session to limit when visits can be blocked and reduce the exorbitant cost of sharing meals with loved ones in prison.

Oklahoma's incarcerated survivors of domestic violence had given up hope when a bill giving them a shot at freedom was unexpectedly vetoed. But when a new version became law, the cheers in the prison “seemed even louder and more exuberant,” one woman said. boltsmag.org/oklahoma-sur...

Oklahoma Gives Incarcerated Survivors of Domestic Violence A New Chance at Freedomboltsmag.org The Oklahoma Survivors’ Act reduces sentences for people whose convictions stemmed from their abuse. It passed despite prosecutors’ objections and an initial veto by the governor.

Dennis Linthicum joined lawmakers from around the country in calling for an audit of the 2020 presidential election in all 50 states based on unspecified “fraud and irregularities.” Now he’s the GOP nominee to lead Oregon elections. boltsmag.org/oregon-secre...

The Republican Nominee to Lead Oregon Elections Wants to Stop All Mail Votingboltsmag.org Dennis Linthicum spread unfounded claims about the 2020 election and sued to force Oregonians to vote in person. He’ll face Democrat Tobias Read in November to be secretary of state.

On his first day in office, Los Angeles DA George Gascón rolled out a suite of reforms. The ensuing years became a crash course in the politics of reforming prosecution, @psfrench.bsky.social reports in Bolts. boltsmag.org/los-angeles-...

Under the Shadow of the Extreme Caseboltsmag.org On his first day in office, Los Angeles DA George Gascón rolled out a suite of blanket bans against some severe punishments. The ensuing years have been a crash course in the politics of reforming pro...

Assigned to a prison job paying $0.13 per hour, Abron Arrington refused to work, figuring his time could be better spent learning physics. The DOC punished him with bouts of solitary confinement. boltsmag.org/colorado-pri...

Forced Labor Continues in Colorado, Years After Vote to End Prison Slaveryboltsmag.org Coloradans voted in 2018 to amend their state constitution to ban forced labor in prison. Years later, incarcerated people are still being punished for refusing work assignments.

In South Carolina, where parole rates have plunged in recent years, prisoners and their lawyers can only access their files the morning of their parole hearings, making it nearly impossible to correct inaccuracies. boltsmag.org/parole-plung...

Parole Plunges in South Carolina as Governor-Appointed Board Issues Denial After Denialboltsmag.org People familiar with South Carolina’s parole process describe a secretive panel that downplays rehabilitative efforts and ignores applicants’ attempts to correct their files.

Do you value our work on local politics, criminal justice, and voting rights? It takes time and resources for our small team to produce it, and you can help! You can donate to Bolts—and even become a monthly subscriber. boltsmag.org/donate-page/...

Support Boltsboltsmag.org We are a nonprofit publication that covers the nuts and bolts of political change, from the local up, and we need reader support to build our journalism.

Minnesota became the latest state to eliminate prison gerrymandering last month. A new law will end the practice of counting incarcerated people where prisons are located, which skews political power within the state. boltsmag.org/minnesota-en...

Minnesota Just Became The Latest State to Eliminate Prison Gerrymanderingboltsmag.org A new law will end the practice of counting incarcerated people where prisons are located, which skews political power within the state.

Since Denver officials set up in-person voting in the city's jail, voter turnout has occasionally surpassed turnout in the city overall. Now, a new law mandates that polling places be instituted in jails across the rest of Colorado: boltsmag.org/colorado-vot...

Colorado Adopts First-in-Nation Mandate for Voting Centers in Jailsboltsmag.org People held in county jails typically retain the right to vote but face enormous hurdles to actually casting a ballot. Lawmakers passed a bill meant to remedy the issue.

FCI Dublin, where women were sexually abused by guards, medical staff, and even the warden, was finally closed this year. But the vast majority of women were transferred to other facilities that also have a history of abuse by guards. boltsmag.org/federal-pris...

“What’s More Extraordinary and Compelling?”boltsmag.org Women who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of guards at a notorious federal prison in California are now seeking compassionate release.

The Delaware supreme court this morning restored state laws that set up early voting and permanent absentee voting; the justices overturning a lower court decision that had struck down those laws.

Del. Supreme Court restores early voting access and permanent absentee votingwhyy.org The Delaware Supreme Court heard the case on an expedited basis ahead of the state’s September primary election.

Defendants in Virginia often face an impossible choice: go to trial, or accept a plea deal that waives their Fourth Amendment protections and opens them up to police searches — sometimes for years. boltsmag.org/fourth-amend...

“An Impossible Choice”: Virginians Asked to Waive Constitutional Rights to Get a Plea Dealboltsmag.org Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed a bill that would have barred prosecutors from making defendants waive protections against unreasonable police searches as a condition of pleas.

Women who survived sexual abuse at FCI Dublin continue to face retaliation for their reports even after the facility’s closure. Lawyers are fighting for compassionate release, and have already secured it for 17 survivors: boltsmag.org/federal-pris...

“What’s More Extraordinary and Compelling?”boltsmag.org Women who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of guards at a notorious federal prison in California are now seeking compassionate release.

Women who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of guards at a notorious federal prison in California are now seeking compassionate release. NEW in Bolts:

“What’s More Extraordinary and Compelling?”boltsmag.org Women who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of guards at a notorious federal prison in California are now seeking compassionate release.

In New Jersey, 25% of Black adults are barred from ever serving on a jury. "We’re whitewashing a space that’s disproportionately affecting Black and brown communities,” said one lawyer. “Which calls into question: who is getting a jury of one’s peers?” boltsmag.org/new-jersey-j...

New Jersey May Open Juries to Most People with Criminal Convictionsboltsmag.org New Jersey has one of the nation

Nashua City Clerk Dan Healey is concerned that an updated proof of citizenship requirement would be “a pretty big change for our poll workers” and leave New Hampshire's election officials scrambling to train them and implement the new rules. boltsmag.org/new-hampshir...

New Hampshire Republicans Try to Require Proof of Citizenship to Register to Voteboltsmag.org The bill, part of a nationwide wave of conservative proposals fueled by Donald Trump’s false allegations of voter fraud, risks disenfranchising many eligible voters.

In Illinois, people with past sex offense convictions can often end up homeless due to exclusion zones—even though a state task force found that such restrictions “do not decrease sexual reoffending or the sex crime rates in the areas where they are used.” boltsmag.org/illinois-hou...

How Illinois Housing Banishment Laws Push People into Homelessness and Prisonboltsmag.org Organizers with past sex offense convictions are championing a bill in the state legislature that could end the cycle and roll back residency restrictions.

Organizers in Florida's Broward County want the sheriff to stick to his word on stopping unnecessary arrests. “We’re not asking for something new,” one told Bolts. “The program already exists. It’s just about ensuring law enforcement executes it.” boltsmag.org/broward-sher...

Florida Sheriff Backtracks on Reform to Stop Arrests for Minor Traffic Offensesboltsmag.org Gregory Tony, a DeSantis appointee, restricted Broward County deputies’ ability to cite people instead of jailing them. His Democratic primary in August may decide the policy’s future.

Of the 71 elections for district attorney taking place in Wisconsin counties this year, voters will only have a choice in four of them. “It’s a problem for democratic accountability, given DAs have so much power,” says the ACLU’s director of advocacy. boltsmag.org/wisconsin-20...

The Supreme Court is passing on a case that challenged Georgia’s system of electing its public utility board through an at-large voting system. Civil rights organizations were suing to strike down the system for diluting Black political power.

Supreme Court won’t take up Georgia dispute over ‘at-large’ elections and minority vote dilution | CNN Politicswww.cnn.com The Supreme Court won’t take up a case challenging Georgia’s system for electing its public utility board, in a defeat for Black voters who argued that the so-called “at-large” electoral system dilute...

Are you looking to catch up with this election night? Our Bolts guide lays out the results in dozens of critical primaries—and why they matter. boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...

Your Guide to the June 25 Primaries - Boltsboltsmag.org Republicans choose the next governor and senator in Utah, and tense Democratic primaries between left and center will shape the Colorado and New York legislatures.