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

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Some states make it nearly impossible to access precinct-level election returns. But without this data, it can be near-impossible to pursue certain voting rights lawsuits. boltsmag.org/election-dat...

Election Data Is Vital to Voting Rights. So Why Is It So Hard to Track Down?boltsmag.org Analysts spend countless hours and resources compiling the precinct-level results they need for litigation and research. They want legislation to force states to make it all accessible.

Colorado split its largest judicial district. Now the more liberal Arapahoe County is likely to elect a reform-minded DA, while Douglas County may bring a punitive prosecutor back into office. NEW in Bolts:

A New Boundary Sends Suburban Colorado Down Opposite Paths on Prosecutionboltsmag.org Colorado split its largest judicial district. Now the more liberal Arapahoe County is likely to elect a reform-minded DA; Douglas County may bring a punitive prosecutor back into office.

GOP lawmakers have appealed a ruling that blocked an Arizona voter ID law: www.kjzz.org/news/2024-07...

GOP asks court to let Arizona block voters who don't provide proof of citizenshipwww.kjzz.org Republican lawmakers are asking a U.S. appeals court to allow the state to block voters who do not have proof of citizenship from voting in this year’s presidential elections months after a federal ju...

Less than a month ago, President Emmanuel Macron shocked France by announcing he was dissolving the National Assembly and organizing elections within a month. You asked us what’s going on—here are our answers: 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.

A former Chicago police commander has criticized a state law mandating people with sex offense convictions live more than 500 ft away from a day care as “absolutely ludicrous.” “They’re restricted [from living] almost everywhere,” she told Bolts. 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.

Many U.S. states disenfranchise people for years after they've been in prison, in some places for life. The U.K. allows people to vote if they're not in prison. In France, people can mostly vote from prison, let alone after. boltsmag.org/how-voting-w...

Compassionate release is typically used for dying or medically incapacitated prisoners. But it's for the first time being considered as a reparative measure for women who were sexually abused while in federal custody. boltsmag.org/federal-pris... 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.

There's been a mad scramble in France all week, with hundreds of candidates dropping out of Sunday's runoffs to block the far-right. But why did the election system even set up such a situation? Our explainer on how voting works. boltsmag.org/how-voting-w...

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...

"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.

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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.