State and Local Politics and Policy
It’s especially hard to get low-income Americans living in multifamily buildings across the digital divide. But states and nonprofits are finding ways to do it.
We teach schoolchildren that the U.S. Supreme Court is the ultimate arbiter of our laws. But they need to learn that their states’ supreme courts have the final word when it comes to state laws.
Sixty-three percent of likely voters said they would support a ballot measure that would transform the city’s government, including the number of representatives on the City Council and how they are elected.
Some residents in the Pennsylvania county received letters that stated their “voter history may be in error.” But county officials are reassuring residents that ballot counting and “voter credit” are different things.
Two states with abortion bans extended health coverage after childbirth, joining 23 other states and the District of Columbia. Eight more may follow.
While female candidates still face challenges, voters could elect a record number of women to the state Legislature in November. The roster of female lawmakers could rise to 45 of the 120 seats.
U.S. House leaders diverged from a Senate bill to prevent future attempts to overturn a presidential election by favoring a slightly tougher version. The two bills will need to be reconciled, while maintaining Republican support.
New rules that require measuring greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector as well as concerns about air pollution have led to the cancellation of what critics are calling highway “boondoggles.”
The Nov. 8 election will elect four of the 7-member board for the area’s largest water provider, Santa Clara Valley Water District, which is one of Santa Clara County’s largest government agencies.
The larger issue is the high and rising cost of higher education. There are ways to hold those costs down. An educated workforce is good for everybody.
Washington state has allotted $340 million for the COVID-19 Immigrant Relief Fund, in which eligible people may apply to receive a check or prepaid card of at least $1,000. Applicants will be accepted until Nov. 14.
A harsh analysis of the global pandemic response has public health leaders in the U.S. pointing to a fractured, underfunded public health system, partisan politics and low health literacy as barriers to better outcomes.
For decades, superstar cities could thrive and grow despite high taxes, expensive housing and poor policy choices. The pandemic’s surge in remote work has changed that for good. Governance matters more than ever.
Since the launch of the Secretary of State’s poll worker website, more than 17,000 Iowans have expressed interest in being a poll worker. But some officials worry mounting pressures may lead potential workers to drop out.
The Secretary of State’s office has received three times the normal amount of records requests as people seek information about voting machines. The requests have been sparked by election misinformation.
Gun suicide rates in American cities are going up, according to a new analysis of CDC data. The numbers are highest in states with the fewest gun laws.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves says privatizing the water system is “on the table.” But the city's mayor and others argue that would likely create more problems rather than fix Jackson's broken infrastructure.
Two-and-a-half years later, cities across the country continue to adjust to the affects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Boston; Mesa, Ariz.; and Oakland, Calif., are using different approaches to address their communities' needs and prioritize digital equity.
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation on Sept. 15 that aims to establish uniformity around what qualifies as full-time employment and allows public service employers to certify employment on behalf of workers.
Wastewater surveillance is a valuable tool in the fight against infectious disease, but it has the potential to be used for other purposes that could further erode Americans’ trust in government. It even worries Vladimir Putin.
This year's primary election season reached its conclusion in three Northeastern states on Tuesday and MAGA Republicans succeeded in New Hampshire. Meanwhile, state Supreme Court justices defend their own role and an intergovernmental feud heats up.
Sen. Lindsey Graham’s proposed 15-week abortion ban has received a mixed reaction from candidates for the state’s U.S. senate seat. Sixty-one percent of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty wrote a letter to President Biden, calling for more funding for state police and rape kit investigations to address the “undeniable deterioration of public safety.”
Jason T. Schofield was arrested by the FBI on Sept. 13 for fraudulently obtaining and filing absentee ballots last year for at least eight voters without their permission. Schofield has been charged with 12 felony counts.
State health officials have disclosed that the state’s first major count of pregnancy-related deaths in nearly a decade won’t be released until next summer, which means the data won’t be available to lawmakers until the 2025 cycle.
The elections for the lone Republican seat on Dallas County’s Commissioners Court, Tarrant County judge and the Texas House seat for Collin County have become close races in which the Democrats just might win.
The National Association for Gun Rights has challenged the constitutionality of the state’s bans on assault weapons and high capacity magazines. Democrats are digging in their heels and fighting for more protections.
Many Americans think they know much more about politics than they really do. It’s bad for democracy that they’re so often wrong.
Temperatures broke records in California over Labor Day weekend 2022 and were well above normal across the U.S. West. The extreme weather has brought renewed attention to the science behind heat waves.
The state’s new election law requires voters to show state-issued identification at the polls but thousands of residents don’t have one and getting a photo ID isn’t always easy. Here’s what you need to know.
The U.S. has dedicated $300 million to next-generation COVID testing; Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to punish doctors who spread COVID-19 misinformation is criticized; and the pandemic looms large over BART’s 50th anniversary.
