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Category: States

Oregon knows how to vote by mail

May 4, 2020 Gloria Shur Bilchik States, Voting News, Voting/Elections Leave a comment

Oregon has conducted all of its statewide elections entirely by mail since 1998. A Huffington Post article explains how it works: The process is

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Life after the Voting Rights Act

May 4, 2020 Gloria Shur Bilchik Civil Rights, Courts, Government, States, Voting/Elections, Widgets: Voting Leave a comment

The Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder—to overturn the “pre-clearance” requirement in Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act—continues to have major

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Are we witnessing the end of representative government?

April 9, 2020 Glenn Koenen 2020 Election, Constitution, Government, Missouri region, States Leave a comment

Back at the turn of the century, as Chair of the Missouri Advisory Council On Alcohol and Drug Abuse, I appeared before committees working-up

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plastic bags

New York State bags plastic bags

February 16, 2020 Renee Shur Consumer issues, Environment, States Leave a comment

On March 1, 2020, New York State’s Bag Waste Reduction Law will go into effect. As of that date, all businesses collecting sales tax

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Iowa caucus

Don’t confuse Iowa caucuses with real elections. They’re a completely different animal.

February 10, 2020 Gloria Shur Bilchik 2020 Election, States, Voting/Elections Leave a comment

If the Iowa Caucus debacle has you worried about the way American elections operate, please remember that a caucus is not an election. The

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New York

New York says no to Trump’s offshore drilling expansion

May 4, 2019 Renee Shur Energy, Environment, States Leave a comment

New York State has approximately 2,625 miles of coastline. There are, of course, a myriad of reasons for protecting the state’s coastline. Beyond the

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Arkansas legislators take a stand against “Stand Your Ground” bill

March 17, 2019 Renee Shur Crime/Violence, Guns, States Leave a comment

Last week the National Rifle Association suffered a resounding defeat in the State of Arkansas. I imagine that this week most Arkansans will be

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ballot

Ballot initiatives: Downside of uptick in voter turnout

February 17, 2019 Gloria Shur Bilchik 2018 Election, 2020 Election, Activism, Democracy, States, Voting/Elections Leave a comment

If you are frustrated with gridlock and/or intransigence in your state legislature, as many voters are, one way to get your issue considered is

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New York

New York votes in unified government and goes full-on progressive

February 2, 2019 Renee Shur 2018 Election, Democrats, States Leave a comment

Elections matter. If there’s any doubt about why, take a look at what’s happening right now in New York State. In the 2018 election,

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caucuses

Hope for change in 2020 Iowa caucuses, but…

January 15, 2019 Gloria Shur Bilchik 2020 Election, Democracy, Democrats, States, Voting/Elections One comment

The 2020 Democratic Iowa caucuses could become more [small-d] democratic, if changes proposed by the state party are approved—and if they work—which is a

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In case you missed it

  • The Pandemic’s Greatest Hits: Musical Blasts from the Past
  • Neera Tanden’s Behavior Actually is That Bad
  • My COVID-19 Vaccination: How it worked in New York State
  • Ann Wagner: a hypocrite in her own words
  • The Incoming Biden Team: A Review
  • Time to Act: But what are the crucial goals?

A new book by Arthur Lieber. Political Introverts: How Empathetic Voters Can Help Save American Politics.  Buy it here.

Gloria Shur Bilchik’s new book, Election Insiders: Behind the scenes with the people who make your vote count. Kindle edition now available at Amazon.

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