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

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  • How an Interfaith Model Helped Local Coalition End Columbus Day

    Indigenous and Italian American activists in Rochester, N.Y. built on an interfaith model to campaign for a resolution replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day. The committee focused on centering Indigenous perspectives, involving Italian Americans in the process, and encouraging community dialogue through mediated conversation circles.

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  • How Native organizers won voting access and reached record turnout in 2020

    Native organizers in Nevada secured voting access on tribal lands by overcoming a number of obstacles. The organizers successfully took the state of Nevada to court to finally have polling sites on their reservations. That win was the result of grassroots efforts to fight against voter suppression.

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  • What happens when the people decide?

    In a truly grassroots effort, organizers of a campaign to end partisan gerrymandering in Michigan mobilized more than 10,000 volunteers to rally support for establishing an independent redistricting commission. Through building meaningful relationships with everyday voters in each of the state's 83 counties, the campaign successfully gathered more than 400,000 signatures to get the proposal on the ballot, and the constitutional amendment was ultimately approved in 2018.

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  • How citizens' assemblies are revitalizing democracy

    Citizens’ assemblies bring together a sample of the population that reflects the overall demographic composition. The group gathers in person or virtually, is generally compensated in some way, receives information from experts, and then deliberate together to craft policy recommendations for government officials. Several countries, like Ireland and France, have achieved success with this form of participatory democracy.

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  • Villagers in western Tamil Nadu dislodge polluting charcoal mills after decade-long fight to save groundwater

    After years of protesting, attending public grievance meetings, and appearing as plaintiffs in court cases, the residents of Kangeyam, India, gained enough attention to shut down the charcoal industries that were polluting the groundwater.

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  • Vote for everyone you like — Fargo tests approval voting

    Fargo adopted ‘approval voting’ where residents can vote for as many candidates as they support per race. They do not rank order their choices, but simply select as many candidates as they like essentially voting ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for each candidate. All choices on a voter’s ballot carry equal weight and vote percentages are calculated by dividing a candidate’s total votes by the total number of ballots cast. The strategy has increased the percent by which winning candidates are selected and helps candidates who in the past would have received few votes because they weren’t seen as having a chance to win.

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  • How organizers in rural North Carolina are bridging racial and class divides

    Canvassers with Down Home North Carolina approach conversations with voters not as an opportunity to promote their cause or ideology, but as a chance to learn about voters' personal experiences and how those experiences shape their approach to political issues. The strategy, called deep canvassing, is based on active listening and nonjudgmental discussion and was found in one study to be more effective than traditional canvassing in winning over rural swing voters.

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  • Virginia Tech now has a 73% student-voting rate — how can other schools follow suit?

    Virginia Tech's civic engagement program, Hokies Vote, has successfully increased its student voting rate by roughly 25 percent through educational outreach, community dialogue events, and setting up a polling place on campus.

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  • How Georgia's Latinx community is working to 'out-organize' voter suppression

    Organizers and community leaders in Georgia are pushing back against restrictive voting laws that disproportionately affect communities of color. The Latinx community is mobilizing against those efforts by empowering its members to “unlock their political power.” Their efforts include voter outreach, translation services, and education.

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  • Imagine Living in a Country Where Voting Is Mandatory

    Voting in Australia became mandatory at the national level in 1924, and voter turnout has not fallen below 90% since. Voters can also cast their ballot at any polling place in their home state, with many polling places offering snacks and fundraise for local schools or churches. The atmosphere on election day, which is held on a Saturday, is festive and party-like. Mandatory voting has ensured that all groups have their voices heard.

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