Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Diverse Immigrant Communities Unite to Preserve TPS

    By coming together on the national stage, immigrant communities campaign against cancellation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The work encompasses over 40 different groups operating around the US to advocate for TPS holders. The Journey for Justice Caravan, led by TPS holders in partnership with the National TPS Alliance, mobilized support across 30 states. Other groups, including African Communities Together, coordinated to file a lawsuit to block the Trump administration’s measure to cancel TPS.

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  • How Yemeni Immigrant Activists in NYC Are Changing a Whole Community's Mindset

    To assert their voice, community activists must move from behind the scenes to the front lines. Mobilizing the ethnic and immigrant community against Trump’s executive order of 2017 has led to the creation of the Yemeni American Merchant’s Association (YAMA). YAMA behaves like an umbrella organization, working to connect visa winners with humanitarian organizations, hosting legal training programs, becoming a plaintiff on behalf of Yemenis, and partnering with community leaders in cities across the United States.

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  • The Jim Crow Jury System Falls in New Orleans

    An amendment passed in Louisiana does away with non-unanimous jury verdicts that have helped solidify racial discrimination in the criminal justice system since they were implemented in response to Reconstruction. Data shows black defendants were more likely to be convicted in the non-unanimous system and the votes of black jurors more likely to be silenced. Advocates said the amendment is a huge game changer against mass incarceration in Louisiana and racial discrimination.

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  • Make Voting Easy

    Voter turnout is higher where voting is made easy. Consider one innovation: vote-by mail. States that allowed mail-in ballots had an average of 10 percent more voting in the 2016 election than other states. More innovations include pre-registering young voters, automatically updating a voter’s address when they move, automatically registering citizens unless they opt out, and same-day voter registration.

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  • An evidence-based way to help fix our broken politics

    If elected representatives have a few hours to speak with their constituents, where’s what they should do: discuss policy issues online with a small group of randomly selected constituents. Participants appreciate the opportunity to speak with their representatives, rate them more highly, and are more likely to vote for them – even months later. The evidence supporting this method of engaging constituents is so compelling that researchers will present their work to all new members of Congress this year.

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  • Seattle's radical plan to fight big money in politics

    Seattle tripled the number of people who contributed to local political campaigns by giving each resident $100 in “democracy vouchers” to contribute to the candidate of their choice. The concept was to counter the effect of big money in politics. Although the program was a widely popular idea, it ended up being expensive to run and only 3.3 percent of residents who received the vouchers actually used them.

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  • Hospitals help patients get out the vote while stuck in bed

    Some hospitals are finding ways to help their patients vote. Penn Votes Project is an initiative between hospitals and the Penn Law School that helps patients fill out and notarize their absentee ballots. Then there’s Patientvoting.com where patients can find information on medical absentee voting by state. “Every citizen of the United States has the right to vote and we think getting ill shouldn’t impair that process.”

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  • These election tools are here to help you make sense of your long, complicated ballot

    Easy-to-use web apps provide information about candidates and referendums, gathering information all in one place for voters. BallotReady and We Vote are two such tools.

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  • The Seattle Experiment

    Seattle’s “Democracy Vouchers,” funded by a ballot measure to increase property taxes, provide money for residents to make campaign contributions, which increases civic participation and helps people running for office without political connections fund their campaigns. Every city resident receives four 25$ vouchers that they can sign over to the candidate of their choice and mail back in a pre-stamped envelope. Even though only 3% of vouchers were actually used, the number of people contributing to campaigns tripled and several non-establishment candidates were able to run campaigns and get elected.

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  • How to tackle populism: Rebuild rural civic life

    Access to civic institutions, such as local newspapers, arts facilities, churches, and even breweries, help people feel more connected to their communities and less inclined to support populist candidates. Rural areas suffering from a lack of strong civic institutions are experimenting with promoting local businesses, organizing town halls, and even designing town mascots.

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