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.
Members of a state Senate committee advanced a constitutional amendment that would declare that residents do not have “any rights relating” to abortion after 11 p.m. on July 7. The amendment also includes a voter ID requirement.
A glitch in the Horry County, S.C., system sent 1,377 Republican voters Democratic ballots, which may have impacted the outcome of the County Council chairman election. Mark Lazarus lost by just 240 votes.
Chronic absence soared during the pandemic, and graduation rates dropped for the first time in 15 years. The first step out of this dangerous trend is knowing more about who’s missing.
America has plenty of genuine heroes, people who have put everything on the line for our freedom and safety. Those who did no more than stand up to a defeated president’s lies don’t qualify.
Sen. Mitt Romney warns about “cataclysmic” dangers, New York’s Gov. Kathy Hochul will face no minor party challengers this fall and abortion has emerged as one of the top political issues of the year.
In the week leading up to the Supreme Court’s decision to overrule Roe v. Wade on June 24, Kansas and Missouri saw bumps of 1,038 percent and 627 percent, respectively, in voter registrations. The spike comes just ahead of both state primaries.
Overly broad “reform” jeopardizes the public and disadvantages hardworking professionals. There is a better path toward balanced, rational and methodical licensing.
Despite election officials across the nation confirming that there was no evidence of election fraud, county GOP members recently screened an election denier documentary to educate voters.
For the first time since 1951, Nebraska has had to have a special election to replace Rep. Jeff Fortenberry after he resigned. But in conjunction with a redistricting year, the election has left some voters unrepresented.
On indicator after indicator, health care lags in the states that ban abortion or are likely to in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling. Will the abortion-ban states be able to catch up?
There are just 450 postal police officers left in the U.S. That’s down 130 in the past three years, just half as many as in 2008, and one-sixth the number who patrolled the mail system in the 1970s.
Between redistricting and an especially late election day, there have been a few ballot-related issues ahead of the Maryland primary on July 19, but officials are hopeful the problems have been resolved.
During extreme weather events, renewable energy alone will not be enough to meet the state’s rising power demand. The state’s solution: Keep Diablo Canyon open as a failsafe for electricity generation.
Florida is among several Republican states that are reducing abortion access, including mailing medication and telehealth abortions. But it is unclear how, or if, state health officials can enforce laws on out-of-state physicians.
In a political landscape already divided over climate action, the ruling in West Virginia vs. EPA effectively leaves state and local government to face a global challenge on its own.
Twice as many teachers are thinking about quitting than at the start of the pandemic. States are raising pay, but there's a promising model in Arizona that might make more stick around.
The state Voting Systems Commission recommendations include ballots that can be marked by hand; ballots that are marked in a machine; preprinted ballots; and ballots that are printed for voters at the precinct.
The civics training, part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Civics Literacy Excellence Initiative, underscores the tension building around education and how classrooms have become battlegrounds for politically contentious issues.
With authority and accountability split between three jurisdictions, the nation’s third-largest transit system has lurched from one crisis to another. Now, with ridership and reliability tanking, the service faces an uncertain future.
Western states are in the forefront of bringing technology to bear to expunge the records of long-ago convictions and provide new economic opportunity for millions of Americans.
Election officials are working in an unprecedented climate of antagonism, with threats on the increase. A nonpartisan group of election and law enforcement officials have joined forces to give them resources and support.
Some of America’s capital cities are especially vulnerable to floods, coastal storms, land subsidence and other risks. Moving their functions elsewhere could be critical to governance.
Nineteen states and Washington, D.C., already have laws that allow the confiscation of firearms in certain situations but some experts believe the laws aren’t being used to their full potential.
Just before the deadline, the Texas city council approved an updated district boundary lines map that some argue dilutes the power of minority voters and representation. Currently, 42 percent of Dallas is made up of Hispanic residents.
Gubernatorial candidates have directed their campaigns toward contentious social issues, such as abortion and LGBTQ rights, forcing culture wars to take center stage in the November election.
Advocates on both sides of the debate are increasing their efforts, with many predicting the fight will move to the Legislature. Those against abortion want to ensure it’s banned while those in support want to codify it as law.
Continuing our coverage of how large city transit systems are faring fiscally since the pandemic, we take a look at Philadelphia, New York City and Chicago.
The pandemic brought the weaknesses of public health data systems into plain view. A new survey of public health officials finds that fixing this is a top priority. But high costs and politics remain a problem.
The theme of independence has recurred throughout the history of Texas, which was a republic from 1836–45. But the Civil War established that a state cannot secede.
Just as the court issued a ruling that would allow more people to carry guns in public, state lawmakers have made several proposals to tighten the state’s gun laws. But two of the biggest ones seem unlikely to advance.
