Politics and Elections
Covering topics such as governors, legislatures, local government, redistricting and voting.
Thirty-nine state governments are now “trifectas.” It’s not the kind of government the Constitution's framers wanted.
A recent poll found that Biden's approval rating among Black adults has dropped to 58 percent. Meanwhile election tool ERIC is under serious attack and the annals of non-cooperation.
A state can try to compel its cities to build more, but the results are at best modest. As Gov. Jared Polis learned, even getting zoning reforms enacted can be an insurmountable challenge.
A former executive at the disgraced cryptocurrency exchange FTX donated $500,000 to the state’s Democratic Party under a false name. Here are the events that led up to the misreported donation and Oregon’s response.
Newport News, one of the nation's oldest cities, has one of its youngest mayors.
While some have predicted economic returns of $150 million or more, economists predict that those numbers are inflated. Last time the Democratic National Convention came to Chicago, the city spent $60 million to prep for the event.
City officials are launching the “Heat Relief 4 L.A.” campaign to inform residents of the dangers of extreme heat, install more cooling centers and hydration stations and invest in cool pavement projects and trees.
In a legislative first, the Land of Enchantment has committed to an earth-bound scent.
Under Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida has one of the highest rates of uninsured residents in the country and it continues to reject federal Obamacare money to insure more low-income residents.
State lawmakers are considering legislation that would reallocate hundreds of millions of dollars from K-12 and higher education into a new savings account and would cap future education budget increases to no more than 5 percent.
Revenues are slowing but lawmakers, at least in red states, have continued to enact major tax cuts this year.
Eight states this year have left and three more may soon leave the cooperative that seeks to maintain accurate voter registration rolls. Experts worry it's part of a larger trend away from nonpartisan election administration.
The bill would have given young offenders the opportunity to apply for parole after 30 years in prison, a full 10 years less than the law currently allows. State Sen. Drew Springer’s bill will not advance after he explained it wrong.
Some paint him as a moderate and note his friendly demeanor sharply contrasts with far-right politicians such as Donald Trump. But critics say the governor has consistently shown himself to be cut from the same cloth.
California legislators approved a new approach to mental health care that allows judges to issue treatment plans for people with certain diagnoses.
The Mississippi city's Mayor Toby Barker recalls the highs and lows of navigating COVID-19's delta and omicron waves.